Gruesome Playground Injuries

by Rajiv Joseph depicts an unconventional, dark and humorous love story that unfolds over the course of 30 years. On Sept. 29 and 30, Hamilton students filled the Barrett Theatre to see the production, directed by Maggie Luddy ’20. The show featured a cast of just two actors: Olivia Melodia ’18 and Will Kaback ’20.

The production of

Gruesome Playground Injuries

was part of the Hamilton Theatre Department’s Bare Naked Theatre program, in which students and faculty have the opportunity to develop and present diverse, low-tech, and low-budget theatre productions.

The play tells the story of Doug, an injury-prone young man and Kayleen, an emotionally troubled young woman, as they discover they are the only people who can support each other. Even when Kayleen romantically rejects Doug or when Doug is about to marry another woman, they continue to love and protect each other. After Doug and Kayleen leave high school, they begin to drift apart. However, they are brought back together every few years, often when Doug injures himself. Doug is convinced that Kayleen is his angel who can heal him with the touch of her hands. Kayleen rejects this theory until there is no other explanation for his being alive.

The story is told in a nonchronological way, jumping from scenes on an elementary school playground to scenes several years later in a hospital room, then going back to scenes in high school. This provides a challenge for the actors, as they must shift their voices and mannerisms to fit different ages from scene to scene. Melodia and Kaback certainly overcame that challenge. The ages of the characters were never unclear in any given scene.

Overall, Melodia and Kaback’s acting in this complex and multifaceted play was superb. Particular highlights included Kaback’s humourous quips and Melodia’s emotional monologues. Not only did Melodia and Kaback show great individual strengths in their acting, but it was evident that they trusted, supported and connected with each other on stage.

The direction and production design of the play were exceptional. Luddy’s remarkable directing made it difficult to believe this was her Hamilton directorial debut. Before the show, Luddy addressed the audience to discuss the intense rehearsal process. She explained that rehearsals only began on Sept. 5, meaning that there was minimal time to prepare. This lack of preparation time meant that rehearsals were often on weekend mornings at 9:00 a.m., in addition to weekdays. Moreover, first-year crew members James Coakley ’21 and Erin Urbaniak ’21 only had a few days to learn how to operate the lights and sound for the play. The production’s other integral crew members were stage manager Teddy Sullivan ’19, set designer Kennie Zhou ’20, and costume designer Ally D’Antonio ’20.

The production’s set was minimal, consisting exclusively of a bed, a chair, a bench and a wheelchair. Between scenes Melodia and Kaback were responsible for moving set pieces, changing costumes and applying makeup onstage while the audience listened to songs that reflected the events of the upcoming scene. These onstage transitions, while fluid, unfortunately took the audience out of the world of the play and reminded them that these were actors portraying characters rather than real people.

In her director’s note in the program, Luddy wrote, “I am thrilled to be making my Hamilton directorial debut with this production. When researching shows to produce through Bare Naked, I landed on

Gruesome Playground Injuries

specifically because I believe it is a challenging show for both actor and director. It is unlike anything I have directed before, and it has pushed these two talented actors deep into their emotional vulnerability. I also think the subject matter is topical within this community. College students are in the most formative years of their lives, and often have little sense of who they are. There is somewhat of a catharsis that comes with seeing a production that captures every stage of life, as this one does. It has been a great joy to direct this show and these two incredible actors, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity Hamilton has granted me.”