Recess

Recess is Una Aya Osato’s latest one woman show, an impassioned response to her experiences attending and teaching in NYC’s public schools. Focusing on a class of 2nd graders, Recess takes the audience into the hearts and minds of children navigating the public school system. In the Bronx we meet Sherita Johnson, the 7-year-old protagonist of the play whose tumultuous home life sets the stage for daily battles at school. Recess spotlights the tense and unpredictable interactions of Sherita, her classmates, and her teacher Ms. White. Here struggles for power and the effects of a suffocating bureaucracy are an everyday reality. We witness these children encounter difficulties beyond their making and still prevail. Una takes on six different roles, bringing each character to life, skillfully interweaving each character into the larger narrative of Sherita’s life. Not just relevant to youth or to those who work with youth, Recess is a story about how and where inspiration can be found if time is taken to listen to voices of those not typically heard.