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. It 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 that 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. A portion of each tickets benefits Bradley Angle and P:ear Mentoring. 

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 (Writer/Director) – Etuk believes the first step in storytelling is listening—deeply, openly, and without assumption. Whether writing, directing, or producing, he begins by rooting work in real stories and lived experiences. His aim is to explore important emotional truths through fiction. His commitment is to honor communities and bring visibility to what’s often overlooked or unheard. As a first-generation Nigerian raised in Portland, he’s spent his life moving between cultural worlds—often translating himself in spaces that didn’t fully see him. That sense of in-between shaped how he views identity, belonging, and transformation. It also drives the kinds of stories he tells: ones grounded in resilience, tension, and the quiet power of becoming. He is inspired by oral traditions, community histories, and the collective memory of those whose stories have too often been erased or ignored. His work draws on these influences and fuses them with his training in journalism, film, and theater. Over time, his practice has evolved from simply directing films to creating spaces for others to share their stories. He leads Lion Speaks, a nonprofit that mentors historically excluded Black and BIPOC creatives in media. Collaboration, mentorship, and access are central to his creative process. He often begins new work by listening: conducting interviews and gathering narratives that can be transformed into film, theater, or multimedia pieces. His 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 (Producer/Subject) – Vin Shambry is a published writer, acclaimed storyteller, international actor, director, and resident artist at Artists Rep. 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 voted Portland’s Best Actor in Willamette Week’s 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 has been blessed to work for Warner Brothers and Lionsgate, most recently starring in Cellar Door alongside Laurence Fishburne, now streaming on Amazon Prime. She’s also been seen on Hulu’s Pretty Little Liars, TV One’s Skinned, BET’s Tales, and Amazon Prime’s The City. Select theatre credits include Paradise Blue (Silver) at Portland Playhouse; Mrs. Harrison (Aisha) and Dracula (Dr. Van Helsing) at PCS; What I Learned in Paris (Evie) at Penumbra Theatre; Sweat (Cynthia) at The Denver Center and Profile Theatre; Spunk (Delia, Missy Mae) with Kenny Leon’s True Colors; A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) at Portland Playhouse; and Seven Guitars (Vera) with Passin Art. She has also worked with The Red Door Project, The Alliance Theatre, Dominion Theatre, and Clarence Brown Theatre. Cycerli holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Tennessee and a BA in Theatre from Rutgers University, where she was also a Division 1 track and field athlete. She has taught acting at Portland State University and George Fox University, and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity and SAG-AFTRA. She gives all glory to God and is deeply grateful to do what she loves for a living. Fun fact: she holds a black belt in Hapkido.

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.