The Play Grounds, or Memento Vivere

by Bairton Brown

THE PLAY GROUNDS is a two-act dark comedy about suicide-prevention centering Aloe, a disabled, black teenager struggling to overcome his friend's death - and to reverse his own attempt at suicide. This thrilling, inclusive dramedy asks, "What if Hamlet decided NOT to be?" Could his friends, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, save him in time? How might they have learned a nonfatal means of resolving...

THE PLAY GROUNDS is a two-act dark comedy about suicide-prevention centering Aloe, a disabled, black teenager struggling to overcome his friend's death - and to reverse his own attempt at suicide. This thrilling, inclusive dramedy asks, "What if Hamlet decided NOT to be?" Could his friends, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, save him in time? How might they have learned a nonfatal means of resolving intergenerational trauma? This play was commissioned for Congo Square Theatre’s S.G.R. Next-Up Playwriting Fellowship.

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The Play Grounds, or Memento Vivere

Character Information

2M, 2W, 1NB (or 1TF)
  • Aloe Wilson
    "Lo." A black, physically disabled, high school student.
    18-24
    Black
    (he/him)
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male,
      Non-binary
  • Rose Wilson
    A gender-fluid medical student. Aloe and Mary's oldest sibling.
    21-27
    Black
    (she/her) or (she/they) or (they/them)
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Mary Wilson
    "Riri." Aloe and Rose's adopted younger sister. Ivy's secret partner
    16-22
    Black
    (she/her)
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Ash Boseman
    A black, burned-out musician who dropped out of high school. Survivor of SA.
    19-25
    Black
    (he/him)
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
  • Ivy Childress
    "Vivi." The closeted valedictorian of a local high school.
    17-23
    BIPOC Mixed race
    (she/her)
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Reading, Congo Square Theatre Company , 2023
  • Reading, Denver Fringe Festival, 2023
  • Reading, Hollywood Fringe Festival, 2023
  • Commission, Congo Square Theatre Company, 2022

Awards

  • Samuel G. Roberson Next Up Playwriting Fellowship
    Congo Square Theatre
    2023