Theater Meets the Classroom in Gloucester Stage's 'No Child...'

Teachers make a difference.

Gloucester Stage Company invites audiences to take their seats for No Child... a one-act play by Nilaja Sun. Ms. Sun, an enthusiastic teacher, is determined to make an impact at Malcolm X High School, one of the poorest schools in the U.S. district. She hopes to inspire her 10th-grade students in a six-week theatrical program, “Our Country’s Good.”

I had no idea what to expect when walking into Gloucester Stage's No Child. This show is a deeply profound and moving portrayal of the positive influences teachers have on students. Gloucester Stage Company's No Child bestows the merriments of imagination, unique obligations, and highlights work fields that deserve praise.

No Child is a one-woman show performed with ingenious energy by 24-year-old Valyn Lyric Turner. She shows that she is no stranger to public speaking in the play’s 75-minute duration. Her passion for theater is evident in every scene. The amount of radiant energy Turner builds into her performance is tremendous.

Turner memorizes pages and pages of monologues. She doesn’t play just one character, but several throughout the show without a single costume change. Watching her switch personalities in seconds was like watching a masterclass of acting. She shifts body language, facial expressions, and vocal tone with such precision.

Her main performance of the optimistic, and at times sarcastic, Ms. Sun feels refreshingly human. Ms. Sun refuses to give up on her students. Through her teachings, she knows her young ‘thespians’ are worth more. While running into several obstacles, Ms. Sun transforms her disengaged students into young adults who realize they have more potential.

Turner plays other characters, including the school’s janitor, assistant teachers, and her students. It really felt like several people were on the stage. She held the audience's engagement the entire time, making us laugh with her witty humor.

I haven’t seen enough single performance shows. Theater is all about experimenting, and No Child proves that we can do solo performances.

Directed with precision and heart by Pascal Florestal, she explores the lens of education in Nilaja Sun’s defiant work. She was drawn to working on this show based on her own experiences in education. Florestal remarked that working on No Child was a challenge. Challenges are always fun.

The staging design further enhances the production’s authenticity with Cristina Todesco’s unique blend of documentary-style realism with theatrical artistry. Todesco creates a classroom from a stained window, two chairs, and a pile of books.

Lighting designer Amanda Fallon blends the shadows of the window panes on the floor, reflecting darkness in the play’s serious moments.

One quote from Florestal stuck with me. “The teachers, the students, and the walls all shaped the person I’ve become.” Despite the limited setting, I didn’t feel like an audience member, but a student in Ms. Sun’s class. No Child is an immersive audience experience.

I felt an invigorating impact in Gloucester Stage’s black box theater. No Child leaves a profound impression on the education field. This show made me reflect on all the teachers I had throughout my education. Appreciate your teachers for everything they do because you never realize the stakes they take to improve education.

This show needs to be witnessed. Theater has a way of surprising you, and seeing this show was an incredible experience. I haven’t felt a show empower me like this in a while. Get your tickets and spend a night out seeing No Child at Gloucester Stage Company, playing until August 23. Don’t forget to raise your hand and take a hall pass.