PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION
Gruesome Playground Injuries
by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Peter Zazzali
July 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 at 7:30 p.m.
General Admission Tickets: $35
Student Tickets: $20
“We don’t fix each other. We just keep each other company while we fall apart.”
Comedy. Tragedy. Chemistry.
Spanning three decades and stitched together by scars both physical and emotional, Gruesome Playground Injuries traces the unpredictable connection between two people who keep crashing into each other at their most vulnerable moments. Rajiv Joseph’s script is sharp, strange, and deeply human — exploring how we hurt, how we heal, and how sometimes, the two are inseparable.
Content Warning: This play includes themes of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and mental illness. Adult language. Recommended for ages 15+.
The Cast and Creative Team of Gruesome Playground Injuries
Colton Carroll as Doug
Colton Carroll is an actor from Austin, Texas, whose work is shaped by experiences across South Korea, Virginia, and the American South. A recent graduate of James Madison University with a B.A. in Theatre and a concentration in Performance, he is ecstatic to perform in Gruesome Playground Injuries as his first professional production post-graduation. Previous credits include The Antipodes, Dance Nation, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, and a variety of devised and ensemble-driven productions. His training includes screen acting, movement, and heightened text. As a theatre academic passionate about the intersection of performance and artificial intelligence, he brings a physical and collaborative approach to his craft that is especially drawn to new and boundary-pushing work. He is represented by Engage Artists Agency and is honored to be part of this production.
Lydia Sophia Christiansen as Kayleen
Lydia Sophia Christensen is an experienced stage actor hailing from Boise, Idaho, currently based in Staunton, Virginia as she pursues her MLitt/MFA in Shakespeare & Performance at Mary Baldwin University. Prior to her arrival in Staunton, Lydia performed with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, touring A Midsummer Night's Dream to over sixty venues across Idaho as Hermia/Robin Starveling. After completing her tour, she was invited back at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival to understudy their mainstage summer season, featuring Murder on the Orient Express (Countess Andrenyi/ Mrs. Helen Hubbard) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia/ Snug).
Select roles include Mrs. Littlewit in Bartholomew Fair, (dir. Raphael Massie), Imogen in William Shakespeare's Cymbeline, (dir. Doreen Bechtol and Matt Davies). In her spring semester, Lydia had the honor of working as an acting fellow at the American Shakespeare Center where she performed in a staged reading of Vanessa Morosco and Peter Simon Hilton's original play, The Pirate Ballad of Bonny & Read, as well as joining their Spring 2025 season as an understudy for the roles of Beth March in Little Women (dir. Constance Swain), Cordelia/Oswald in King Lear (dir. Paul Barnes), and Adriana in A Comedy of Errors (dir. Chris Johnston).
This summer, Lydia is thrilled to be touring with Mended Wing Theatre Co. as Helena/Peter Quince in their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (dir. Yasmine Colebank), performing in the Endstation Theatre Company's Central Virginia Fringe Festival and the Ocracoke Fig Festival.
Peter Zazzali, director
Peter Zazzali is Professor of Acting & Theatre Studies at James Madison University. Prior to JMU, he was Senior Lecturer of Acting and the Program Leader of BA (Hons) Acting at University of the Arts Singapore and Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Kansas, where he also served as Artistic Director of the Kansas Repertory Theatre. Zazzali has worked as a director/actor on over 150 professional productions at distinguished theatres throughout the world. His credits include the Guthrie Theater, The Acting Company, Utah and New Jersey Shakespearean Festivals as well as well as New Zealand’s national drama school, where he was in residence as a Fulbright Scholar. He has written two books on acting and published research in numerous journals and edited volumes. He holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Delaware and a PhD in Theatre from the CUNY Graduate Center.
Jess Snellings, stage manager and sound designer
Jess Snellings is delighted to return to Silver Line Theatre Exchange as stage manager and sound designer for Gruesome Playground Injuries! Jess is a recent graduate of the Shakespeare & Performance Studies program at Mary Baldwin University, where she earned the MLitt and MFA. She previously earned an MFA in Sound Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has most recently worked as an assistant director and dramaturg on the American Shakespeare Center's The Winter's Tale, stage manager and music team member for Bartholomew Fair with Streetlight Shakespeare Ensemble, and co-directed and sound designed for 3 Henry VI, also with Streetlight Shakespeare Ensemble. She previously served as stage manager for Silver Line Theatre Exchange's productions of It's a Wonderful Life (2023), Puffs (2022 and 2023).
Jess is SAFD certified in Rapier & Dagger and actively seeks ways to fight with swords on stage (and off).
Rachel Smallwood, scenic designer
Rachel is excited to be part of the SLTE team and honored to be a small contributor to the magic of theater. Rachel is proud to share her life journey with two high schoolers, Amelia and Daniel, and partner in crime, Brian. Along her path, Rachel has earned an MFA from Florida State University and an MSCM from University on Nevada, Las Vegas along with a slew of certifications. Rachel has been an adjunct professor in both theater and project management at JMU, ASU, UNLV, CUNY Brooklyn, and FAMU, has been scenic charge artist all around the world from broadway tour sets to Skyline Middle School plays and everything in between. Her favorite set designs were 'Cabaret' at Tempe Center for the Arts, 'Working' at Theatre Tallahassee, 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at Calrep, '12th Night of the Living Dead' with Impetuous Theater Group. To pay the bills, Rachel works for Rock Solid Solutions as a Project Controls Regional Manager.
Catherine Holcomb, projection designer
Catherine is a designer, technician, and producer with years of experience in the entertainment industry. Her work spans lighting design, sound engineering, prrojections, and technical production. She holds a B.A. from James Madison University, where she currently serves as the Lighting Shop Supervisor for the School of Theatre and Dance.
At JMU, Catherine has designed numerous productions, including most recently, Big Fish and {re}written. She is also a proud member of Eunoia Theatre Company. In addition to her work in Harrisonburg, she freelances as a designer and technical producer for events across Northern Virginia—ranging from theatrical productions to wrestling and boxing events.
Catherine is thrilled to make her Silver Line Theatre Exchange debut!
Emily E. Becher-McKeever, lighting designer
Emily E. Becher-McKeever received the MFA in Lighting Design from the University Arizona Tucson and holds the BA in Theatrical Design and Production from The University of Memphis. She is a member of United Scenic Artists (USA) 829 and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) local 69.
Emily has designed on a regional, national and international level for many prestigious companies such as Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Wolf Trap Opera Company (at the Filene Center Virginia), Nashville Underground Theatre Collective, Cumberland County Playhouse, Smithsonian Institute of Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ballet Appalachia, Jane Franklin Dance, Thompson and Trammell Dance, Houston Opera, Rutgers Theatre Company, Arizona Repertory Theatre Company, DanceSpan NYC, Staunton Music Festival, OperaBeureut, Sous Terre Dance du Paris and many others. Emily served as the lighting designer for the First Americans Festival, the gala opening of the National Museum of the American Indian and for the National World War II Reunion, both on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Emily serves as Associate Professor of Lighting Design and Theatre Coordinator at James Madison University and is happy to make her Silver Line Theatre debut! "Until Valhalla"
Karman Boisset, costume and makeup designer
Karman Boisset graduated from JMU in 2009 and jumped into wigs and makeup at the Santa Fe Opera, the Dallas Opera, Signature Theatre in D.C., and the Annapolis Opera. She was the recipient of the wig and makeup apprentice technician award (2008) at the Santa Fe Opera. This past 2024-2025 season she has designed Scalia + RBG at Cville Opera (wigs and makeup) and the Educational Opera Kids Show at Cville Opera (wigs and wardrobe); at JMU Opera: The Little Prince, Rusulka: The Littlest Mermaid (wigs and makeup), Idomeneo (wigs and makeup); at the Wayne Theatre: Three Sisters (costumes and wigs), Sherlock Holmes: The Hounds of Baskerville (costumes and wigs), White Christmas (wigs and makeup); at JMU Theatre: Silent Sky (wigs), Big Fish (wigs); lastly, Steel Magnolias (wigs) at Four County Players. She’s also the adjunct stage makeup professor at JMU.
Behind the scenes of Gruesome Playground Injuries
Director Peter Zazzali gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Gruesome Playground Injuries — a show that’s messy, funny, and unexpectedly moving. Hear how he’s bringing this raw, beautiful story to life on stage.
