Philly GRIT (2025) at Theatre Exile

Philly Grit is a series of shows by Philadelphia performers who step outside the boundaries of traditional theater to shine an embarrassingly bright light on our world – like fluorescents in an airport bathroom. This season’s two-show series aims to amplify diverse storytelling styles, while staying true to Theatre Exile’s mission of expressing the human journey through an unfiltered lens. Philly Grit will end with Camp Cookie featuring Cookie D’iorio, Philadelphia-based drag performer, classically trained vocalist, songwriter, activist, and lover of all things sparkly!! Camp Cookie is a speakeasy Cabaret filled with music, laughter, drinks and of course… cookies.

KOAL

By Jacinta Yelland

Part climate-catastrophe, part clown show— KOAL is a one-woman show for the end of the world. As wildfires tear through Australia, a baby koala, a coal miner and an Indigenous girl desperately strive to hold onto their homes before all burns and turns to ash. KOAL is an interactive solo-show, performed by Jacinta Yelland and directed by Trey Lyford, that immerses the audience in the middle of the 2019 Australian bushfires. The show follows two eyewitnesses to this climate catastrophe; Koal, a baby koala recovering at a wildlife sanctuary after being saved from a nearby wildfire, and Stevo, a career coal miner trapped in a collapsed mine hundreds of meters underground. Woven throughout is the story of Minah, an Indigenous girl who was removed from her home and interned by her government during WWII. Using documentary theatre, clown, and audience interaction, KOAL takes the audience from laughter to tears as it explores what is lost when your home is erased.

Running time approx 60 min

Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You!

By Linnea Bond

An enthusiastic sales representative pitches you on existence, but the darker realities of life keep pushing through her carefully constructed presentation - not to mention phone calls that make this sale personal. Written after a harrowing health journey and a devastating breakup, Linnea wonders: is it worth it? A (mostly) comedy about pain.

Running Time - 65 min