Last Chance To See Excellent ‘No Child…’ At Rock Island’s Brunner Theatre Today
Sydney Chatman and Jalyn Greene know what it’s like to teach theater to minority, inner-city students.
So the African-American women are a natural pair to direct and act, respectively, the one-woman show “No Child…,” which is the last Mississippi Bend Players production this summer. It runs through Sunday at Augustana College’s Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 7th Ave., Rock Island.
“No Child…” (written and premiered in 2006 by Nilaja Sun) follows the story of Miss Sun, a visiting teacher who uses theatre as a means of connecting with students in the New York City public school system. This one-person play, based on the playwright’s own experiences, is a tour-de-force as the actor plays 16 different characters in rapid succession, including Miss Sun, her students, other teachers and administrators, and even the school’s 80-year-old janitor.
“An insightful, hilarious, and touching master class not to be missed by anyone concerned about the state of the education system and how it might be improved,” according to MBP.
Jalyn Greene is a 28-year-old an actor, poet, and teaching artist. Detroit born and Chicago based, she received her BFA from Michigan State University. Recent acting credits include “Queen of Sock Pairing” as The Narrator (Red Tape Theatre), “We Are Pussy Riot” as Masha (Red Tape Theatre), “How to Pick a Lock” as Zhara (Rhinofest), “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” as Cora Flood (understudy) (Eclipse Theatre), and “Breathe, Boom” as Angel (Eclipse Theatre). Greene thrives on the belief that arts education is key in creating compassionate, bold, and effective leaders.
Performances of the new MBP production at Augustana are at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $20; or $15 for students; $17 for faculty and staff and seniors, available HERE or by calling 309-794-7306.
