Gecko and LIPA to take audience on a thought provoking journey of migration
Monday 29 April 2019
Parts 1&2: An Invented Work explores themes of migration. Amit explains. “It’s a tricky subject for some people but it’s not going away, with the planet heating up and people being displaced because where they’re living has flooded or become too hot, even more people are likely to be on the move.
“Having empathy with them becomes even more important. We have all migrated at some point, however far back you have to go to establish that.”
Gecko is an internationally celebrated physical theatre company, whose recent critically acclaimed productions include Institute, The Wedding and Missing. It creates work through collaboration, experimentation and play to construct a universal language through movement and dance.
Gecko are spending six weeks at LIPA developing the show, with Amit and his colleagues working with Acting, Theatre & Performance Design & Technology, Music, Sound Technology and Management students. “We’re devising it together as a team. Everyone’s voice in the room is important. It breaks down the sense of territory in theatre, all those boundaries are slightly murky, especially in a Gecko show.
“Somebody working on sound or composition is a co-writer with me. The performers are co-writers, they’re helping me to write the piece. To me design is writing, lighting is writing. When you don’t use words to tell a story it’s very important that lighting is done in a way that is deeply crafted.”Amit has been impressed with how the students have responded to his approach. “They’re very open, very passionate. They’re all in. They’re very supportive of each other, very generous and open hearted. All the signs are glorious.”
Performed at LIPA May 23 – 28, audiences for Parts 1&2: An Invented Work will see two 30-minute shows, each telling the same story but from a different perspective. Amit says they will get the full Gecko experience. “It’s going to be visually and physically extremely bold, very inventive and very creative.
“You’re going to find yourself on a personal journey. You’re going to find yourself lost in your own thoughts and your experience is not going to be the same as the person sat next to you.”
“Having empathy with them becomes even more important. We have all migrated at some point, however far back you have to go to establish that.”
Gecko is an internationally celebrated physical theatre company, whose recent critically acclaimed productions include Institute, The Wedding and Missing. It creates work through collaboration, experimentation and play to construct a universal language through movement and dance.
Gecko are spending six weeks at LIPA developing the show, with Amit and his colleagues working with Acting, Theatre & Performance Design & Technology, Music, Sound Technology and Management students. “We’re devising it together as a team. Everyone’s voice in the room is important. It breaks down the sense of territory in theatre, all those boundaries are slightly murky, especially in a Gecko show.
“Somebody working on sound or composition is a co-writer with me. The performers are co-writers, they’re helping me to write the piece. To me design is writing, lighting is writing. When you don’t use words to tell a story it’s very important that lighting is done in a way that is deeply crafted.”Amit has been impressed with how the students have responded to his approach. “They’re very open, very passionate. They’re all in. They’re very supportive of each other, very generous and open hearted. All the signs are glorious.”
Performed at LIPA May 23 – 28, audiences for Parts 1&2: An Invented Work will see two 30-minute shows, each telling the same story but from a different perspective. Amit says they will get the full Gecko experience. “It’s going to be visually and physically extremely bold, very inventive and very creative.
“You’re going to find yourself on a personal journey. You’re going to find yourself lost in your own thoughts and your experience is not going to be the same as the person sat next to you.”
