Unsociable retiree Garfield Lyons is eight weeks into recovery from an accident, aided by nurse Maggie who does house calls at his secluded Parry Sound home, when a letter arrives informing him that his estranged fourteen-year-old grandson Brandon is in need of a place to stay. Prevailed upon by outspoken Maggie, Garfield agrees to house the boy, setting grandfather and grandson on an obstacle course of generational divides and old familial wounds to find connection.
Keywords:Â Grandfather, grandson, family, trauma, PTSD, first responder, nurse, teen
Produced by Theatre Orangeville, Orangeville ON, 2021
Genre: Drama
Acts: 1
Run time: 75 minutes
Content note: Contains references to self harm.
Suitable for students 16+
Cast size: 3 actors
Male roles: 2
Female roles: 1
Casting note:Â One role for a young performer (playing age 14)
"A heartfelt, hilarious, smart, thoughtful play and production...The Rules of Playing Risk is about absent fathers and the effect that has on those left behind. The result is that the play is hilarious, even though it deals with serious issues."
- The Slotkin Letter