NO CHILD... By Nilaja Sun Is Next At Kitchen Theatre Company

The 2022-2023 season will continue at Kitchen Theatre Company with NO CHILD... by Nilaja Sun.

Performances of NO CHILD... begin at the Kitchen Theatre Company in the Percy Browning Performance Space on Tuesday, March 28 and will run through Sunday, April 16. The play is generously sponsored by Tompkins Community Bank, Rally OurBus, Cayuga Radio Group, WRVO, WVBR and WSKG, with community partner Community Unity Music Education Program (CUMEP).

Named for the controversial No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, this one-person tour de force play is based on the playwright's experience as a teaching artist in New York City. An award-winning Off-Broadway hit, NO CHILD... shines a light on the flawed state of public education while celebrating the young people who pass through the metal detectors daily to navigate the system.

Among the 16 characters, all played by one actor, we meet the principal who has seen it all, the well-intentioned but harried new classroom teacher, the observer-philosopher custodian, and a room full of teenagers, each with their own hopes, disappointments, and dreams. In this complex environment, Miss Sun is determined to make a difference.

Interim Artistic Director Karl Gregory says, "Having acted in so many one-person shows at KTC, I am eager to watch another director and actor at work and excited to support this team in their creation of such a rich, complex, and moving story."

At the helm, making her Kitchen Theatre Company directorial debut, is Regina Renée Russell. New to the KTC, but not to Ithaca, Russell graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts. Since then, she has completed her M.F.A. in London and is based in New York City.

Russell says, "When I read No Child, the thing that resonated the most with me was how stifled the characters are and how much they expand and thrive when they are given a little bit of air. Whether that "air" is a teacher, a compliment from a fellow student, an acting exercise, a piece of text or even a phone call, once each character experiences the opportunity to expand through connection with the arts and with each other, they are able to fill the room with their whole selves."

Taking on the challenging multi-character role is Katya Collazo*, also making her KTC debut. She was seen recently in Nina Simone: Four Women (Arizona Theatre Company) and Possessing Harriet (Franklin Stage Company). Like the playwright and the character in the play, Collazo has been a teaching artist, working for Hartbeat Ensemble and Naked Angels.

The other members of the creative team include Stiller Zusman (set designer), Joey Moro (lighting designer), Deletris Bryant (sound designer), Jennifer Schilansky (production stage manager), and Judy Bowman (casting director).

Special events for NO CHILD... include post-show discussions with artistic staff on March 28, 29, and 30, and actors' forums on April 7 & April 14. Opening Night is on Friday, March 31 and will include a post-show reception and a step-and-repeat for photos.

*member, Actors' Equity Association

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