Last year students in Fairfield’s theatre program began to read through potential performances for their independent theatre project. After deciding on “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” this group of students began working on their performance on Jan. 4 — only a few weeks ago. Their performance, however, resembled that of one practiced for months. “Gruesome Playground Injuries” was performed in the PepsiCo Theatre on Jan. 24 and 25 at 8 p.m., and Jan. 25 and 26 at 2 p.m.
The theme of this play is thrown right in your face — love hurts. The two protagonists, Kayleen, played by Grace Janiszewski ‘14, and Doug, played by Owen Corey ‘14, were life long injury-prone friends who grew apart but never lost their true connection.
The play itself spanned approximately 30 years and jumped scenes from the past to the future and finally ending up in the present, and the location of the play varied throughout the eight scenes.
These two childhood friends spent every interaction together comparing scars and injuries, touching one another’s wounds and “healing” each other. The injuries were truly gruesome — from riding a bike off a roof to blowing an eye out with a firework. However, through all of the awful injuries, we never saw one of them happen. Instead, we saw the effects of it and how the two characters dealt with each other’s cuts and bruises.
Usually when you go to a play, you expect scene changes to be done behind the curtain with each new scene bringing a different wardrobe. “The magic of theatre” happened out of our sight.
However, in “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” Doug and Kayleen changed right in front of us. There was a chest off in the corner of the stage that held all of the makeup, bandages and clothing that the actors needed.
Music played in the background while the two helped each other dress. The settings changed by scene, which the two actors were also responsible for doing all while we sat and watched. The most fascinating part of all of this was how the actors were able to do this all without breaking character.
The play was very well directed and cast. Kayleen and Doug were very believably in love and delivered their lines with poise and expertise that had me stepping back at times and reminding myself they were only a few years older than myself.
Delivery was key at several points in the play, for example how they would argue and interrupt each other. I got so caught up in their bickering and cursing that I had to remind myself that they were acting and I wasn’t watching a couple go at it in Barone.
At moments, I got so wrapped up in the performance that I felt nauseated at the thought of some of the injuries. The tiny hiccups of humor were delivered without flaw and with impeccable timing. For example, in one scene Doug and Kayleen were seeing each other for the first time in years, and Kayleen asked Doug what he had been so busy doing that he didn’t have time for her.
Well, he matter-of-factly explained that he was working in insurance. The irony had the entire audience giggling. The actors delivered their lines perfectly and had the audience in stitches — no pun intended.
Senior Ashley Ruggiero had previously only directed one 10-minute play last year before directing “Gruesome Playground Injuries.” Ruggiero said she was “bit by the theatre bug” in elementary school when she watched a performance come to life.
She described the feeling like electricity and she was hooked. Janiszewski, however, said she was “bit later” when she was a student in high school and grew tired of sports.
Certainly, this play was not for the closed-minded. It was a strange and extreme interpretation on a more concise message that indeed, love hurts.
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