BWW Interviews: Matters of the Heart with the Stars of GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES

Gruesome Playground Injuries marks the Canadian premiere production of Pulitzer Prize Finalist Rajiv Joseph’s play. Opening tonight at The Theatre Centre, Gruesome Playground Injuries explores the lives of two people over the course of thirty years, while closely looking at the various scars and physical calamities that continually draw them together.

The play was born out of an idea to explore how injuries can mark our personal relationships, and attempts to answer bigger questions relating to how we get hurt when it comes to matters of the heart. The two lead characters both have scars, some psychological and others more physical, which serve to landmark their interactions throughout the course of their thirty year relationship.

Directed by Stefan Dzeparoski, the show stars Peter Mooney and Janet Porter as Doug and Kayleen, the conflicted couple whose injuries are explored. The two actors spoke with BWW in a no holds barred Q&A about love, loss and matters of the heart:

Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all?

JP: No question. This makes me think of all the loves I've had in my life, and how they have helped form me into the person I am now. Without them, who knows what kind of human I'd be. Probably a pretty boring one...

PM: Absolutely.

If given the choice to lead a lonely life with no heartbreak, or a life with someone else filled with heartbreak, which would you prefer?

JP: This is like one of those questions, "Would you rather eat poop for dinner for the rest of your life, or stab your mom in the eyes with a fork?" I guess I choose heartbreak! It sucks. I've been there, but I wrote songs and poetry. That was kind of neat.

PM: The words 'lonely' and 'filled' are throwing me. I couldn't choose either. They're at opposite ends of the scale, for sure, but both suggest an equally deep unhappiness. If I had my druthers I'd exchange a little loss to have lived with love but if faced with the extremity of these two choices I'd bail and head straight for a Buddhist monastery in the mountains.

Do you believe that there is one perfect person out there for everyone?

JP: No, I don't. Part of me thinks I should be saying yes, because I just got married this past fall. However, I think there are many options out there for everyone... it's about timing, circumstance and commitment.

PM: There's seven-some-odd-billion of us so if that's true we're fucked. Chances of us ever bumping into them are virtually nil.

What was the best thing that a significant other ever did for you? What was the worst?

JP: The best is easy. My husband, Andrew, was a professional cyclist when we first met and 3 months into our relationship he had to go away to do a race in Cuba. He warned me that the race was very remote and that he wouldn't be able to communicate with me for two solid weeks. While he was away, I started receiving handwritten letters from him in the mail, telling me all about his experiences in Cuba. He had prewritten letters based on his experiences the year before at that race and gave them to his dad to mail to me throughout the month he was gone. The worst is also easy. I found out a guy I was dating was dating other people at the same time. That sucked.

PM: Hmmn... I'll save that one for myself.

Would you rather risk your heart or your head?

JP: I think my husband would be pretty upset if I lost either of those things.

PM: Wouldn’t both be fatal?

Do you have any physical scars that were the result of a tumultuous love?

JP: Nope, all of my scars are from my own personal risk taking. I've always been very accident prone.

PM: Numerous third degree burns. It was an accident.

In matters of the heart, is it truly the thought that counts? Why or why not?

JP: Absolutely. I'm one of those people who hates Christmas lists and registries. I'd rather someone put great thought into something, even if it's something I didn't want.

PM: Sometimes. But that adage has fallen prey to the lazy and insincere. I do employ it when I cook for someone though. The thought is always more delicious than the dish I've so lovingly burnt.

Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141

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