About Yellow Bicycle Collective
History
The original yellow bicycle was a vintage Schwinn rescued from an LA landfill. It served as a commuter bike, camera dolly, and grip truck during YBC founder Joshua Crone’s first two years in Hollywood. When actors came by the studio they would find it parked outside to make room for rehearsal or filming. Over time the yellow bicycle became a signpost, a symbol of the collective: a loose-knit group of theater and film artists committed to doing ambitious work, even under humble circumstances. A group that was going places, even if it meant cycling uphill against the wind. When Crone moved to New York in 2018, the bike stayed behind in Joshua Tree. But its spirit lives on in its successor, a 1975 Raleigh (pictured here at Lyons Falls, NY), and in its namesake: Yellow Bicycle Collective.
Mission
As a resident theater company of the new Yellow Bicycle Theater in Center City, Philadelphia, Yellow Bicycle Collective is now a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit corporation committed to producing edgy new writing, experimental reworkings of classic plays, and training in all aspects of fringe theater and indie film production. Its mission, as outlined in its Articles of Incorporation, is to enrich, educate and entertain the community by providing unique experiences at the interface of theater and film.
Board of Directors
Joshua Crone, President
Josh joined the Marines after high school and did “four in the Corps” in the mid-90s, serving as a fenceline guard at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station and a scout swimmer/assault climber with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. He started writing plays at Camp Pendleton while awaiting deployment to Okinawa. After the service, he backpacked around Europe and worked as a carpenter, programmer, fisherman, and English teacher before settling on a career in Polish and German translation. Along the way, he wrote and directed plays and movies in Krakow, Berlin, London, Los Angeles and New York, earned a Masters in philosophy from the Jagiellonian University and studied directing at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. After moving to Philadelphia in 2021 he founded Yellow Bicycle Company and the nonprofit Yellow Bicycle Collective. In 2022 he got a contractor’s license and converted an abandoned escape room into Yellow Bicycle Theater, where he has since produced 9 plays, organized an annual film festival and hosted countless events and guest productions. joshuacrone.com
Thoeger Hansen, Vice President & Secretary
Thoeger Hansen, also known by his middle name Iana, was born in Denmark and moved to the U.S. at age three with his American mother. He spent most of his youth in Oahu, Hawaii, and has called New York City home for most of adulthood. He has worked professionally as an actor since 2004, appearing primarily in indie cinema, cable TV, and off-off-Broadway. More recently, he has added writing and producing credits to his showbiz CV. Prior to his acting career, Thoeger had a front-row seat in the theater of the turn-of-the-century ‘dot-com’ boom and bust, as the original Director of Operations of Kozmo.com, and the lone employee who lasted the company’s entire operational lifespan. thoeger.com
Giacomo Badalamenti, Treasurer
Giacomo Badalamenti II is a Philadelphia-based actor and singer. He received his training in musical theater at Saint Joseph’s University, where he was fortunate to play George in Sunday in the Park with George, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin in Pippin. Professionally, Giacomo was an understudy in the Arden Theatre’s Production of Rent, he played Savitzky in the Yellow Bicycle production A Marine Walks Up to the Pearly Gates, Mike in White Christmas at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, and from Jan. 22 to Feb. 7 you can catch him as the lead in The Road Company’s production of Groundhog Day: The Musical. Giacomo is incredibly grateful for the support of his family and friends—especially his parents and sisters—for their constant encouragement.
Sylvette Mikell, Board Member
Sylvette is a Philly native who began her acting journey in 2020 at Playhouse West Philadelphia, where she was a student for 3 years. In addition to performing scenes at Playhouse, Sylvette has also acted in student films (288 and Father, Daughter Dance) and was featured in a commercial for The North Face x Snipes. In late 2023 Sylvette made her stage debut at Yellow Bicycle Theater as Zuzu in Joshua Crone’s The Journey, and in 2024 she played Petra in the YBC production of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People.
Board Advisors
Jaclyn Osterstock, Board Advisor
A founding member of Yellow Bicycle Collective, Jaclyn grew up riding horses in Bucks Country, PA. She went on to become a Division 1 equestrian for Oklahoma State University and began her professional life in the equestrian show-jumping world. For over a decade she has pursued her passion for architecture and design as a luxury real estate agent in Philadelphia. She also has a deep appreciation of modern dance and ballet, an interest she credits to her connection with horses. In her view, the intricate dance of communication between rider and horse makes horseback riding more of an art than a sport. compass.com
Seth Hammerman, Board Advisor
A founding member of Yellow Bicycle Collective, Seth was born and bred in NYC and has lived “all over”. He moved from California with the fantabulously wonderful Joy to Philadelphia. Seth was bitten by the acting bug at 9 and did voice acting and dubbing work for Channel Thirteen in New York City. He graduated Harpur College in Binghamton, NY as a BA in Theatre, studying under Arthur Lessac. Productions there included “The Birthday Party” as McCann with Howard Korder as Goldberg, “Death of a Salesman” as Happy with Michael Ryan as Willy Loman, and others. He took a break from show business but did not lose his love for acting. He has done standup, voiceovers and most recently appeared in “Nothing Personal” with Jennifer Lawrence and Matthew Broderick, and “LaJolla”, a TV pilot produced by Disney Studios. Seth had his Yellow Bicycle premiere as Saul Lieberman in The Journey, and has participated in several productions at the theater.