Main fundraiser photo

Gruesome Playground Injuries

[psst! We've got rewards for every level of donation! Click "Read More" to see them, as well as photos from rehearsal!]


Every year Enso selects one student director to produce and direct a show of their choosing, mentored and guided by Enso’s mindfulness-based process. This year, that student is me, Kieran Gettel-Gilmartin, and I'm directing "Gruesome Playground Injuries" by Rajiv Joseph.

I’m a 16 year old director living in Portland, Oregon. I’ve been working in professional theatre since age 8, am a Young Professional at OCT and have a Portland Area Musical Theatre Award. With Enso, I want to create art and experiment with theatre, push the boundaries of what we think theatre is, gain experience and insight. In this mentorship I want to learn what it really means to be a great director and how to communicate with a lot of people while using gentle hands to create a space where they can thrive. Check out more about me at my website: https://kieran-gettel-gilmartin.webnode.com/


ABOUT ‘GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES’:

Ranging from a school’s nurse’s office at the age of 8 all the way to an empty ice rink at the age of 38, the lives of Kayleen and Doug intersect at the most bizarre intervals, leading the two childhood friends to compare scars and the physical calamities that keep drawing them together. A play with scars, vomit, and drugs.


WHY I CHOSE THIS PLAY:

I chose this play because when it first came to me, it gave me a beautiful, rich, catharsis with the idea that we will mess up many many times, but in the end we will do what’s best for us, and we need to trust the universe to work itself out.

No one is made of magic. We are humans: flawed, emotional and raw. And no one can control what others will think of them.

This play is about relinquishing control and just being present and connecting with others. It's about loving fiercely, and dancing, and enjoying yourself, but also about not hurting yourself in the process.

I also love the fact that it's going to be all teens. I think teens are really shut out of professional theatre. Plays that are written for teens are usually played by adults, and I think in Portland we have some incredible teen artists that don’t get their craft shown as much.

It fits in with the meta-theatricality of the piece: you always know you are watching a show, and you will see these characters go from age 8 to 38 and you'll see the mistakes they make along the way, and hopefully, at the same time, you'll see the kids playing them, and wonder how they (the actors) will turn out.


HOW CAN I SUPPORT?

1. Donate!
2. Share this page!
3. Come see the show!

Invite people to the show, talk it up! Any amount of money / publicity / support helps! Statistically, word of mouth is the best marketing, so any chatting us up you can do is deeply appreciated!

Thank you so much!



REWARDS FOR DONATING!

First of all, ALL donations are tax-deductible because we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit. When you donate, GoFundMe will send you a receipt that you can use for your taxes at the end of 2020. Contact us if you have questions - [email redacted].

Second of all, you'll get a reward for ANY amount donated:

$1 - $10 - A handwritten, hand-painted "enso" card, thanking you for letting us make art, and our eternal love.

$11 - $20 - Access to a music playlist devised by the cast and crew, used as inspiration for this show. 

$21 - $50 - Signed box of band-aids from the cast and crew & Kayleen’s “pill bottle” (filled with tic-tacs!)

$51 - $75 - Kayleen's Owl (candle edition!). Handmade by a local maker in WA, with a scent themed with the show. (limited: 7)


$100 - “Best Seats in the House” - 2 free general admission tickets to a show of your choice in the “best seats” in the house + 1 Free glass of wine, per person, for you and a friend! (limited: 3) - SOLD OUT

$250 - “Best Seats in the House” (see above) + choose one additional reward above

$500 - “Best Seats in the House” (see above)+ choose one additional reward above, PLUS we parody a song about you, film it, and send it to you!

$1000+ Join Caitlin and members of the Enso ensemble for a relaxing 1-hr mindfulness class (yoga + meditation). Plus, you'll get your very own "Breathe. Create. Repeat." Enso t-shirt! (image coming soon)

Show sponsors have the option of including an ad for their business on Enso's weekly emails,  website and program for both "Gruesome Playground Injuries" and Enso's June project, TBA. We'll reach out to you to get started!

EVERYONE will be listed in our program with big, big thanks. :D

ABOUT ENSO THEATRE ENSEMBLE & THE STUDENT DIRECTOR MENTORSHIP:

Enso Theatre Ensemble is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that teaches and creates theater with mindfulness.

Every year Enso selects one student director to produce and direct a show of their choosing, mentored and guided by Enso’s mindfulness-based process. The Mentorship serves as a bridge between academia and professional work, providing every student involved with a professional credit, while providing tools these young artists can use to mindfully pursue a career in the arts.

Why is mindfulness in the arts so important?

What you don’t see when you’re watching with an emotionally intense movie or play, is the very real effect that that experience has on the actor.

Mindfulness provides a path young artists can use to navigate both the vulnerability of the work, and their own mental health.

We hope you’ll donate, share, and come see the show!

Thank you very much!

~Caitlin & Kieran & the Ensemble
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Donations 

  • Jen Fife-Adams
    • $25 
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer

Caitlin Mae
Organizer
Portland, OR
Enso Theatre Ensemble
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.

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