TICKETS $15

Doors 6:30 p.m.; Event 7 p.m.
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THE EXPERIENCE:

A special screening of Portland director Ime N. Etuk’s feature film Outdoor School, which follows Melvin Shambry, a charismatic 12-year-old navigating a childhood shaped by instability and limited access to opportunity who is introduced to an outdoor education program which shifts Melvin’s sense of possibility in the world. Following this screening director Ime N. Etuk will be joined on stage by renowned actress Cycerli Ash and author Vin Shambry, whose true life story is the inspiration for this film to discuss the making of this one of a kind Oregon based film.

ON SCREEN: Outdoor School

2025. Directed by Ime N. Etuk. Runtime: 85 minutes. 
Set against the nostalgia of 1990s Portland and the timeless beauty of the Oregon woods, Outdoor School follows Melvin Shambry, a charismatic 12-year-old navigating a childhood shaped by instability and limited access to opportunity. When Melvin is introduced to an outdoor education program, time in nature and the presence of caring adults begin to shift his sense of possibility. The outdoors becomes a space for reflection, curiosity, and belonging. Inspired by a true story and told with restraint and warmth, Outdoor School explores how access, mentorship, and community can quietly alter the course of a young person’s life.

ON STAGE: 

Ime N. Etuk (Director) – I believe the first step in storytelling is listening—deeply, openly, and without assumption. Whether writing, directing or producing, I begin with rooting work in real stories and lived experiences. My aim is to explore important emotional truths through fiction. My commitment is to honor communities and bring visibility to what’s often overlooked or unheard. As a first-generation Nigerian raised in Portland, I’ve spent my life moving between cultural worlds—often translating myself in spaces that didn’t fully see me. That sense of in-between shaped how I view identity, belonging, and transformation. It also drives the kinds of stories I tell: ones grounded in resilience, tension, and the quiet power of becoming. I am inspired by oral traditions, community histories, and the collective memory of those whose stories have too often been erased or ignored. My work draws on these influences and fuses them with my training in journalism, film, and theater. Over time, my practice has evolved from simply directing films to creating spaces for others to share their stories. I lead Lion Speaks, a nonprofit that mentors historically excluded Black and BIPOC creatives in media. Collaboration, mentorship, and access are central to my creative process. I often begin new work by listening: conducting interviews and gathering narratives that can be transformed into film, theater, or multimedia pieces. My goal is to build a body of work that is emotionally grounded and culturally expansive—films, series, and collaborative projects that foster reflection, empathy, and connection, while widening the circle of who gets to be seen and heard.

Vin Shambry (Author) – Vin Shambry is a Published writer, Acclaimed storyteller, International actor, And Director. Artists Rep, where he is a Resident Artist. His previous Artists Rep productions include A Civil War Christmas, (I Am Still) the Duchess of Malfi and Superior Donuts, for which he won a 2011 Portland Drammy Award for lead actor. He has performed with Oregon Children’s Theatre, Staged!, Portland Opera and CoHo Productions. Before returning home to Portland, Vin performed on Broadway as Tom Collins in Rent and John in Miss Saigon, and toured nationally with Rent, Miss Saigon, Honk and Big River. Vin was recently voted Portland’s Best Actor by Willamette Weekly reader’s poll (2016), has won three Portland Drammys (2011) and an Audelco Award for Best Actor in a Play for Black Man Rising  (2006).  Vin has a BFA in Musical Theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC (2005). Vin is an accomplished writer and acclaimed live storyteller whose work can be heard on The Moth podcast and PDX Back Fence. He is also working on a collection of short stories about his childhood. 

Cycerli Ash (Actress) – Cycerli (@Cycerli) is honored to be back. She was last seen as Dr. Van Helsing in Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really. Cycerli is a Professor at Portland State University and George Fox University. She has her MFA in Acting from the University of Tennessee and her BA in Theatre from Rutgers University where she was also a Division 1 athlete in Track and Field. She is a proud member of Actors Equity and Screen Actors Guild. Cycerli has graced many stages. Some of her theatre credits include Evie at Penumbra Theatre, Cynthia in Sweat at The Denver Center and Profile theater, Delia in Spunk at Kenny Leon True Colors, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Portland Playhouse, Vera in Seven Guitars at Passin Arts. She has worked for The Red Door Project, The Alliance Theater, Dominion, and Clarence Brown Theater. She is the CEO and founder of the faith-based theater company DAE productions located in Atlanta GA. She has worked for Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and her most recent movie released on Amazon Prime called Cellar Door starring Laurence Fishburne. She’s seen on Hulu (Pretty Little Liars), TVone (Skinned), BET (Tales), Amazon Prime (The City). She gives all glory to God and is very blessed to do what she loves for a living 🙂

Note: We do not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, and films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of PAM CUT, the Tomorrow Theater, or the Portland Art Museum. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on sites like Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com.