PLAYGROUND Set for The Brick, 8/21-30

Derek Spaldo presents Playground. This world premiere play explores the volatile relationship of four people in a working class neighborhood. Set in and around a bodega, the characters' seemingly mundane conversations about dead-end jobs, friendship, masculinity, pride, and above all, desire, unearth an unconscious legacy of violence.

"We are very excited to share this challenging new play, after developing with our outstanding ensemble over the last year." says Derek Spaldo. "Playground is not only an exploration of the characters' relationships and interactions, but also an investigation of the nature of communication between actual people on stage, blurring lines between character and self. We've left room for the reality of the theatrical event, exploring the subtleties of the impulses that drive the action, the nuances which define a gesture or a moment of eye contact, and the nature of confrontation."

Playground was developed in workshops at Dixon Place and Greenpoint Pre-Apocalyptic Theatre Festival.

A character driven play that explores the unconscious motives beneath seemingly mundane social interactions, the story follows a teenage girl's conflict with an embittered bodega worker and her unstable father. The play is inspired by overheard dialogue from the streets of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and Rutherford, New Jersey, influencing the play's hyper-realistic voice, stark tone, and quotidian subject matter. In collaboration with the actors, Spaldo develops an approach to acting that keeps the text at a distance, making the vernacular strange, allowing the text to be heard in new and unusual ways.

Featuring Sarah Willis (Kayley), Aron Canter (Ezekiel), Michel Morin (Dad), and WooJae Chung (Chris).

Playground will play at The Brick (579 Metropolitan Ave at Lorimer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn) August 21 - 30, Thurs-Sat at 7pm. Tickets ($18) may be purchased online at www.bricktheater.com or by calling 866-811-4111.