Cocktail: A Play about the Life and HIV Drug Development Work of Dr. Krisana Kraisintu

Vince LiCata and Ping Chong

Cocktail is a play about one woman’s audacious crusade to fight the AIDS epidemic and the pharmaceutical industry’s unyielding control over lifesaving drugs. Scientist- activist Dr. Krisana Kraisintu, a Thai national, defied politicians, patents, and restrictions to give the world its first generic “cocktail” pill for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Her generic drugs changed the course of HIV in her native Thailand and later in Africa, but brought her into direct conflict with some of the world's leading drug manufacturers.

The play powerfully dramatizes the worldwide explosion of AIDS and Dr. Krisana's visionary work, from her research in a windowless storage room mixing and combining toxic raw materials in grueling solitary toil, to her confrontation with corporate greed and political corruption—and ultimately to her single-handedly saving millions of lives.

Cocktail is a mesmerizing experience of Kraisintu’s life that is, in turns, spine chilling, lyrical, heartbreaking, and funny, yet ultimately humbling and inspiring.

About the Authors

VINCENT LICATA is associate professor in the departments of Biological Studies and Chemistry at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. His research focuses on a family of proteins directly related to anti-HIV drugs. He is also an accomplished playwright and has acted in several stage plays.

PING CHONG is a world-renowned choreographer, theater director, video and installation artist, and recipient of two Obie awards. Since 1972, he has created more than seventy works for the stage, nearly a dozen of which have been published.