January 23, 2025 and january 24, 2025 performances cancelled.
GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES
Written by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Andrew Shanks
Gruesome Playground Injuries is a darkly comic, yet deeply poignant exploration of love, loss, and the enduring bonds of childhood. The play follows Kayleen and Doug, two souls magnetically drawn together through a series of catastrophic accidents. Their relationship is a rollercoaster of intimacy and distance, laughter and pain, as they navigate the complexities of life from the playground to adulthood.
 
With raw honesty and unflinching humor, Rajiv Joseph's play delves into the messy, beautiful, and often brutal reality of human connection. As these characters repeatedly find themselves in the nurse's office, their physical wounds mirror the emotional scars they carry. A delicate balance of comedy and tragedy, Gruesome Playground Injuries is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
 
RUNNING TIME: 84 minutes with no intermission.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Adult language and subject matter intended for mature audiences only.

MEET THE CAST
 
Alan Garcia (Doug) feels honored and humbled as hell to be back for his sixth show at SSR. A graduate of St. John’s University with a degree in Film & TV Production, Alan returned to the PNW a decade ago and hasn’t looked back since. Past favorite SSR credits include Avery in The Flick, Ken in Red, and Moritz in Spring Awakening. Oh—and Curious George, of course. Alan would love to take this space to thank: Shanks, Alicia, & Mark, for all their trust in this show and all the memories over the years; Sarah Rose, for being the most kickass scene partner and the childhood best friend he never had; Mami, Papi, Bryan, & Bella, for making him proud to be a Garcia, the kids are blessed to be able to call you Nana/Tata/Tio/Tia; and his high school drama director Mrs. Brz, for instilling in him a love, respect, and appreciation for the stage that has changed his life forever. Alan dedicates this show to the memory of Lil’ Jess & Ketan, and to Coop, LoLo, Ru, & LW—the four cardinal points on his map, the winds beneath his sails, the reason for the tides in his oceans.
 
Sarah Rose Nottingham (Kayleen) is a Seattle based actor since 2008. She received her BFA in Acting from Missouri State University. Acting credits include: Annie in “Annie, Get Your Gun!”, Matt Damon in “Matt & Ben”, Steph in “Reasons to be Pretty”, Nerissain “The Merchant of Venice”, Kayleen in “Gruesome Playground Injuries” at Ballard Underground in 2014, and is a vocal company member of The Ugly Radio Podcast.  She would like to thank her friends, family, SecondStory Rep, and Andrew Shanks for the continued creative opportunities. Look for SRN’s one-person show inspired by Honey Buckets in the near future.
 
MEET THE PRODUCTION TEAM
 
Andrew Shanks (Director) is a part-time dinosaur, part-time theater punk living in Seattle, WA. A working theater artist, Shanks is the creator of The Ugly Radio, Seattle's seminal late night lo-fi sci-fi theater anthology podcast, which has featured over 100 artists and performers from across the nation. His written plays have been performed in New York, Los Angeles, North Carolina and right here in the good ole PNW. He was last seen at SSR as an actor in God of Carnage, The Flick, and The Pillowman. When not meticulously organizing his vinyl record collection, Shanks is producing theater with the Ugly Radio ensemble, hosting karaoke, and hanging out with his house chicken, June. He would like to thank his partner Maddie for all the support and the amazing team at SSR, Squolf, and Mendez for trusting him with this fever dream of a process. 
 
Alicia Mendez (Stage Manager/Assitant Director) is beyond ecstatic to be back home on the SSR stage, this show will be her 25th  she has worked on either as a performer or in a production role. Her last foray into directing was Dragons Love Tacos. All her most  favorite theater memories were made on this stage, with this amazing production team. For her next production she will be directing Deathtrap at Woodinville Repertory Theater.