WHO WE ARE
Cock and Bull Arts is a non-profit organization in Chicago producing Contemporary and Devised theatre, digital art, podcasts, and the Arts Festival - Sessions.
Voyage photo by Ryan Bourque. Puppet design Stephanie Diaz. (Tuckie White, Kristen King)
Cock and Bull was founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Chris Garcia Peak, with the original production, The Legend of Ginger Bred; A Story of Salvation & Baked Goods a rock musical. A post-modern multimedia retelling of the story The Ginger Bread Man featuring the live rock band, Sunday Brunch. Cock and Bull has also produced the original plays Axe Lizzie followed by The Possession of Alice at Prop Theatre in Rogers Park
Both were influenced by Theatre De Grand Guignol (The French Theatre of Horror) and explored sexuality through the lens of 19th-century melodramas. Cock and Bull presented the critically acclaimed Titanic by Christopher Durang at The Atheneum Theatre in West Lakeview working with the playwright on interpretations and alternate endings. That same year Cock and Bull also began producing Sessions, a gallery exhibit of solo performance artists, digital artists and new play readings.
“Live music and multimedia projections blend seamlessly into the show, which is structured as a bizarre stream-of-consciousness lounge act”
“Fans of devised theatre should flock to this experimental, creative and visually intriguing production at the Chopin Theatre ”
Noah Lepawsky in Voyage directed by Chris Garcia Peak at The Chopin Theatre, photo by Lesley Jackson
The Children of Nyx Narrative Podcast written by Noah Lepawsky, directed by Chris Garcia Peak, Designed by Matthew Reich (Laura Resinger & Diana Lee)
The Cast of The Octopus by Indonesian Artist Geri Widodo. A web-based choose-your-own-adventure experience featuring a global cast of actors…dive deep into your potential. “Cock & Bull's The Octopus is a masterpiece in interactive storytelling”
Voolf at DCASE photo by Leslie Jackson (Kristen King, Eddie Karch, Sarah Hecht)
Cock and Bull has received an In-The-Works residency from DCASE (Dept of Cultural Affairs & Special Events) for the original production, Peter and The Wolf, a modern interpretation of Sergei Prokofiev's composition Peter and The Wolf.
After a three-month development process, the play was re-named Voolf and performed in a small attic space in the Berger Mansion, allowing 15 guests to experience the intimate, immersive fairy-tale exploring gender identity.
Cock and Bull has also received a professional development grant from The Driehaus Foundation to hold a workshop with Tony award-winning director Rachel Chavkin, the Artistic Director of the New York theatre ensemble, The TEAM. Voyage – devised theatrical odyssey, was produced at the Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park.
Cock and Bull expanded the event Sessions to include multiple performance artists, interactive digital and visual artists at the Defibrillator Gallery in Chicago.
Cock and Bull has partnered with Los Angeles playwright Megan Breen on devising Lecherous Honey, a contemporary adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic play Ghosts. Lecherous Honey became an immersive site-specific play performed at Berger Park North Mansion in the Gunder Mansion on Chicago's Lakeshore Drive.
Cock and Bull then dived into new territory working on the original narrative serial podcast series The Children of Nyx, written by company member Noah Lepawsky, directed by Chris Garcia Peak, designed by Matt Reich, song composer Stephen Gawrit. The Children of Nyx, five-part podcast series is now available on Apple Podcasts.
In 2020 Cock and Bull created Sessions/Isolation, on-line international virtual art festival featuring artists, filmmakers, radio dramas, performers and theatre makers from Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Germany, Israel, Portugal. Sessions/Isolation focused on artwork inspired by lockdowns in each artists country and weekly live virtual events. Sarah Hecht, Noah Lepawsky and Matt Reich also became Associate Artistic Directors of the company.
Cock and Bull premiered a devised digital choose-your-own-adventure digital game and story about conspiracy theories and self-love, The Octopus premiered in 2022 “Cock & Bull's The Octopus is a masterpiece in interactive storytelling”.
Sessions/Isolations 2020 featured virtual performances, artists, filmmakers, radio drama and isolation artists gallery featuring artists from Chicago, Los Angeles, Israel, London, Portugal, Berlin and Italy. Sessions/Isolation was a global communal space to share work created during Lock-down in various countries during the Pandemic. (pictured, Magic Box Theatre UK, Amy Zaleta Martinez, Tiff Abreu).
Cock and Bull is currently working on the development of a Theatre for Young Audience musical, co-created by Chris Garcia Peak, composer/lyricist Nathan Streifel, and students from West Michigan. This collaborative project, titled The Boy Who Hates Everything, recently was presented at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival this past January in 2024. Cock and Bull is now actively working on the Chicago production.
Inside Out by Israeli artists Jessica Moritz and Diana Schuemann featured in Sessions/Isolation Artists virtual gallery
“Lecherous Honey possesses masterful ambiance. It transports us and transforms the rooms we walk into. The spectacles inside are truly magical and awe-inspiring. It was easy to not question their reality with such powerful tools of world-building on display.”
Voyage photo by Ryan Bourque,
Meg Elliott in Voyage at Chopin Theatre, Chicago
“One Sassy Piece of Theatre...”
“Titanic couldn’t be a better fit for this unconventional company. From the drag queen greeting audience members outside the theatre to the strange yet emotional final tableau…purely hilarious ”
“Axe Lizzie’s creepy spectacle mixes song, puppetry, and rich design elements to create a kind of slide carousel of gore—These splatter fests ...couldn’t be more scrumptious.”
Lecherous Honey by Megan Breen directed by Chris Garcia Peak, photo by John Jennings
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Chris Garcia Peak - Founder & Artistic Director
Sarah August Hecht - Associate Artistic Director
Noah Lepawsky -Associate Artistic Director
Matt Reich-Associate Artistic Director
Meg Elliott
Eddy Karch
Kristen King -
Cock and Bull is an avant-garde arts collective dedicated to forging innovative and boundary-pushing performances. Our unwavering commitment lies in generating fresh, multi-dimensional experiences that transcend artistic conventions and foster cultural enlightenment within Chicago and worldwide. By dismantling entrenched preconceptions associated with identity, we strive to catalyze transformative conversations and encourage our audiences to embark on introspective journeys of exploration.
Voyage, Kristen King, Tuckie White, Noah Lepawsky photo by Ryan Bourque
A “Cock and Bull story” is a fabricated tale meant to deceive or amuse.