Nilaja Sun is simply electrifying in her one-woman show about teaching drama to some of America’s most underprivileged youth.
No Child… draws on Sun’s own experiences in the US public school system, crystallised into an hour of compelling theatre. It’s a simple set-up – a few chairs on a bare stage and just one actor, Sun, taking on every role. Under the direction of Hal Brooks, there are no costume changes or lighting trickery to help Sun move from character to character. Instead, she slips beneath their skins, holding every muscle in her body differently to show the audience herself, the school principal, her fellow teachers and, of course, her unruly students.
The story is shaped by the narrator, an elderly janitor at a Bronx public school (the sort of role that one would normally imagine Morgan Freeman in, if it weren’t being worn like an immaculately tailored suit by Sun). In this guise, Sun explains to the audience that this semi-autobiographical work reflects her time as a teacher to underprivileged students, and the challenges of trying to inspire kids to connect with the theatre when their lives are setting them up for little more than teenage pregnancy and jail time.
Every character that Sun creates is impeccable – it’s always entirely clear who she is embodying, and as much as their stereotypical aspects generate easy laughs (such as the ‘mmm-hmmmm’ of the sassy African-American teenager), Sun’s willingness to flesh them out and dig beneath their surfaces is what gives No Child… its heart. Her depiction of Jerome, a troubled young man who slowly engages with Sun’s drama class, is astounding. When Sun shows us Jerome, she transforms utterly. We don’t see any part of the vibrant young woman looking out into the audience – the eyes on stage belong to a scared, hurt young man. This is transformative performance at its best.
Sun has been performing her show around the world since 2006, and recently wowed some lucky local audiences at the Melbourne Festival in 2012. For those who missed that first Victorian run, a reprieve is at hand in the form of a limited run at Theatre Works. The word is that, during her Festival run, Sun received eight standing ovations. On the opening night of the Theatreworks season, she received her ninth. No Child… is powerful, impressive, moving theatre, and should be seen.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
No Child…
Written and performed by Nilaja Sun
Directed by Hal Brooks
Theatre Works, St Kilda
7 – 26 May
