Coil

“It’s an astonishingly multi-layered, funny-sad eulogy. A must-see live cinema event…miraculously manufactured before our eyes by a mere trio of maker-performers”

An immediate hit with critics and audiences, Coil is one of those rare productions: gobsmackingly clever in its execution whilst being funny, warm hearted and deeply resonant.

Blurring the boundaries of theatre and cinema, this innovative new work draws on our collective memories to pay tribute to the glory days of the video store and the communities we made within them. Coil reflects upon the joys, perils and pitfalls of nostalgia, and how we grapple with goodbyes to move on.

Creating new work at the very edge of video technology and live performance, re:group mash theatre and movie-making together to create ‘live cinema’. Inspired by the highs and lows of pop culture, re:group aim to turn typically comfortable and passive viewing experiences into something immersive, irreverent, and inherently live.

Don’t miss this playful, one-of-a-kind live cinema experience.

re:group are passionate about creating innovative work that questions the role and meaning of the arts in contemporary society, where the technology used is core to the ideas presented in the work.

The loneliness and nostalgia that the main character, Steve, experiences resonates with the widespread sense of technological solitude that has paralleled the demise of the community video store. The story has implications beyond this – there are innumerable industries that have already faced the effects of technological supersedure and the colonial and capitalistic replacement of meeting places with automation and online subscription services. Where does that leave us?

re:group's genuinely unique practice of live cinema is an accessible, energetic, and highly visual medium. Presenting a counter-narrative to on-demand streaming sites, Coil seeks to reinstate and augment the communal cinema-going experience by meshing theatre and film together, live on stage.

REVIEWS

“It’s an astonishingly multi-layered, funny-sad eulogy… A must-see live cinema event…miraculously manufactured before our eyes by a mere trio of maker-performers… COIL is always propulsive, mostly great fun and engages frankly and intimately with its audience.”
Keith Gallasch, RealTime

“Nostalgic, philosophical and comedic…it’s quite unlike any other use of cameras and screens I’ve seen on a stage.”
John Shand, SMH

“The second half explodes with frenzied energy as the audience gets to watch the titular short film in its entirety… The pace never faltered, the humour never dropped, and the crew never seemed anything but in complete control… A colourful multimedia portrait of loss and nostalgia, simultaneously silly yet sincere and melancholic… Coil is a perfect example of why re:group is one of the most interesting theatre groups operating in Australia today.”
Bradley Ward, Theatre Travels 

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE

re:group are a group of friends based between Hobart, Wollongong and Sydney. Inspired by the highs and lows of pop culture, we mash theatre and movie-making together to create live cinema. The aim of our work is to turn the typically comfortable, nostalgic and passive movie-going experience into something immersive, irreverent, sweaty and live. We strive to be ironic and sincere in equal measure.

Coil showcases growth in our storytelling capabilities as an experimental independent theatre company. As young artists of a widely considered apathetic 'Generation Y' who live vicariously through mass media and technological immediacy, we are passionate about creating innovative work that questions the role and meaning of the arts in contemporary society. The technology is core to the ideas present in the work and is not a prosthetic or aesthetic addition.

Our practice of live cinema is an accessible, energetic, and highly visual medium. Presenting a counter-narrative to on-demand streaming sites, Coil seeks to reinstate and augment the communal cinema-going experience by meshing theatre and film together, live on stage. Woven into Coil is the story of us gradually reducing our ensemble size to continue to be able to make theatre work. It is a reflection on the forces that play upon emerging experimental arts collectives - the friendship and discipline that keeps it together, and the economic austerity and personal experiences that drives it apart. How do you continue to work together when you all live in different cities?

TOURING IN 2023

Jetty Theatre Coffs Harbour, NSW | Land of the Gumbaynggirr People
8 July | BOOK

HotHouse Theatre Wodonga, VIC | Land of the Wiradjuri People
11 - 15 July | BOOK

Earl Arts Centre Launceston, TAS | Land of the Tyerremotepanner, Panninher and Leterrermairrener People
19 - 20 July | BOOK

Burnie Arts & Function Centre, TAS | Land of Palawa People
22 July | BOOK

Illawarra Performing Arts Centre Wollongong, NSW | Land of the Dharawal (Thuruwul) People
26 – 29 July | BOOK

Portland Arts Centre, VIC | Land of the Gunditjmara People
2 August | BOOK

Wangaratta Performing Arts & Convention Centre, VIC | Land of the Bpangerang People
5 August | BOOK

The Q Theatre, Queanbeyan, NSW | Land of the Ngambri and Ngunnawal People
8 – 9 August | BOOK

Kingston butter Factory Logan, QLD | Land of the Yagara and Yugambeh People
17 August | BOOK 

Redland Performing Arts Centre Cleveland, QLD | Land of the Quandamooka People
18 – 19 August | BOOK

Darwin Entertainment Centre, NT | Land of the Larrakia People
23-25 August | BOOK

Bondi Pavilion, NSW | Land of the Bidjigal, Birrabirragal and Gadigal People
7-8 September | BOOK

Images by Rosie Hastie and Lucy Parakhina