CAST PH'S 'GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES' WANTS YOU AT YOUR VERY WORST

'Gruesome Playground Injuries,' starring Missy Maramara and Topper Fabregas, runs from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1 at the Mirror Studios, Makati.

- By ANDREA PANALIGAN

It appears most historical events we've gone through lately push us to ask this one difficult question: What do we owe each other?

From the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Philippine national elections, to something as abstruse as the "epidemic of loneliness," we, again and again, grapple with what we mean to each other by virtue of our shared existence. To every person we meet from whom we are different, but who are molded by the same gigantic, hurtful forces like pandemics and loneliness so we are very much the same, what do we owe them?

It's a challenging ask that Gruesome Playground Injuries attempts to answer by examining how pain, both physical and emotional, trickles down to our relationships with others. Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph in 2011 and now presented by the Company of Actors in Streamlined Theatre (CAST), the play follows the lives of Kayleen (Missy Maramara) and Doug (Topper Fabregas) over 30 years. They meet as childhood friends comparing playground scars; their paths continue to intersect in hospitals, clinics, and the nurse's office, constantly drawn together by their physical calamities. It is directed by CAST artistic director Nelsito Gomez.

The show runs from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1 at Mirror Studios, Makati, an intimate space known to house more experimental productions. True to its name, the studio's wall-to-ceiling mirrors serve as the play's backdrop—the audience sees their reflection throughout the show, as if the play is yelling, "This is about you!"