GUMMY WORM Shines Spotlight On Sex-Ed at Hollywood Fringe

The New Cosmopolitans led by Ryan Hartley, founding member & director, is making its Hollywood Fringe Festival debut with a workshop production of the new comedy "Gummy Worm". Written by New York playwright Nathaniel Foster, "Gummy Worm" follows four high school juniors in over their heads when they sign up for their school's abstinence-only sex-ed class.

Taylor (Grace Ruble) attempts to manage her anxiety. Sophie (Michelle Persoff) hurries to become a liberated woman. Alaska (Hailee Domagalski) ranks the group's sexual prospects. And Benjie (Caden Healander) just wants everyone to play it safe.

Confessions are made. Risks are taken. Long-standing friendships are put to the test. The audience returns to their youth as they witness these teens working out the mysteries of their sexual awakening.

Nathaniel Foster has crafted a play propelled by wit best described as "heartfelt, adolescent Sorkin". He explores topics such as social media, sexuality, sexual politics, and American sex education standards with playful yet poignant observation. Never one to preach, Foster allows his characters to dialogue in the same way he invites his audience to reflect - by stripping away the politics in favor of personal discovery and growth.

Content warning: "Gummy Worm" explores themes involving sex, abortion, condoms, consent, LGBTQ youth, religion, and sexually transmitted diseases. Recommended for audiences 13+.

Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. June 3, 2022 @ 7:30 pm; (Opening) June 12, 2022 @ 7 pm; June 16, 2022 @ 6:30 pm; June 19, 2022 @ 3 pm; June 25, 2022 @ 3 pm (Runtime: 70 minutes). Price: $13.00. Learn more at Admission age: 13+; Mature Audiences. Purchase tickets here.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Ryan Hartley (Director): Ryan (he/him) is a multi-disciplinary theater artist, questioning the ways we allow our superstitions and assumptions to hold back our social progress. Ryan grew up envisioning fantastical theater spaces, infused with music and kinetic performances. He has always channeled his passion for theater into the outlets available to him, always hoping to challenge and thrill his audiences. Ryan draws inspiration from postmodern theory, short fiction, brutalist and modernist design, and a wide array of theatrical predecessors. Ryan is a graduate of Pepperdine University and currently in the interior design program at NYIAD. He has continued his theater training with the Yale Summer Session, Siti Company, and The Barrow Group. Ryan is also a member of LMDA.

Nicole Ohara (Producer): Nicole (she/her) is a Hapa* actor, writer, producer, and Certified Health Education Specialist. A graduate from the Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio, Nicole is on a mission to build a body of work that takes people on a journey of self-discovery and awareness. We all hurt, we all love, we all laugh, we all cry. By exploring the humanity in all of us, she hopes to create art that brings us one step closer to healing. Nicole's recent credits include: "Snowdrop" (English Dub) on Disney+, Elaina Simms- "Mortuus Est.: Legacy" on Spotify, Elise Rudy- "Found Family" (Paris Film Festival Best LGBTQ), Producer- "The Memory of Water" (dir. Xinyao Lin), and Project Coordinator at Roundabout Entertainment. *Hapa is a word used to describe mixed-race people - primarily, though not exclusively, those who are half white and half Asian.

Nathaniel Foster (Playwright): Nathaniel (he/him) is a New York City-based playwright, performer, and dramaturg. He is a 2017 Kennedy Center New Play Dramaturgy Fellow, 2018 ASTEP Artist as Citizens Fellow, a 2018 Cape Cod Theatre Project New Play Development Fellow, and a 2019 New Play Development Apprentice at The Public Theater. He was a 2020-2021 ArtHouse Inkubator Playwright and a 2021 resident playwright at The Strides Collective. He was the recipient of the 2018 Kennedy Center Ken Ludwig Young Playwright Award. His plays have been seen or developed at The Kennedy Center, The Workshop Theatre, New York Theatre Festival, The Brick, Permafrost Theatre, Fort Collins Fringe Festival, Southern Utah University, Pharmacy Theatre, Mirrobox Theatre, The Strides Collective, Live and in Color, and The Tank.

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