We Used To Be The Playground We are Now The Nerve! Check out nervetheatre.org
Why
The Playground?
The Playground represents coming of age and self discovery. It's the transition we all make from the playground of our childhood to the playground of our adulthood. Humans are constantly changing, evolving, and learning as they grow older, having new experiences and going on new adventures. The Playground is the place where you discover yourself. It’s where you make friends, develop crushes, fall down, get scrapes, bruises, and broken bones.
We tell modern stories that offer a very realistic glimpse into people’s lives as ugly, beautiful, painful, hopeful, dark, or inspiring as they can be. We depict, with as much honesty and authenticity as possible, what it means to be human and to live a life.
Who Are
Jenna & Chris?
We are the Co-founders and Artistic Directors. So here's our story... In 2011 a girl from Huber Heights and a boy from Bellbrook met in the Sinclair Community College Theatre Department and bonded over their love of acting. Fast forward — we fell in love and stuff and moved to Chicago to pursue our dreams. One night, in our small studio apartment, we were unable to sleep and began having a conversation that we didn’t know at the time would spark the idea for The Playground. We were fired up and full of creative energy that just couldn’t find the right outlet. We began to dream of creating our own theatre company where we could do the kind of work that we desperately wanted to do. The kind of work that would affect people in a very real way.
After a move back to Dayton, and a whole lot of soul searching, The Playground was born. And so, since 2014, we’ve produced raw, real, and relevant work that has made an impact on the Dayton arts scene. In the meantime we've bought a house, acquired 3 more cats, and continued to grow as people and artists. Together, we serve as artistic directors, producers, directors, actors, and designers.
The Playground embodies our unique voice and the way we see the world through our lens. The company evolves as we evolve. Our rule is, we won’t tell a story until we’ve reached a point in our lives where we are ready to tell it.
Playground Artists
Without great artists we couldn’t tell great stories. Here are some of the extraordinarily awesome people who are part of the Playground family.
A.J. Breslin
Actor, Co-Director
Jenna Gomes de Gruy
Actor
KB Dillingham
Actor
Marley Masterson
Assistant Director, Stage Manager
Rae Buchanan
Actor
Skyler McNeely
Actor
Timothy Moore
Actor, Board Member
Find Out More
Check out some recent articles about us.
