Life is like a playground — that’s the message “Gruesome Playground Injuries,” a production by the world renowned playwright Rajiv Joseph, explores with themes of love and pain.
The University of Idaho’s Theater Arts Department rehearses for their soon to release play. “Gruesome Playground Injuries” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in the Hartung Theatre. The play is a love story that follows the relationship of two people over a 30-year time period.
The University of Idaho Theatre production is directed by guest director Stephanie Gularte, the artistic director of Capital Stage, a professional theatre company in Sacramento, Calif. She was interested in directing a university production to experience more variety and a change of atmosphere.
“Gruesome Playground Injuries” is a love story that follows the relationship of two people, Kayleen and Doug, over a 30 year time period. The play starts with the two meeting in the school nurse’s office with various injuries, which begins the themes of pain and healing seen throughout the rest of the production.
“At its core, it is a love story,” Gularte said. “But it’s told with a very unique structure and with a very unusual kind of undercurrent of themes of life injuries that we have sustained, whether self-inflicted injuries or injuries that are inflicted upon us, psychological or physically in the world.”
Senior Tyler Elwell plays the male character, Doug. The female character, Kayleen, is played by Kayla Cole.
“Kayleen wants love,” Cole said. “She wants it so intensely that she doesn’t even let herself have it. It’s so important, that it’s scary — scary to even go there because the threat of it being taken away.”
Cole said Kayleen internalizes her pain, whereas most of Doug’s pain is from physical injuries. As best friends, the two love one another intensely — but the timing for a romantic love always seems just a step off.
Gularte said this production is unique because it is both realistic and theatrical. As director, Gularte decided the two characters in the cast would never actually leave the stage and the audience would never see anyone else changing the set. Scene changes, usually done by a stage crew, are done by Doug and Kayleen in an artistic way.
“There’s a lot of movement in those transitions — dancing, jumping and climbing,” Gularte said. “You see the actors do everything. We wanted to explore the playground metaphor and life as a playground. They are underdressed with dance attire for freedom of movement then they overdress with the costume for that scene.”
The UI Theatre Department will bring this production to life at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 30-Feb. 1 and Feb. 6-9 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 2 and 9 in the Hartung Theatre.
Alexia Neal can be reached at