Weights
2005
Extant premiered the UK tour of blind African American playwright, poet, actor and athlete, Lynn Manning in his one-man autobiographical play, performed in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and London.
A powerful performance that utilises prose, poetry, humour and live music accompaniment to tell the real-life story of Lynn Manning. A passionate and inspiring one-man show, Weights is about a man who has overcome tremendous obstacles in life. Lynn grew up as an impoverished child in the foster care system of South Central Los Angeles, the son of an abusive father and alcoholic mother. At the age of 23 he was shot in a senseless bar fight, losing his sight completely. The show traces Lynn’s ultimate transcendence of the senseless violence that changed his life; his strength is how well he handles his personal disaster.
Background
As well as developing our own work, it is imperative that Extant continues to bring relevant, high quality drama to the UK, that reflects the broad range of backgrounds of visually impaired people.
We were therefore extremely proud to have the opportunity to present in winter 2005, Lynn Manning from Los Angeles in his production of Weights, supported by musician Gary Burgman from New York’s Theatre by the Blind.