In September 2018 award-winning physical theatre company Gecko marks the opening of Battersea Arts Centre’s theatre programme in the newly refurbished Grand Hall with Missing, the original run of which was interrupted by a disastrous fire of the Grand Hall in March 2015. Missing is part of the venue’s celebratory Phoenix Season.
With generous help from Gecko’s audiences and the theatre industry, Missing’s set was rebuilt in just 8 days ahead of a Mexico tour. The Battersea Arts Centre performances will be the show’s first UK sharing since the fire.
Amit Lahav, Artistic Director of Gecko and creator of Missing said: “On the 13th March 2015 during a very successful return to Battersea Arts Centre with our show Missing – a fire broke out which ultimately destroyed the Grand Hall and all the physical elements of our show. As the bell tower crashed through the roof I remember finding myself kneeling on the road thinking ‘what do I do now!?’
All those years of kinship and graft between Gecko and Battersea Arts Centre really meant something in the days that followed the fire; it was clear we were not going to suffer, this was not an option for David Jubb, Richard Dufty and the whole Battersea Arts Centre team.
I have never felt so much love and affection for Gecko as in the days that followed the fire from colleagues, venues and arts companies around the country and around the world. It was strangely one of the most uplifting and affirming experiences of my life. Battersea Arts Centre has played a pivotal role in Gecko’s voyage and I am very proud to have been a part of its legendary gift to art makers all over the country”
