‘No Child …’ replaces ‘Amish Project’ in PlayMakers’ lineup

Actor-playwright Nilaja Sun’s timely one-woman show “No Child…” comes to PlayMakers Repertory Company Jan. 11-15, as part of the theater’s PRC2 second-stage series.

“No Child…” replaces “The Amish Project” by Jessica Dickey. The playwright had to cancel her PlayMakers appearance because of other obligations. PRC2 is PlayMakers’ acclaimed series in which each performance is followed by artist-audience discussion.

Sun was a teaching artist in the New York public school system, while also writing and performing in numerous Off-Broadway shows. She turned this experience into a rapid-fire, kaleidoscopic look at a multi-ethnic classroom of students — plus their parents, school administrators and staff, including a janitor and a security guard working the front door metal detector.

“‘No Child …’ is an exuberant, insightful portrait of life at fictional Malcolm X High School; a refreshingly un-cynical portrayal of some of the individuals shaping America’s next generation on the educational frontline,” said PlayMakers producing artistic director Joseph Haj. “We’re thrilled to bring Nilaja Sun to our stage for a rousing theatrical look at this hot topic.”

Sun’s play has been hailed as an “intelligent, clear-eyed and sometimes painfully funny take on the absurdly dysfunctional state of public education,” according to The Boston Globe. “‘No Child …’ is “in a class by itself!” raved The Washington Post. “No child left behind? Not while Nilaja Sun is around,” reported The New York Observer.

“No Child …” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. nightly and 2 p.m. on Jan. 15. Tickets are available as part of the theater’s 2011-2012 season subscription packages, or single tickets may be purchased for $10-$35. For more information, call the PlayMakers box office at (919) 962-PLAY (7529) or visit www.playmakersrep.org. PRC² shows are presented in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road.

The PRC2 season concludes with the world premiere of Ellen McLaughlin and Sarah Kirkland Snider’s “Penelope” (April 25-29).

PlayMakers, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is based in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Drama League of New York has named PlayMakers one of the best regional theaters in America.