1. What play did you choose?
Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph.
2. Why? (2 sentences)
I chose this play because I enjoyed Joseph's writing in The Guards of the Taj Mahal. His style is easy to follow, and he writes each line with tons of emotion beneath the surface, which I loved.
3. What moment in the story seems the most resonate with you? (3 sentences)
The scene in which the kids are eighteen years old and having a deep conversation about self-harm resonated with me. I have a very close friend who has gone through pain similar to that and I was essentially the Doug to her Kayleen (well, without the teenage crushes and relationships). That scene struck me because I had basically lived it before and I think Joseph perfectly captured the silent power of such a moment.
4. Who are you playing?
Doug.
5. List one example of their given circumstances? (1 sentence)
An example of their given circumstance is that Kayleen has had a very rough family life, with her father treating her poorly and her mother leaving home while Kayleen was a teenager.
6. What happens at the end of the play? (5 sentences)
At the end of the play, Kayleen is waiting for Doug, in a wheelchair, to arrive at an ice rink. They sit quietly together, until Doug describes his latest injury: climbing a telephone pole searching for her. Kayleen confesses that she had actually visited him when he was in a coma years before, something she had previously lied about. She then wants to touch and try to heal Doug's wounds, but he refuses, a reversal of their previous roles where Doug believed that she could heal wounds and Kayleen refused. Finally, the play ends with them silently staring out over the ice rink and Kayleen reflecting on how they first met, and the long, cold night that they spent together when they were eight years old.
I love his writing too; he uses such gracefully simple language to unlock complex characters. I love how important friendship is in his work and the fine line between friendship and love. This os going to be great!