No Child … curators (from left) Walter DeShields, LaNeshe L. White and Carlo Campbell at Malcolm X. Park (Photo from Facebook page).

This might be the most timely theater performance of the year. On Sunday, Aug. 18, “Theatre in the X” debuts at Malcolm X. Park (51st and Pine) and the first performance is the off-broadway piece No Child ..., which gives a first-hand account of what it’s like to teach and learn in inner-city schools.

Click to enlarge.

Originally performed as a one-woman show, the play is based on playwright and actress Nilaja Sun‘s experience teaching art in the New York public school system. The Theatre in the X version will feature a multi-general cast to play the teacher, students and school personnel who provide a glimpse into a school classroom.

The performance comes as the public school system Philadelphia is making national headlines for its financial difficulties.

Andre G. Brown will direct the play and Walter DeShields, LaNeshe L White and Carlo Campbell are the curators. The Leeway Corporation provided a grant for the performance.

The curtain opens at 6 p.m. and admission is free.

Theater in the X will continue the following Sunday, Aug. 25, with a production of Black Mass.

Here is a chance tonight to stand with your neighbors against violence in the neighborhoods.

The Kingsessing Fifth Division Community of Neighbors is organizing a vigil at 6:30 p.m. at 1100 S. Divinity St., the site of multiple shootings earlier this week and last week. Here is a message from the organization:

“Violence has peaked its head once more as young men in our community are the victims of senseless violence. Come out on Thursday August 15, 2013 as we pray for peace in our streets. Come be with your neighbors, community leaders, and elected officials. We want to encourage our community that we still have work to do. Bring a balloon with you as we will release for peace.”

Many of our readers expressed concern about Cafe Renata at 43rd and Locust being closed last week. So here’s what happened – Renata owners, Katie and Yasser, were doing a little facelift and also installed a new counter. Katie said that they moved the bar out of the center of the room and Yasser, actually, built the new bar and a bunch of tables himself with recycled pieces of wood. After the remodeling the cafe space for seating has increased by about 30%. The new counter and long table were made from salvaged trees and Yasser did the finishing work.

“We couldn’t have done it without the West Philly Tool Library. I think we borrowed a zillion different thingamajigs from them for this project,” said Katie in an email.

Editor’s Note: This week we received a classified ad from neighbor Jena Laske, who was looking for a musician to take ownership of her father’s prized 12-string. We asked Jena to tell us more. She sent the note below.

Hi West Philly Folks,

I’m giving away my father’s 12 string Yamaha guitar. Just to let you know a little bit about my dad, his name was Thomas. He had a mass of curly red hair. When he was a teenager, he was quite a heartthrob and played and sang at small town bars around the Adirondack mountains where my grandparents had a cabin on Seventh Lake. He was only 22 when I was born and I have memories sitting on the floor as a youngster listening to him sing Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name” and an old folk song, “Froggy Went a ‘Courtin’.”

I remember going with my Dad to pick out this guitar. It came with a case that was bright red and furry inside. Unfortunately, the stitches rotted a few years back and I left the case on 49th and Cedar for someone else to refurbish – so the guitar does not have a case.

My father died from cancer at 30 around 1979 or ’80. Although I have wanted to play his Yamaha for a long time, I just never learned to do it well.  I would like to offer this guitar to someone who really loves to play. It still resonates well, although there are slight issues with the neck which make the strings tight and hard to hold down.

If you are interested, please write me a short essay about why you want this guitar. You agree never to sell it, but to pass it on to a musician should you decide to part with it someday.

As my father would say, Sat Nam

Jena

A jury convicted  the woman standing trial for the death of her 3-year-old godson in June 2011 at an apartment building near 49th and Chestnut Streets.

Prosecutors have said they will seek a lengthy prison sentence for Nadera Watson, 25. Watson was convicted of third degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, child endangerment and the possession of instrument of crime, according to court documents. The instrument was a small blowtorch that Watson used to burn Jaquinn Brewton’s buttocks during potty training.

Watson earlier turned down a plea deal that would have resulted in a prison sentence of 30 to 60 years. Her boyfriend, Marcus King, pleaded guilty earlier to third degree murder charges.

King testified that Batson repeatedly abused the child, who had speech and developmental delays. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25.

More details on the Jaquinn Brewton case are available here.

UPDATE (8/14/13): Police said that they are still in the early stages of the investigation and couldn’t provide more details on the shootings. We also learned that a 19-year-old male was shot and killed on the same block just last week, on Saturday, Aug 10.

Four men were shot near Kingsessing Park Tuesday night, around 10 p.m.

NBC10 is reporting that the men were shot along the 1100 block of Divinity Street, which connects the 5000 blocks of Springfield and Chester Avenues. All four men were hospitalized. One is in critical condition.

Neighbors reported that police helicopters were in the area searching for the suspect or suspects.