COCOON by Kotryna Gesait to Make US Debut at The Gene Frankel Theatre in November

Cocoon, an interactive new play written and directed by Kotryna Gesait, will make its U.S. debut this fall, November 16th - December 10th at The Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street after many acclaimed seasons of sold-out performances at Australia's various Fringe Festivals including, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne Fringe, Midsumma Festival and Wynnum Fringe 2018 - 2022. Cocoon challenges its audiences on the constructs of romance, gender and sexuality in ways that are fresh, exciting and deeply honest. This engaging new play looks at relationships and the binding universality of love as it transcends binary understandings of gender and sexual self-identification. The U.S. premiere of Cocoon Produced by Ryan Ward will run soon after its sister production being staged at the No Vacancy Gallery at Melbourne Fringe 2022. www.cocoonplay.com

Presented in four vignettes which explore various phases of romantic relationships, Cocoon delves into the transcendent bonds of human connection. Its four story lines tie together with concepts of reincarnation and love's transcendent power over time and corporality. Cocoon is a relevant, honest and effortlessly relatable work that will hit you right in the feels. Bring your partners, your secret crush or your single girlfriends and join us for a glass of red and an intimate evening with Cocoon.

"Queer love as something ancient and transcendent deserves a happy ending - this has yet to be fully explored in the arts, and especially on stage," says playwright and director Kotryna Gesait. "Cocoon is a dissection of love as an independent entity outside the constructs of time, space or society."

The cast of Cocoon features Alanah Allen, Helen Farmer, Jud Meyers*, Melinda Nanovsky, Erin Margaret Pettigrew*, and Ryan Ward*. *These Actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.

Kotryna Gesait (Director/Playwright) is from New York City. She received her BFA in acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts. Her creative focus shifted to her longtime passion for writing when she moved to Melbourne in 2016. There she had the privilege of directing her own work, including The Nursery Web, This-That, and the award-winning Party Snake.

Ryan Ward is a producer and professional actor. An Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA member, he has credits across all disciplines. In theater, he's worked off-Broadway and regionally with Keen Company, Katharsis Theater Company, Palm Beach Dramaworks, and The Repertory Theatre of St Louis. Film credits include Naomi & Ely (2015), Far From Heaven (2001), and most recently The Watcher (Netflix, 2022).

The creative team features Set Design by Chantal Marks, Sound Design by Nadav Rayman, Lighting Design is by Heather Crocker, and the Movement/Intimacy Coordinator is Caitlin Rigney. Thomas DellaMonica is the Assistant Director, and The Production Stage Manager is Annika Prager.

Tickets are $20-40 and can be purchased at: cocoonplay.com

Performances are Wed Nov 16- Sat Dec 10th. There are 16 performances in total. The running time is 75 minutes.