A thin African American woman stands alone on a stage amidst stacked chairs and against a worn-down classroom setting. Within the first two minutes, Nilaja Sun contorts her face, posture, and breathing to take on the characters of an excited, high-strung teacher jumping around the classroom, an outspoken Latina student whining, “Ewww! Is this, like, patriotism?” with a hand on her hip, and an angry classmate with arms crossed behind his head, “Yo, ain’t it illegal to teach this white shit no more?” “No Child…,” currently playing at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, depicts Sun’s nine years as a teaching artist in the New York Public School system through 20 characters, ranging from the janitor to the teacher to the students themselves, in a captivating 65-minute performance.

In “No Child…,” originally produced Off-Broadway in New York, Sun attempts to inspire self-esteem and make “great thespians” out of a difficult class of Bronx tenth-graders through mounting a six-week long workshop ending in a performance of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play, “Our Country’s Good,” about a community of theatrical-aspiring convicts. The choice of play seems only too fitting for these students (victims of gang warfare and sexual abuse), who come to their under-funded inner-city school every day only to walk through metal detectors like prisoners—“Take off your shoes. Take off your belt. Go back. Go back.” “No Child…” is evident commentary on what Sun believes are the failed effects of President Bush’s 2002 federal initiative.

In case you are not familiar, according to the California Department of Education, this initative, known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), was established to boost test proficiency solely in mathematics and English in public schools, neglecting the humantities, sciences and arts. This ultimatum meant a loss of government funding, the possibility of laying off an entire teaching staff, and finally, the shutting down of the school itself, if the initiative’s demands were not met. Though Sun’s play is set at Malcolm X High School in the Bronx, “No Child…” is relevant to California residents with public education issues continually on the rise.

As a product of NCLB, Nilaja Sun sheds light on the muted students and teachers of urban schools and inspires interest unto a Los Angeles audience that might otherwise care less. Garnering a number of awards as solo writer and performer of “No Child…,” including a Lucille Lortel Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and an Obie Award, to name a few, Sun proves to be a phenomenal performer in her ability to transition seamlessly through characters and illustrate her deep compassion and uncompromising awareness through fast-paced objectivity, rather than as a didactic sermon. At times over-done and sentimental, “No Child…” still succeeds in offering a brief and enlightening opportunity for theatre-goers.

By Danielle Jacoby

Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg