Gruesome Playground Injuries: A dark comedy coming to South Surrey stage
Published 11:30 am Thursday, June 18, 2026
A darkly humorous and deeply human story about love, friendship and the connections that shape our lives is coming to South Surrey for four shows during the last week of June.
Peninsula Productions is taking audiences through a series of vignettes with Gruesome Playground Injuries.
Written by Rajiv Joseph, Gruesome Playground Injuries will be centre stage at Peninsula Productions’ Black Box Theatre from June 25-28, marking a directorial debut for Harrison MacDonald.
The play follows Doug, played by Jesse Irving, and Kayleen, played by Maddy Hillis, who first meet as eight-year-olds in a school nurse’s office before audiences reconnect with them through a series of encounters spanning three decades.
“The story is told through a series of vignettes that capture these two characters at different stages of their lives,” explains MacDonald.
While the title may sound intense, MacDonald says the production ultimately showcases a tender exploration of human connection.
“The theme of unrequited love is very universal, very understood by everybody,” he notes.
MacDonald says that when he tells people who may not be as familiar with the original piece what the play is about, he explains it “is a bit of an enemies-to-lovers story in a lot of respects, in the sense that the two characters in some ways start off at odds.”
MacDonald says the play was originally staged in 2009 and has developed into a favourite among emerging theatre artists due to its intimate two-person cast, minimal set and emotionally rich material.
For MacDonald, who has primarily worked as an actor, directing the production offered an opportunity to step into a new creative role.
He shares that rehearsals have been an intimate and collaborative process with Irving and Hillis, allowing the trio to work through the emotional beats of the play together.
“Rehearsals have been going well and I’m excited for audiences to see it because it’s been a really lovely process to work with these two actors and I think the work that they’ve put in is really going to register on stage,” he said.
MacDonald explained that working alongside Irving, a longtime friend, helped ease his transition into directing, while Hillis quickly proved to be a rewarding collaborator after being brought into the production by Irving.
Beyond the show’s humour and romance, MacDonald hopes audiences leave reflecting on the importance found in genuine human connection.
“I want audiences to be reminded of how delicate and scarce true connection can be between people,” he said.
“I hope that people, when they watch it, they see a bit of themselves in these two characters and maybe have a pang of nostalgia at certain points. I hope people can find a way to identify with these two characters because we see them in such vulnerable states over the course of so many years and it really creates sort of a beautiful collage by the end of the show.”
MacDonald also praised Peninsula Productions and producer Janet Ellis for supporting professional-quality community theatre.
“Peninsula is offering space to a variety of people and putting on genuine, raw and captivating shows.”
Gruesome Playground Injuries runs June 25-28 at the Black Box Theatre in the South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre. Evening performances are at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, followed by 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
Purchase tickets at showpass.com/gruesome-playground-injuries-2.