Anna Capunay’s ‘La Gota Fria: The Cold Sweat’ Finds Humor in the Unexpected
Playwright
Anna Capunay never set out to write a comedy about cancer. But life has a way of throwing the unexpected at us—just like it did for her family in 2011 when they made the unconventional decision to seek an alternative treatment for her mother’s stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. More than a decade later, her mother is still here, now 84 years old. And from that experience, Capunay has crafted La Gota Fria: The Cold Sweat, a comedy that finds joy, absurdity, and humanity in the most unlikely places.
The play, running at The Players Theatre’s upstairs black box from March 6th through the 23rd, is a deeply personal story told with humor and heart. Capunay, who started playwriting in her late twenties after being laid off from work, has spent the last two decades sharpening her craft. Inspired by the darkly comedic works of Joe Orton, she first found solace in storytelling when she stumbled upon The Good and Faithful Servant, a play about a retiring employee grappling with a thankless career. Something about its sharp wit and unflinching honesty clicked for her. Since then, she has sought out fellow playwrights and artists to push her writing further, crafting stories that don’t shy away from life’s messy contradictions.
Capunay describes her creative process as one of absorption—moments of inspiration can strike anywhere, from a single song lyric to an overheard conversation.
“I write them down in my phone notes app,” she explains. “Music, film, and just living life inspire a possible scene or dialogue, and I later expand on that into an entire piece.”
Some of her favorite moments in La Gota Fria are the simplest ones: scenes where the characters dance freely, lost in the moment, as if no one is watching. It’s a reminder that even in the heaviest of circumstances, joy can break through.
Her ability to weave humor into difficult subjects doesn’t stop with La Gota Fria. Later this year, she’s set to complete Sombras, a short film about an emotionally abused spouse who reclaims her power. Looking ahead, she and her partner, Bill McDonald, plan to co-write Contigo, a feature film about how siblings navigate the challenges of caring for aging parents. True to Capunay’s signature style, it will be a comedy—if she’s learned anything, laughter is essential, even in the hardest moments.
As a playwright, Capunay thrives on collaboration. She credits the talented actors bringing La Gota Fria to life for helping her push the text deeper, challenging her to step into their shoes and reconsider every line.
“I embrace being put on the spot,” she says. “It forces me to remember why I wrote certain things down in the first place.”
When she’s not writing—or procrastinating until a deadline looms—Capunay works as a community coordinator for students in temporary housing through the NYC Department of Education. By day, she’s troubleshooting at shelters across the city. By night, she’s crafting narratives that challenge, entertain, and move audiences. And all day, every day, she proudly embraces her status as a self-proclaimed “crazy, childless cat-lady.”
Catch La Gota Fria: The Cold Sweat at The Players Theatre from March 6th to the 23rd to witness her unique blend of humor and poignancy firsthand. For more on Capunay’s work, visit her (as she puts it) “super boring” website at annacapunay.com.
