Cole Face is a visually arresting, immersive solo show that looks at the climate crisis through the eyes of a koala and a coal miner.
the project
The show, inspired by the 2019 Australian bushfires, is set in the sweltering Australian outback. The sky glows red from encroaching fires, consuming the audience who sit on camping chairs; dirt beneath their feet, among eucalyptus trees and rock formations. Cole, a wide-eyed, talking baby koala is on a quest to find his mother who is trapped by the bushfires. As the journey unfolds the audience is enlisted to be immersed in the destruction of nature, history, story, and community through the innocent, untainted eyes of a child. In a parallel narrative, pitch darkness caused by the density of ash from the fires transports the audience underground into a collapsed mine. Inspired by true events, a trapped coal miner contemplates his imminent death caused by the hole he drilled and the legacy of generations of coal miners.
Cole Face moves the audience from laughter to tears by following two isolated yet intertwined experiences of the climate crisis — the stories of animals who perished in the 2019 bushfires and of people whose livelihoods depend on environmental destruction — with the hope to shed light on the ramifications of our current way of life and provoke real change.
Cole Face moves the audience from laughter to tears by following two isolated yet intertwined experiences of the climate crisis — the stories of animals who perished in the 2019 bushfires and of people whose livelihoods depend on environmental destruction — with the hope to shed light on the ramifications of our current way of life and provoke real change.
the process
Creator/Performer Jacinta Yelland, in collaboration with Director Trey Lyford, is using various devising methods, immersion in nature, real-life stories of humans and non-humans who have experienced climate change, and improvisation to bring discoveries to theatrical life. Throughout the creative process, collaborators from various disciplines are joining the explorations to experiment with form and aesthetics. Collaborators include Maisie O’Brien (shadow puppetry), Grace Lillian Lee (costume design consultation), and Rebecca Starr (Chinese pole).
The Work is providing ongoing support to Jacinta as she hones the piece as part of the Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists’ Playwrights Project, a 2-year residency program comprised of a team of emerging and established Asian creative writers. In August 2022, Trey and Jacinta were Artists-in-Residence at Fresh Ground Pepper’s Ecological Theatre Week Retreat where they explored how to collaborate with the more-than-human-world, de-center the human, and incorporate the voices and experiences of nature in Cole Face. There will be another developmental workshop in Winter 2022.
The Work is providing ongoing support to Jacinta as she hones the piece as part of the Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists’ Playwrights Project, a 2-year residency program comprised of a team of emerging and established Asian creative writers. In August 2022, Trey and Jacinta were Artists-in-Residence at Fresh Ground Pepper’s Ecological Theatre Week Retreat where they explored how to collaborate with the more-than-human-world, de-center the human, and incorporate the voices and experiences of nature in Cole Face. There will be another developmental workshop in Winter 2022.
the artists
Jacinta Yelland is an Australian actor and theatre creator of Chinese and Torres Strait Islander descent based in Philadelphia, USA. She creates untamed, intricate, and mischievous physical theatre that explores current political and social issues that are under-represented in theatre. Her work draws inspiration from real-life stories and is rooted in multi-disciplinary and ensemble collaboration.
Jacinta has collaborated with companies across the world including David Gordon, Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Visual Expressions, Zen Zo Zo Physical Theatre, RealTV, and Elbow Room. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Devised Performance from the University of the Arts/Pig Iron Theatre Company, a Bachelor of Creative Industries: Drama from the Queensland University of Technology, and was supported by Arts Queensland to study at École Philippe Gaulier, Paris.
Jacinta is co-artistic director of inFLUX Theatre Collective, whose debut show, The Choice, won the Philly Fringies Award for Best Theatre at the 2021 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and will be presented at HERE in NYC this August. In addition to The Work’s generous support, her projects have been funded by Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Queensland, Network of Ensemble Theaters, the City of Philadelphia, and the American Australian Association. Jacinta teaches physical theatre at Temple University, Princeton University, and Circadium School of Contemporary Circus.
Trey Lyford has been creating original works for the stage for nearly two decades and most recently with his theatre company - gimmick. He is an actor, director, designer and play fabricator committed to unearthing the tender honesty at the heart of silliness. His collaborations include: The Accountant, all wear bowlers (2005 Drama Desk Nomination, Innovative Theatre Award), Amnesia Curiosa, the OBIE award-winning kinetic junk sculpture play machines, machines, machines, machines, machines, machines machines, and the absurd magic show Elephant Room. In 2020 he collaborated on the ZOOM space extravaganza Elephant Room: Dust From the Stars. He has performed his original works in four continents including venues across the U.S. such as LA's Center Theatre Group, Philadelphia FringeArts, HERE Arts Center, St. Ann’s Warehouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Studio Theater, Arena Stage, and theaters throughout NYC. Internationally, Lyford has toured his works to England, Germany, Korea, Italy, Scotland, and Australia's Sydney Opera House. Support for his work includes grants and awards from Creative Capital, NEFA, NYSCA, Princess Grace Awards and the PEW Center for Arts & Heritage. Lyford is a longtime Associate Artist with The Civilians and a teacher of physical approaches to character and comedy. Above all, he is passionate about guiding actor generated material that pushes both form and narrative and he continues to collaborate with artists both nationally and abroad including: Jacinta Yelland, Ryan Pater, and Eli Nixon. MFA: UCSD More info at www.treylyford.com.
Jacinta has collaborated with companies across the world including David Gordon, Quintessence Theatre Group, Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Visual Expressions, Zen Zo Zo Physical Theatre, RealTV, and Elbow Room. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Devised Performance from the University of the Arts/Pig Iron Theatre Company, a Bachelor of Creative Industries: Drama from the Queensland University of Technology, and was supported by Arts Queensland to study at École Philippe Gaulier, Paris.
Jacinta is co-artistic director of inFLUX Theatre Collective, whose debut show, The Choice, won the Philly Fringies Award for Best Theatre at the 2021 Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and will be presented at HERE in NYC this August. In addition to The Work’s generous support, her projects have been funded by Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Queensland, Network of Ensemble Theaters, the City of Philadelphia, and the American Australian Association. Jacinta teaches physical theatre at Temple University, Princeton University, and Circadium School of Contemporary Circus.
Trey Lyford has been creating original works for the stage for nearly two decades and most recently with his theatre company - gimmick. He is an actor, director, designer and play fabricator committed to unearthing the tender honesty at the heart of silliness. His collaborations include: The Accountant, all wear bowlers (2005 Drama Desk Nomination, Innovative Theatre Award), Amnesia Curiosa, the OBIE award-winning kinetic junk sculpture play machines, machines, machines, machines, machines, machines machines, and the absurd magic show Elephant Room. In 2020 he collaborated on the ZOOM space extravaganza Elephant Room: Dust From the Stars. He has performed his original works in four continents including venues across the U.S. such as LA's Center Theatre Group, Philadelphia FringeArts, HERE Arts Center, St. Ann’s Warehouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkeley Rep, Studio Theater, Arena Stage, and theaters throughout NYC. Internationally, Lyford has toured his works to England, Germany, Korea, Italy, Scotland, and Australia's Sydney Opera House. Support for his work includes grants and awards from Creative Capital, NEFA, NYSCA, Princess Grace Awards and the PEW Center for Arts & Heritage. Lyford is a longtime Associate Artist with The Civilians and a teacher of physical approaches to character and comedy. Above all, he is passionate about guiding actor generated material that pushes both form and narrative and he continues to collaborate with artists both nationally and abroad including: Jacinta Yelland, Ryan Pater, and Eli Nixon. MFA: UCSD More info at www.treylyford.com.
