The Gruesome Playground Injuries Philadelphia run at Theatre Exile opens October 29 and closes November 15, and it begins the company’s 30th anniversary season under Producing Artistic Director Deborah Block. Opening Night is Thursday, November 5, at 7 p.m., at the theater’s home at 1340 S. 13th Street in South Philly. The first performances come a week earlier, so expect them to land ahead of the official opening.

Gruesome Playground Injuries Philadelphia: Back Where It Started

Theatre Exile first staged Gruesome Playground Injuries in 2011, in what was the first production of Rajiv Joseph’s work in Philadelphia. Founded in 1996, the South Philadelphia nonprofit says it exists to stage timely and provocative plays that spark dialogue in the community. The years since include pandemic-era virtual productions such as Zoo Motel and Homeridae.

Block calls it “a perfect Exile show” to bring back for the anniversary, and describes it as a seemingly simple coming-of-age story that lets the audience see the vulnerability two people hide from everyone else. Block adds that the rawness of the two characters lets the audience see themselves in the choices they make.

Gruesome Playground Injuries Philadelphia: Kayleen, Doug and Thirty Years

Kayleen and Doug meet at eight in their elementary school nurse’s office, she with a stomachache and he bloodied from a running dive off the school roof. The play follows them to age 38, and each reunion is set off by an injury or a bad decision.

The scenes move backward and forward in time instead of running in order, and the injuries pile up on the characters’ bodies as the years shift.

The play asks which you would rather have: a broken heart or a broken bone. Theatre Exile describes it as a story about the joy of true love and the pain people find when they avoid it.

Jenna Kuerzi and Daniel Burgess.

Jenna Kuerzi plays Kayleen and Daniel Burgess plays Doug. Kuerzi is a Philadelphia actor and singer whose recent stage work has drawn multiple Barrymore Award nominations, including a 2024 nomination for Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play for Camp Siegfried at Theatre Exile. Kuerzi received three more in 2025, for Grease and GayMis, with GayMis winning Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical.

Burgess is a Philadelphia actor, writer and theatermaker who played Calvin in A Wrinkle in Time at Arden Theatre Company, a role that earned a 2026 Barrymore Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play. Burgess graduated from the University of the Arts. Burgess has also toured nationally with Enchantment Theatre Company and founded Ubin Theatre, which has presented original work at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

Colin McIlvaine designs the sets, Drew Billiau the lighting, Millie Hiibel the costumes and Nana Nimako the props. The company says the lighting guides the play’s shifts through time, and the costumes follow the characters from childhood into adulthood. Melody Wong stage-manages, with Amir Watkins as assistant stage manager, Sydney Cain-Frazier as production manager, Natali Merrill as audio engineer, Annie Zulick as master electrician and Jordan Neff as dramaturg.

Single tickets for Theatre Exile’s season start at $10, and a $45 Flex Pass covers four single tickets valid for any show date this season. Tickets can be bought online or through the box office at 215-218-4022, and the company keeps details for the production on its Gruesome Playground Injuries page.

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Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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