Jack Yearsley grew up in Hawaii, where performance has always meant something beyond what happens on a stage. Storytelling there is tied to identity and community in ways that can take years to grasp in a Western conservatory setting – a process that Yearsley says is at the core of storytelling. It is no small task to carry one’s background across two oceans and into the heart of London’s theatre scene, but somehow Yearsley has done just that. After receiving his master’s at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2025 and founding Lion and Swan Productions in early 2026, Yearsley is seeking to make his name known.
In his latest efforts, Yearsley is bridging his island roots and his British theatrical training in an unprecedented way. This June, his transatlantic career reaches a new milestone as he splits his focus between two major projects: leading the development of Hawaii’s first devised multi-cam sitcom in Honolulu, and preparing for his solo show, Plastic Flowers, at The Coronet Theatre in London, UK.
“These opportunities have been a dream come true,” Yearsley said. “An artist can spend their whole life looking for a passion project, and currently I have the fortune of working on two.”
Making television history in Honolulu
This June, Yearsley is on the ground in Honolulu, spearheading a project that pushes the boundaries of local television production. He is leading the development of the islands’ very first devised multi-cam sitcom – a format that blends the structural familiarity of traditional multi-camera comedy with a collaborative, improvisational approach to script building.
Bringing this format to Hawaii allows Yearsley to channel the unique cultural and communal storytelling of his upbringing into a modern television framework. It reflects how he has always worked: across forms, and across registers, without settling into any single one arena.
“Hawaii has a powerful story to tell,” he said. “Living in a place where luxury is considered an expectation, one often wonders where true ‘wellness’ fits in. Our current theme for the show is ‘surviving paradise’.”
Plastic flowers at The Coronet Theatre
While charting new territory in Hawaii’s television history, Yearsley is simultaneously preparing to return to the London stage. He will be performing his highly anticipated solo show, Plastic Flowers, at the prestigious Coronet Theatre in London’s Notting Hill.
Performing in London requires a specific kind of readiness. The city’s audiences attend theatre regularly and critically, and they notice the difference between a performer executing technique and one who has absorbed it completely. Taking the stage solo at an esteemed Off-West End venue like The Coronet is a testament to the psychophysical approach Yearsley has developed throughout his career. Plastic Flowers demands a performer who can hold two very different skillsets simultaneously – a delicate balance of intense personal vulnerability and rigorous classical technique.
“Plastic Flowers is about rediscovering our humanity in an era of the artificial,” Yearsley said. “I think we have gotten so caught up in the idea of becoming ‘our best selves’ that we have forgotten that life isn’t about ‘perfection’. No one is a plastic flower.”
The Lion and Swan ecosystem
Both the Honolulu sitcom and Plastic Flowers operate in collaboration with Yearsley’s London based company, Lion and Swan Productions. The company sits comfortably in both the independent theatre sector and the broader entertainment industry, producing classical and contemporary work while offering professional performance services across stage, screen, and voiceover.
Ingeniously, the company’s diverse areas of work feed each other. The devised television project connects Yearsley to the broader screen industry, while his solo theatrical production builds Lion and Swan’s artistic profile in the UK.
“Life doesn’t operate in a vacuum,” he said. “So why should art? There is always a new chapter, another concept to explore. Lion and Swan Productions is dedicated to that exploration.”
Where the work goes next
Yearsley has never stayed in one place for long, and Lion and Swan Productions was built with that mobility in mind. Over the next 12 months, fuelled by the momentum of this monumental June, the company is expanding its footprint in the United States, starting with New York and Los Angeles.
New York’s Off-Broadway circuit is a natural fit for formally ambitious stage work like Plastic Flowers, while the Los Angeles industry is well-positioned to embrace his screen performance and the ground-breaking multi-cam work being developed in Hawaii.
Lion and Swan Productions is currently accepting inquiries from producers, collaborating artists, and students. More information is available through the company directly.
jackyearsley.com
Photography courtesy of Tom Trevatt
