EVENT: Gruesome Playground Injuries (May 2-13)

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES plays The Theatre Centre

Canadian Premiere of Pulitzer Prize Finalist RAJIV JOSEPH’s Play

Toronto, Ontario…BirdLand Theatre is proud to present the Canadian premiere production of Pulitzer Prize Finalist Rajiv Joseph’s dark romantic saga GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES, playing at The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, from May 2 to 13, 2012.  Press Opening is Thursday May 3, 2012 at 7:30 pm.

Gruesome Playground Injuries explores the cost of wounded friendships. Over the course of 30 years, the lives of Doug and Kayleen intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together. But what responsibility do we bear toward others, and how far can one person go to heal another’s wounds?

Directed by Stefan Dzeparoski, the roles of Doug and Kayleen are played by Peter Mooney and Janet Porter. Peter Mooney’s recent theatre credits include After Miss Julie, Jitters, Pride and Prejudice, Our Town and The Tempest (Manitoba Theatre Centre), Tales from Ovid (Centaur Theatre) and The Goat Or Who Is Sylvia? (Great Canadian Theatre Company), while film / tv credits include lead roles on Falcon Beach, Rookie Blue (ABC/Global) and Camelot (Starz/CBC).  Janet Porter’s recent theatre credits include The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Assassins (BirdLand), The City, Family Stories: Belgrade and The Sea (ARC), Elora Gorge (The Room/SummerWorks) and Orson’s Shadow (Pilot Group).  Stefan Dzeparoski is a Sterling Award nominated director who most recently assisted Daniel Brooks in directing Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero (Necessary Angel). Previous directing credits include SoulSeek (BirdLand, Toronto), Roberto Zucco (Studio Theatre, Edmonton), Anime (Lucid Productions, Edmonton) and The Creation of the world and other business (System Theatre, Edmonton). In Europe he also directed Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Belgrade International Theatre Festival-BITEF) and Heiner Muller’s Quartet.

Reviews from past productions of Gruesome Playground Injuries: Irresistibly odd and exciting…This darkly humorous drama is Rajiv Joseph's most satisfying work. - NY Daily News.  Rajiv Joseph is an artist of original talent. - NY Times.  This wondrous strange two-hander finds as much humor as horror in the play's bizarre events. - Variety.  Mystical, arresting, and quirkily amusing. - Washington Post.

Gruesome Playground Injuries is produced by Zorana Kydd and Derrick Chua. The design team for the production includes Joseph Pagnan (set and costumes), Gareth Crew (lights), Christopher Stanton (sound) and Jordan Tannahill (video). The stage manager is Kate Sandeson and production manager is David DeGrow. BirdLand Theatre (Artistic Director Zorana Kydd) has won numerous Dora Awards and been highly praised for its past productions including Assassins (directed by Adam Brazier) and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (directed by David Ferry).