Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph is an enchanting story about a friendship between an adventurous young boy and a closed off girl as they navigate life together. The two encounter school dances, relationships, negligent parents and so much more as they grow up together. As a disclaimer, the play covers sensitive topics such as sexual abuse, self-harm, and death, while also diving head-first into friendship, trust, and love. The show will run from October 7th to October 9th in the fall of 2022, with a talk back with the cast and director immediately following the Sunday matinee. The performances will be held at Ohlone Community College, in the Numi Theatre. This black box theatre will provide an intimate experience for audience members, and is aimed to make every individual in the theatre space feel connected and comfortable. The Ohlone Community college theatre department is near and dear to my heart, as it is where I began acting and directing. I graduated from Ohlone college during the Covid-19 pandemic, and never got the farewell I had hoped for. Putting on this show is my way of thanking the Ohlone theatre department, and giving back in a way that is meaningful to me. As an added benefit, I performed this show online for my final in an advanced acting class. Having the opportunity to put this show on at the place it was originally intended to be performed at in the Spring of 2021 would be a gift beyond words.
I will be directing this production of Gruesome Playground Injuries. As someone who knows this show like the back of their hand and has such a deep connection to it, it would feel wrong to simply give this project to another director. The play only has two characters, Dougie and Kayleen. Dougie will be played by Israel Avila, a talented actor currently working on his undergrad, and who matches the character in both thoughtfulness and youth. Kayleen will be played by Gillian Bong, another actor in her undergrad years who will beautifully portray the character’s sense of self and journey to accept love. The lighting and sound design will go hand in hand with the characters. When they are little kids, the design elements will be approached in a more youthful way. For example, brighter colors and comical sound effects. But as the characters grow up, the design elements will do the same. The intended audience are college students, as young adults are constantly dealing with the themes covered in this play. With topics as important as sexual abuse, self-harm, and death, it is shocking that society is constantly shying away from discussing these ever important subjects. The youth in this country are the ones who are taking these serious topics into their own hands, and are actively trying to do something to benefit not only themselves, but future generations. Tickets will be $12 for the general public, and $10 for college students. Half of the sales in tickets will be donated to a sexual abuse shelter, and will be mentioned by name in the program. Sexual assault is a topic that has been taboo for centuries, but is thankfully coming to light as more and more people speak out about their own experiences. It is imperative for the past, present, and future victims that we continue to talk about the uncomfortable topics. Change happens when people are uncomfortable, and our voices are the greatest power we possess. We do not wish to glorify sexual assault or self-harm in any way, and only wish to spread awareness and show support to all the victims who have had the misfortune of relating to these themes in any way.