PLUNGE

About the Project

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

A young girl learns how to swim while her teacher tries to keep deep fears at bay.

A joyful exploration of water, childhood,and balance.

Born out of a fascination with water as an elemental force, PLUNGE pushes the limits of solo performance and blends traditional theatre with inspiration from circus arts and a friendly dollop of audience participation to determine the value of fear.

Back by Popular Demand: We are returning to Los Angeles after the wildly successful West Coast premiere in 2015 at The Sherry Theatre in North Hollywood!

Other past performance locations include: Columbus, OH

GENEVIEVE SIMON (writer, performer) is an actor focused on devised, solo, and physical theatre. She has trained with Tim Robbins’ The Actor’s Gang in Los Angeles, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and The Royal Shakespeare Company (in collaboration with Ohio State University). She has worked with Robert Post Comedy Theatre, and her previous solo show, “MAPS: Where Do We Go From Here?”, was performed in Columbus, Ohio at Kafe Kerouac, Ohio State University, and various found spaces. She is currently training in aerial silks and lyra at Firestorm Freerunning and Acrobatics in Santa Ana, CA. Genevieve looks to make theatre a place to learn, listen, and demand social justice.
(Genevieve has also been teaching swim lessons to all ages for the past 8 years, and is certified by the American Red Cross in CPR/First Aid and as a Water Safety Instructor.)

JEREMY CHARLES HOHN (director) is a performer and artist living in Orange County, California. His passions lie in physical theatre and collaborative arts with a particular interest in puppetry and mask work. When Genevieve asked him to help shape her vision for PLUNGE he was both challenged and excited. Excited, to be working with such a daring and colorful talent, and challenged, because his recent work is often without text. He thinks this one-person show is charming in its presentation and play; PLUNGE stands (or rather swims) atop a strong and relatable foundation reminding that fear can overwhelm and cripple us at any age, but our lives are determined by the strokes and actions we make to improve and rise above them.

MEGAN LEANNE GAINEY (Producer) is so proud and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this production. While most of her theatrical work pertains to acting, Megan is incredibly passionate about working with the development of new plays. With a passion for social justice, she focuses a lot of her attention on work that allows those with a story to tell find their voice to tell it. She was a part of the creative team of [Our Life]: The Black Youth Stories Project at UC Irvine and will be working with Theatreworks in Colorado Springs this summer as Sybil in Private Lives. Other credits include the world premiere of The Last Lifeboat*(Florence) The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Julia) and an all-female version of Hamlet. meganlgainey.weebly.com

ROSS JACKSON (Producer) is very proud to be a part of this production. He has produced projects in Southern California and Little Rock, AR including [Our Life]: The Black Youth Stories Project (UC, Irvine), The Dwarf (Counter-Balance Theater), Coup de Comedy Festival (Improv Revolution), and AiR Summer Dance Concerts 2011 & 2012 (Artists in Resonance) and is currently helping to develop two new, unnamed social justice projects. Ross believes in the power of sharing stories and feels a true responsibility to be sure that every voice has a chance to be heard, particularly those of the marginalized and underrepresented. M.F.A. in Drama from University of California, Irvine.