Written and performed by Nilaja Sun and captured on tape in the studios at the WNED PBS in Buffalo with the support of the Chautauqua Theater Company, No Child… is a breathtaking solo show exploring the New York City public school system. Sun fearlessly transforms herself with rapid-fire precision into the teachers, students, parents, janitors, security guards, and administrators of a New York City public high school. Sun demonstrates how one determined woman can change the lives of countless others in this tour de force, crackling with wit and wisdom and showing us the transformative power of art.
NO CHILD…
October 26, 2020 — 8 p.m. EST
Sun demonstrates how one determined woman can change the lives of countless others in this tour de force, crackling with wit and wisdom and showing us the transformative power of art.
Meet The Cast
Nilaja Sun
Creator & Preformer
Nilaja Sun is an actor, playwright, and teaching artist. She recently performed an extended run of the critically acclaimed solo piece Pike St., which was commissioned and produced by Epic Theatre Ensemble and performed at the Abrons Arts Center. This year, a tour of the show started at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in D.C. and has continued to theaters in Minneapolis; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Melbourne, Australia.
Nilaja’s Obie award-winning solo piece No Child… was directed by Hal Brooks and commissioned and produced by Epic Theatre Ensemble. For her creation and performance of No Child… and its subsequent national tour, Nilaja garnered 21 awards including: an Obie Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards (including the John Gassner Playwriting Award for Outstanding New American Play), a Theatre World Award, the Helen Hayes Award, two NAACP Theatre Awards, and was awarded the soloNOVA Award for Artist of the Year by terraNOVA Collective. For Pike St., Nilaja was recently awarded the Edinburgh Award and Ivey Award.
TV/FILM: Madam Secretary, The Good Wife, BrainDead, 30 Rock, Law & Order: SVU, Unforgettable, Louie, The International, and Rubicon.
A native of the Lower East Side, she is a Princess Grace Award recipient and has worked proudly as a teaching artist in New York City for more than 15 years.
Meet The Creative Team
Sarah Clare Corporandy
Executive Producer
In addition to her role as Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director with Detroit Public Theatre, Sarah Clare is entering her 11th season at Chautauqua Theater Company at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, where she serves as the Managing Director. During her time at CTC, she has also served as the line producer for the Inter-arts collaborations of The Romeo and Juliet Project and Go West. Sarah Clare served as Managing Director for Philadelphia’s celebrated interdisciplinary ensemble Pig Iron Theater Co. and as company manager for Barrington Stage and New York Stage & Film. She served as an artistic partner with the Canadian-American cross-border Breathe Art Theatre Project and on the advisory boards of New York Shakespeare Exchange and the Serenbe Playhouse in Georgia. From 2009-2012, Sarah Clare held a full-time professorship at Savannah College of Art and Design, teaching in the master’s program for arts administration on both the Savannah and Atlanta campuses and through their online eLearning program, for which she developed new course curricula. She currently serves as a professor at SCAD. Her work has been published in the International Journal of the Arts in Society.
Andrew Borba
Producer
Honored to be working here in Detroit and for DPT, Andrew is in his fourth season as Artistic Director of the renowned Chautauqua Theater Company and Conservatory, one of the best summer theaters and most competitive summer training programs in the country. He’s directed over fifteen productions at CTC from new works, Shakespeare, and plays that for some reason all take place in 1939, as well as the interdisciplinary pieces Mango Suite, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Ellis Island, and Go West! with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Dance Company and Chautauqua Opera in the 4,400-seat amphitheater. He has directed multiple productions in Los Angeles and New York, most notably the award-winning Hamlet, First Quarto at Theater of Note; as an educator, he has directed for and served on the faculty of some of the nation’s foremost actor training programs, including The Juilliard School (his alma mater) NYU’s Graduate Acting Program, University of Tennessee Knoxville, USC, UCLA, and UC Irvine. As an actor, Andrew has performed in theaters around the country, including South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, The Globe Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (five seasons), Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Stage Company, Long Wharf, and others. He has appeared in over fifty TV series as well as the films Straight Outta Compton, Interstellar, Taken 3, and Charlie Wilson’s War. Andrew is a graduate of Brown University and New York University. He lives in Los Angeles and is a professor of Acting in the MFA program at UC Irvine.
Courtney Burkett
Producer
Courtney’s DPT directing credits include Cry It Out, Marie and Rosetta, Murder Ballad (Wilde Award Nomination: Best Musical; It’s All Theatre: Best of Season), American Hero, and the touring production of Detroit ‘67. Courtney played Laurie in DPT’s production of Pipeline. Prior to co-founding DPT, Courtney spent five years as Director of Theatre Programs at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, where she trained and mentored hundreds of young actors. Directing credits at Mosaic include The Tempest, Candide, Hastings Street, Lil Ham, and The Crucible. Before Mosaic, Courtney was a founding artistic partner with Breathe Art Theatre Project, where she directed and produced many productions and appeared in boom (Winner: The Rogue Critic Best Supporting Actress). Courtney spent two years working at the University of Michigan as the managing director of the CRLT Players. In that position, she oversaw 50 applied theatre performances annually on campuses throughout the country. Courtney also served as the business manager for the University of Detroit Mercy Theatre Company. While at UDM, Courtney taught in the Department of Theatre and directed and performed in Theatre Company productions. Courtney is a fourth generation native Detroiter. She received her BFA from Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts and her MFA from Wayne State’s Hilberry Theatre program.
Hal Brooks
Director
Hal Brooks is a Brooklyn-based freelance director. He has been Artistic Director of the Cape Cod Theatre Project since 2012, as well as Associate Artistic Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference since 2010. Recent credits – Regional: Residence (Humana Festival), The Whale (Denver Center), Tigers Be Still (Dallas Theater Center), Six Years (Humana Festival), Be a Good Little Widow (Old Globe). Off Broadway: Nilaja Sun’s No Child…, Will Eno’s Thom Pain (based on nothing), By the Water (Manhattan Theatre Club), Urge for Going (Public Theater), and The Bad Guys (Second Stage). Hal was also the Artistic Director of the Obie Award-winning Pearl Theatre Company. At the Pearl: The Rivals, Uncle Vanya, The Bald Soprano, Don Juan, Figaro, Public Enemy, and The Dingdong. Upcoming: Heisenberg (American Conservatory Theater). Mr. Brooks is a member of LCT Directors Lab, a Drama League Fellow, and a recipient of the NEA/TCG Program for Directors. He has been a lecturer at Yale College since 2010.
Jonathan Alexander
Lighting Design
John D. Alexander is excited to debut his work with DPT and would like to thank Goldie Patrick for this amazing opportunity! His recent designs include: Fabulation, or the Reeducation of Undine (Mosaic Theatre Co.); HERstory (John F. Kennedy Center); Topdog Underdog (Avant Bard); A Civil War Christmas (1st Stage) and Skeleton Crew (Theatre Squared). OFF-BROADWAY: Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence (New Victory Theater). Upcoming designs include: Royale (Theatre Squared); Airness (Keegan Theater & 1st Stage) and Drumfolk (New Victory Theater). He also serves as the lighting supervisor for Urban Bush Women’s national tour of Hair and Other Stories. He holds a BFA in Lighting Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Patrick Hanley
Production Manager
Patrick works as the Production Manager for DPT. He has previously worked with DPT as a stage manager (Skeleton Crew) and house manager, and continues to be involved with DPT’s Shakespeare in Prison program as a facilitator and fight choreographer. He currently serves as the Education Director for Water Works Theatre Company, directing both the Teen Ensemble and KidsAct! programs. Patrick holds a BFA in Acting from Wayne State University. His selective performance and stage management credits include productions with Matrix Theatre Company, Shakespeare in Detroit, the Elizabeth Theatre at the Park Bar, and numerous shows with Planet Ant Theatre.
Katherine Nelson
Production Stage Manager
Katherine has been stage managing with Detroit Public Theatre since its inaugural season, with highlights including the coproduction of Detroit ’67 with Baltimore Center Stage and the world premiere of Birthday Candles. They have also stage managed with the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts and Chautauqua Theater Company. Additionally, Katherine is a costume designer. Recent Off-Broadway design at The New Victory Theatre (Riddle of the Trilobites). In addition to design credits with Detroit Public Theatre, regional designs include shows with Purple Rose Theatre Company, Flint Youth Theatre, Flint Repertory Theatre (Wilde Award nomination: Best Costume Design, Riddle of the Trilobites), Tipping Point Theatre, Williamston Theatre, and the Wharton Center. They are a graduate of the Purple Rose Theatre Company apprenticeship program. Katherine is a proud member and National Councilor of Actors’ Equity Association. www.knelsondesigns.com.
