WILMINGTON, DE - JANUARY 6, 2009 - Delaware Theatre Company (DTC) presents the centerpiece to its 30th season with Nilaja Sun's No Child... January 14 through February 1, 2009. Distilled from Sun's experience teaching students at some of New York City's toughest high schools, No Child... tells a tale about her struggles to draw out the talents of her resistant students.  No Child... is directed by Anne Marie Cammarato and stars Kevin Ramsey and Chandra Thomas. Tickets are $33-$47 and may be purchased by calling the DTC Box Office at 302.594.1100 or in person at 200 Water Street, Wilmington. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.delawaretheatre.org. 

Written to stimulate conversation about America's public school system, No Child...is a timely examination of our nation's teenagers and the education they are receiving.  As a teaching artist in New York City's public school system, Nilaja Sun chronicled her experiences working with high school students on a production of the play Our Country's Good, by Timberlake Wertenbaker,in their classroom.  Ultimately, the experience turned her ideas of artistic expression upside down, and taught her more about the education system than she had expected. 

In an interview with NPR this past November, Sun spoke about the play: "[The character of Ms. Sun] is feeling the pressure of teaching something that people find not really valued, and when it comes to [the No Child Left Behind Act] there's not much language about arts and teaching of arts, which, to me, is absurd, but is one of the reasons I created the show. It's not one of those pieces that you go to see and say 'Wow, that Nilaja Sun really gave it to the government.' Hopefully it's one of those pieces that you really, actually see these kids as human and really kind of want to allow them to grow."

The New York Times described the New York production of the play by pointing out, "...the thematic resonances are clear, as both Our Country's Good and No Child... argue for the exalting benefits of theater on troubled individuals and communities." Through the experiences of 16 characters played by two actors, the impact of theatre on a group of students and their school is insightful, hilarious and touching.

Upon an initial reading of the play, DTC Artistic Director Anne Marie Cammarato felt that through the stories of the teens in No Child... the play would not only spark a conversation about public schools in America, but would help to connect the youth at risk in the Wilmington community and the play-going audience at DTC.  Says Cammarato; "It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the educational work DTC does, particularly our partnership with the Ferris School for Boys." 

In 2003, Delaware Theatre Company began a partnership with the Ferris School for Boys in Wilmington called Arts Across the Curriculum, an innovative program that uses the arts (drama, music, dance and visual arts) as learning tools incorporated in the curriculum of the state's level-five facility for juvenile incarcerated males, preparing them for life outside of the prison walls. Started as a pilot program with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Delaware Division of the Arts, Arts Across the Curriculum has become one of the most important and influential education programs in the State.  While the program completed its five-year cycle at the end of DTC's 2007-2008 season, the partnership was inspired to continue into the 2008-2009 season through an individual's generous donation.  It was clear to DTC that the parallels between the play No Child... (using plays to reach children in school) and the five-year work at Ferris (using the arts to enhance the curriculum and encourage students to find hope through self-expression) made the connection strong and important.

To ensure the success of this extended partnership with Ferris School, it was decided that playwright/director Kevin Ramsey was the ideal artist to take on this challenging project for his existing relationship with DTC, his understanding of the Wilmington community, and his extensive work in several art forms.  Ramsey, who has become a mainstay at DTC through his musical Sam Cooke: Forever Mr. Soul and directing last season's The Piano Lesson by August Wilson, also has an existing connection with the boys and staff at Ferris, as he conducted a highly successful acting workshop at the school last year.

Ramsey and Cammarato have been working with selected Ferris students since early December, prior to the start of rehearsals for No Child..., which will include cast visits to the school as part of the rehearsal progress.  The selected students will be given the opportunity to express their struggles, hopes, and dreams in various artistic forms, which will then be used as "verbal graffiti" throughout the production on DTC's stage.  This will give DTC's audience the opportunity to hear the voices of the boys at Ferris, and their interpretation of the themes of the play about youth at risk. One of the most important aspects of this partnership with Ferris is DTC's ability to bring the work of the Ferris students to the larger community, both for the students' sake and for the community's sake.  The production will conclude with a special performance brought to Ferris so that the students may benefit from the work they have contributed to.

Along with Ferris, DTC will be able to extend its outreach to Delaware public school teachers through the generous support of the Rodel Foundation of Delaware, which is helping to create one of the finest public education systems in the nation.  The Rodel Foundation is offering of up to 100 free tickets to selected performances of No Child... to Delaware public school teachers, along with an exclusive pre-show behind-the-scenes look at the play's creative process and a discussion of how the its themes are being addressed in Delaware today. 

It's the hope of both Cammarato, a proud product of the Delaware public school system, and Ramsey, the son of retied public school teachers, that the play gets people talking.  Says Cammarato, "I hope the audience comes away hearing new voices...the voices of our country's youth and our community's youth at risk. These are not voices we tend to hear often and I think we can learn a lot by listening to them."

Scenic and costume designer for No Child... is Beowulf Boritt, who recently won a Barrymore Award for his design of DTC's 'Art'.  In addition to being an OBIE Award winner, Boritt's credits include Broadway's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Off-Broadway's The Last Five Years, and the 2008-09 Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  Rounding out the artistic staff is returning lighting designer Christopher Studley, sound designer and composer Fabian Obispo, and stage manager Kari Krein.

No Child... by Nilaja Sun runs January 14-February 1, 2009.  Opening Night is Saturday, January 17.  Evening performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8PM (except 1/23); matinee performances are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2PM (except 1/14 and 1/17); and a Friday Early Show on January 23 at 6:30PM. Tickets are $33-$47, depending on the performance day and time, with special discounts for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.  DTC also encourages participation in its Bring-a-Teen program, designed for young people as a way to foster an understanding of and appreciation for live theatre. Every adult that purchases a regular-priced ticket can receive one free ticket to bring a teenager (ages 13-19) to the performance.  The tickets must be purchased in person at the box office, with the teenager present, no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the performance. Note: this performance contains strong language.