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Cole Escola

Cole Escola
Escola in 2014
Born (1986-11-25) November 25, 1986 (age 37)
Clatskanie, Oregon, U.S.
Medium
  • Television
  • theatre
EducationMarymount Manhattan College
Years active2009–present

Cole Escola (born November 25, 1986)[1] is an American comedian, actor, singer, and playwright. They are best known for their cabaret work and appearances on the television series Difficult People (2015–2017), At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020), Search Party (2020–2021), and Big Mouth (2022), as well as for writing and starring in the play Oh, Mary! which opened on Broadway in 2024.

Early life

Escola was born and raised in Clatskanie, Oregon. They are of Finnish and Norwegian descent.[2] When they were six, their father chased the entire family out of their mobile home with a gun,[3][4][5] after which Escola, their mother, and their brother subsequently lived in government housing. Their sister was not living with them at this time. Escola participated in community theater and starred in high school productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Les Misérables, and Little Shop of Horrors.[6] After graduating from R. A. Long High School in 2005, Escola moved to New York City to study humanities at Marymount Manhattan College, dropping out after one year.[7] They subsequently performed at children's birthday parties and worked at the Scholastic bookstore.[5]

Career

Stage

From 2008 to 2012, Escola was a regular guest performer in the Our Hit Parade cabaret series,[8] and later began performing monthly solo shows at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre. They appeared in Scott Wittman's 2012 cabaret show Jukebox Jackie at La MaMa and played an unborn fetus in Bridget Everett's 2014 cabaret show Rock Bottom at Joe's Pub. In a sketch called Queers in History, Escola strutted "jauntily across the stage wearing a newsboy cap and underwear."[5] On June 14, 2017, Escola's hour-long solo show Help! I'm Stuck premiered at Joe's Pub, where it has since played numerous sold-out engagements.

In 2013, Escola played Roland Maule in the Two River Theater revival of Noël Coward's Present Laughter.[9]

In 2024, Escola wrote and starred in their play Oh, Mary! at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, in which they played First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. It was directed by Sam Pinkleton and also starred Conrad Ricamora and James Scully. The show transferred to Broadway in July 2024, marking Escola's Broadway debut as an actor and playwright.[10][11] At the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Escola was awarded the John Gassner Award for Oh, Mary!.[12]

In October 2024, Escola was included in the TIME 100 Next list of the world's most influential rising leaders.[13]

Television

In 2008, Escola met fellow comedian Jeffery Self in New York; bonding over a shared love of theater and 1990s sitcoms, they began creating surreal, semi-scripted YouTube videos under the moniker "Very Good Looking (VGL) Gay Boys." The sketches, in which Escola often played the demented comic foil to Self's straight man,[14] received over 100,000 views, prompting coverage in New York magazine and a development deal from Logo TV.[7] Jeffery & Cole Casserole premiered on Logo on June 19, 2009; it ran for two seasons and has been deemed as a "cult classic" by Vice magazine.[5] Escola and Self also wrote the screenplay for an as-yet-unproduced comedy in which two friends "have to go through a lot to redeem their free sandwich."[15]

From 2015 to 2017, Escola played Matthew on the Hulu television series Difficult People, a role that series creator Julie Klausner wrote with them in mind.[5] They have appeared in recurring roles on Mozart in the Jungle, Girlboss, and At Home with Amy Sedaris, in which they play Sedaris' neighbor, Chassie Tucker.[6] In 2020, Escola appeared as Chip (The Twink) on the HBO Max original Search Party. Chip became a season regular in season 4. Escola voiced The Secret Keeper on the Cartoon Network animated series Craig of the Creek in the episode "Secret in a Bottle". In 2021, Escola voiced a gargoyle in an episode of What We Do in the Shadows.[16]

Personal life

In 2022, Escola came out as non-binary.[17] Escola owns dozens of wigs, which they store under their bed in 7-Eleven doughnut boxes.[4] Their wigs often shape and inform their recurring stage characters, which include Broadway performer Bernadette Peters, suicidal homemaker Joyce Conner, scheming furniture heiress Jennifer Convertibles, and The Goblin Commuter of Hoboken.[5][18]

Filmography

Film work by Cole Escola
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Size Zero (voice) Video short
2013 Junkie Doctors Boy (Older) Short
Your Future One Dollar Trevor Short
Billy & Rachel's Halloween Adventure Unnamed role Short
2015 Monologue for a Teenage Boy Unnamed role Video short
Mom Commercial Mom Video short
2018 Wild Nights with Emily Dweeby Reader
2021 Normal Gays Unnamed role Short
2022 Please Baby Please Billy
Television work by Cole Escola
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Law & Order Tim Johnson Episode: "Reality Bites"
2009–2010 Jeffery & Cole Casserole Cole 13 episodes
2010 Submissions Only Gay 3 Web series, episode: "Old Lace"
2012 Local Talent Drew Episode: "Pilot"
Jack in a Box Beau Web series, 3 episodes: "The Staff Meeting", "The Pest" and "The Bonding"
2013 The 3 Bits Henry Bits 3 episodes: "Henry", "Henry: Part 2" and "Henry: Part 3"
Smash Coat Check Clerk Episode: "The Parents"
Ladies' Man: A MADE Movie Ollie TV movie on MTV
2014 Nurse Jackie Robin Episode: "Super Greens"
2015 Monica Charles 2 episodes: "Episode #1.3" and "Episode #1.6"
6 Keys to Unlocking Your Diva-Tential Jessup TV movie
The Battery's Down Crisch Web series, episode: "Reunion"
2015–2017 The Special Without Brett Davis Joyce Conner or Granny Lou 4 episodes
Difficult People Matthew 25 episodes
2016 The Chris Gethard Show The Human Fish's Mother Episode: "Under the Sea Prom"
The Characters Booker / Cole Episode: "John Early"
2016–2018 Mozart in the Jungle Shawn 10 episodes
2017 New York Is Dead Colton Web series, episode: "Episode #1.4"
Girlboss Nathan 4 episodes
Man Seeking Woman Chris 4 episodes
2017–2020 At Home with Amy Sedaris Chassie Tucker / Chassie / Singer #1 24 episodes
2019–2022 Tuca & Bertie Pastry Pete's Nephew (voice) 13 episodes
2019–2020 National Lampoon Radio Hour Various / Maven Crawford 10 episodes
2020 The Shivering Truth Ike (voice) Episode: "The Burn Earner Spits"
2020–2021 Search Party Chip Wreck 10 episodes
2020–2022 Craig of the Creek The Secret Keeper (voice) 2 episodes: "Secret in a Bottle" and "Silver Fist Returns"
2021 Summer Camp Island Sea Slug (voice) Episode: "Sea Bunnies"
What We Do in the Shadows Gargoyle (voice) Episode: "The Escape"
2021–2023 Teenage Euthanasia Dillan Jeremy / various (voice) 5 episodes
2021–2022 Ziwe Various characters 5 episodes; also writer
2021–2024 Baby Shark's Big Show! Goldie / various (voice) 47 episodes
2022 Would I Lie to You? Self Episode: "Allowance PowerPoint"
Big Mouth Montel / Alison (voice) 7 episodes
2023 Frog and Toad Gopher (voice) 7 episodes
Digman! Gustavia (voice) Episode: "The Puff People"
Human Resources Montel (voice) 8 episodes
2024 Life & Beth Cole 4 episodes
The Girls on the Bus Dale 4 episodes
Fantasmas Dina Episode: "The Void"

References

  1. ^ Anne, Quimberly (February 3, 2024). "Things You Probably Didn't Know About Comedian & Actor Cole Escola". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  2. ^ Steven Walter Escola | Obituaries | dailyastorian.com
  3. ^ Sharkey, M. (June 11, 2015). "Comedy School with Cole Escola," Out. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Vincentelli, Elisabeth (July 6, 2017). "He's Got a Good Wig on His Shoulders: Meet Cole Escola," The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Goodman, Elyssa (July 18, 2017). "Is America Ready for Cole Escola?" Vice. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Rowe, Amy (August 8, 2017). "A glimpse into rising comedy and 'Difficult People' star Cole Escola's way of life," New York Daily News. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Paulu, Tom (June 15, 2009). "R.A. Long grad stars in new LOGO TV comedy series," The Daily News (Longview). Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  8. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (December 20, 2012). "So long, 'Our Hit Parade,' it's been a great ride!," New York Post. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  9. ^ Gates, Anita (June 14, 2013). "An Idol, Aging but Still in the Spotlight," The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  10. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 24, 2024). "Cole Escola's Play 'Oh, Mary!' to Open on Broadway After Sold-Out Off Broadway Run". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Feldman, Adam (February 10, 2024). "Review: Oh, Mary! (★★★★★) is the funniest play in years". Time Out New York. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 13, 2024). "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Wins Best Play; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Cynthia Nixon (October 2, 2024). "Cole Escola". TIME. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Callahan, Dan (January 19, 2011). "Cole Escola's Locker Room Humor," L Magazine. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  15. ^ Wong, Curtis M. (September 19, 2012). "Cole Escola On 'Downtown Darling' Show At 54 Below, Getting Naked Onstage And 'ADD Musicality,'" The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  16. ^ ""What We do in the Shadows" the Escape (TV Episode 2021) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "A Ticklish Brainworm: A Conversation with Comedian & Actor, Cole Escola".
  18. ^ Schulman, Michael (September 18, 2017). "Wigstock," The New Yorker. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
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