A nine-cast member play, Boney Manilli tells a story about the relationship between Sunny, a troubled playwright, and his mother, Momma. Sunny is trying to direct a play about the infamous pop group duo Milli Vanilli, while struggling to take care of Momma who is slowly dying from dementia. The rest of the family, on their own journey, searches for a missing script written by Momma’s father, Sunny Sr. The legend goes that Sunny Sr. wrote the script for the Disney movie Song of the South (1946), but was never credited for it. They hope to find the original script and sue Disney Studios but Momma hid it and can’t remember where. With original music, dance numbers and a BBQ, Boney Manilli is an epic tale traversing 100 years of history, both real and surreal, confronting family trauma and learning to let go.

Boney Manilli is supported by the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts and presented in association with UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA). The full production of Boney Manilli is scheduled to make its official US premiere in Spring 2023 at CAP UCLA, where Arceneaux is currently an artist in residency with Boney Manilli. CAP UCLA received the prestigious Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts' Artist Project Grant for the creative development of Arceneaux's project.

The Boney Manilli sneak preview performance and BBQ is presented on Friday, February 18, 2022 during Frieze LA and concurrently with Arceneaux’s solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures, “Skinning The Mirror” on view at Vielmetter Los Angeles through March 12th, 2022.

To be a part of Boney Manilli and support our journey, you can donate here!

*Images are taken during our first development residency at CAP UCLA in May 2021.

Photo credit : Xiaoyue Zhang, Courtesy of Edgar Arceneaux