Two River Theater presents ‘One Child’, an original play inspired by Nilaja Sun’s No Child

RED BANK, NJ- Two River Theater announces the performance dates for One Child, an original play written and performed by 10 students from seven different Monmouth County high schools.

About One Child

Created through Two River’s PlayBack theater education program, One Child is based on the themes of Nilaja Sun’s acclaimed play about public education, No Child..., and drawn from the students own lives and experiences.

Each year, PlayBack brings together diverse high school students for an intensive three-month program. Guided by professional teaching artists, the students work together to create an original play or musical based on the themes of a Two River production, but using their own words, ideas, and questions about the world. Their project is then performed on stage at Two River before members of the public and their peers.

In One Child, the students explore their feelings about education, their families, and their own hunger to be seen and understood. During the development process of the play, they met with playwright and actor Nilaja Sun, who performed No Child…. at Two River Theater earlier this season.

They also participated in acting and writing workshops curated by the theater’s education department. Designed to foster the collaborative process of making theater, PlayBack includes students from seven different high schools: Colts Neck, Communications, High Technology, Long Branch, Ocean Township, Red Bank Regional, and Rumson-Fair Haven.

Kate Cordaro, Two River’s Director of Education, notes that “These 10 young women have come together from very different backgrounds to create a truly supportive ensemble. They’ve shared their thoughts on their teachers, parents and families, education in general-and their schools in particular. We chose No Child… for this year’s PlayBack because it so powerfully evokes the issues facing young people, and the trans formative power of art. Now, we are excited to present an opportunity for our community to hear the passionate voices of teenagers from our own local schools.”

Sun, who will attend a performance of One Child, says, “I am thrilled to see the work that these young playwrights have put together. I am proud of their success already!”

One Child is written and performed by Liz Ditzel, Sophia Gutchinov, Catherine Healey, Evelyn Lumish, Princess Thomas, Chloe Triolo, Lauren Viggiani, Maddie Walsack, Jeianeira Woods, and Annie Zucker, in collaboration with teaching artists Lauren Feldman and Pirronne Yousefzadeh.

Two River Theater’s education programs are sponsored in part by The Stone Foundation of New Jersey and Bank of America Foundation. Two River Theater is supported in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Hickory Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Molly Pitcher Inn/Oyster Point Hotel, The Shubert Foundation, Flowerful Events, et al fine food & events, and many other foundations, corporations, and sponsors.

Performances

Performances are Saturday, January 21 at 2pm and 7pm and Sunday, January 22 at 2pm in Two River’s Marion Huber Theater. Tickets, available now from 732.345.1400 or www.trtc.org, are $10.