“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

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?

Salamanca Arts Centre in MONA FOMA, Hobart (January 2022)
PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, Sydney (February 2022)
Brunswick Mechanics Institute in Next Wave, Melbourne (February 2022)
Sydney Opera House, Unwrapped Season (June 2022)
Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour NSW (July 2023)
Hothouse Theatre, Wodonga VIC (July 2023)
Earl Arts Centre, Launceston TAS (July 2023)
Burnie Arts Centre, TAS (July 2023)
Merrigong Theatre Co, Wollongong NSW (July 2023)
Portland Arts Centre VIC (August 2023)
Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre VIC (August 2023)
The Q, Queanbeyan, NSW (August 2023)
Kingston Butter Factory, QLD (August 2023)
Redland Performing Arts Centre QLD (August 2023)
Darwin Festival NT (August 2023)
Bondi Pavillion NSW (September 2023)

An excerpt of an early work in progress version of Coil was presented by Intimate Spectacle in Out of Iso, December 2020, in a program curated by Malcolm Whittaker, for PACT Centre for Emerging Artists.