North Carolina-based actor and playwright Mike Wiley will bring the fight for emancipation to life with his original work, “One Noble Journey: A Box Marked Freedom.”  

The one-man documentary theater presentation will be performed at the Tryon Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, as part of TFAC’s “Something Different Series.” 

“One Noble Journey: A Box Marked Freedom” tells the true story of Henry “Box” Brown, an African-American who was born a slave in 1816 in Louisa County, Virginia. When Brown witnessed his wife and children taken from him and sold to another state, he reached his breaking point and devised an escape plan that would have him sealed in a small wooden box and shipped to friends and freedom in Philadelphia.   

Within “One Noble Journey” is embedded the true account of William and Ellen Craft’s escape from slavery. This pre-civil war “cloak and dagger” tale recounts the numerous times they escaped capture. 

The Oct. 18 performance of “One Noble Journey: A Box Marked Freedom” is appropriate for all ages. Tickets and additional information are available at tryonarts.org or by calling 828-859-8322.  

The Something Different Series is made possible by a grant from the Kirby Innovative Events Fund of Polk County Community Foundation.

– Submitted by Michelle Fleming