Cocktail
About the Production
Cocktail is a collaboration between Ping Chong and biochemist and playwright Vince LiCata. The project examines both the scientific and cultural impact of the work of pharmaceutical chemist Dr. Krisana Kraisintu, whose pioneering work in developing generic HIV drugs contributed to a dramatic decrease in mother-child HIV transmission and made generic antiviral cocktails widely available in Thailand, against the initial wishes of the Thai government. As a result, Cocktail is a compelling journey into the world of scientific discovery and the ethical and legal dilemmas associated with providing universal access to life-saving medicine. It is a real life David and Goliath story in which the hero is Asian and a woman.
Production Team And Cast
Conceived and Directed by
Ping Chong
Written by
Vince LiCata and Ping Chong
Lighting Design
Darren McCroom
Costume Design
Polly Boersig
Set and Production Design
James L. Murphy
Sound Design
EunJin Cho
Stage Manager
Karli Henderson
Cast
Mia Katigbak, Caleb Sekeres, Glenn Aucoin II, Leigh-Erin Balmer, Kesha Bullard, Kenneth De Abrew, Derrick Denicola, Andrew Fafoutakis, Elizabeth Godley, Amber A. Harrie, Mark Jaynes, Reuben Mitchell, Derek Mudd, Yohance Myles, Ron Heeder, Anna Richardson, Nikki Travis, Scott Woltz and Jessica Wu
Performance History
Premiere
Swine Palace Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA (April 2007)
Chong, Ping and Vince LiCata. Cocktail: A play about the life and HIV drug development work of Dr. Krisana Kraisintu. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2009 (published in English and Thai)
Partners
Ensemble Studio Theatre
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project
Swine Palace
The Shubert Foundation
Louisiana State University (LSU)
Louisiana Division of the Arts
Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge
National Endowment for the Arts
Commercial Properties Development Corporation (CPDC)
Corporate Advised Fund of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation
LSU Student Performing Arts Fee
Silkworm Books
Cocktail Program (2007)