Renowned physical theatre company Gecko marks its debut at the Barbican, one of London’s biggest stages, with The Wedding as part of the line-up for prestigious London International Mime Festival 2019, the capital’s longest established international theatre season. This is the first time a UK theatre company has been programmed at the Barbican as part of the LIMF main theatre programme.
The company’s seventh creation, The Wedding features an extraordinary ensemble of nine international performers who guide audiences through a dystopian world in which we are all brides, wedded to society.
This exceptionally timely piece of physical theatre exploring the relationships between individual and state combines Gecko’s trademark style of movement and imagery in an emotionally-charged performance.
Joseph Seelig and Helen Lannaghan, directors of London International Mime Festival, said: “The Mime Festival is delighted to enable Gecko’s thrilling visual theatre work to be seen in one of London’s most prestigious theatres, in partnership with our colleagues at the Barbican. Gecko has arrived there by right.”
Toni Racklin, Head of Theatre at the Barbican, said: “We’re delighted to welcome award-winning physical theatre company Gecko to the Barbican for the first time with their acclaimed production, The Wedding. The international company has a powerful physical vocabulary, so it’s brilliant to be presenting this London premiere with our regular partners, London International Mime Festival.”
This announcement comes at an auspicious time for Gecko. Established by Amit Lahav in 2001, the Company has become the epitome of visceral, provocative physical theatre in the UK, with a unique language of movement, music and set design that come together to create a distinctive and unforgettable experience. Now, in its 18th year, Gecko is the UK’s leading devising physical theatre company, which, despite the more and more challenging arts funding landscape in the country, creates increasingly ambitious shows performing to audiences across the UK and internationally. The company’s work is studied by students preparing for their GCSE and A’Level exams across England and in 2019 the company will begin development of its next production.
The Wedding will be at Barbican 24th – 26th January 2019 for four performances.
