THE RESCUE Will Have Premiere at East15 Next Week

Award-winning and internationally acclaimed physical theatre company Gecko are collaborating with East 15 and their BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre (The CT) third year students on brand new devised production The Rescue, delving into characteristics of archetypal childhood trauma and what happens to these wounds as adults. Told with Gecko’s unique visceral and poetic style, this fascinating production is a story about heroes, monsters and surviving growing up.

Thalia is here to help! Her life seems all squared away. But will those neat corners hold steady when chaos comes flooding in, and she finds herself in the midst of a daring rescue?

Director and creator Christopher Evans said, Developing the next generation of artists and makers is a key part of Gecko’s Creative Engagement Programme, and so it has been a privilege to share our work with the multi-talented East15 CT students and immerse them in our devising and performance style. This collaboration has allowed Gecko to test and explore some seed ideas and concepts for our next touring show, whilst offering students a deeper immersion into creative process and an opportunity to work professionally with an acclaimed physical theatre company. We are thrilled that East 15 has been the birthplace of The Rescue and we look forward to witnessing the bright futures of the students we have created alongside.

Directed by Evans, who is currently artistically mentored by Gecko Artistic Director Amit Lahav in a ‘total theatre’ Gecko show, this production has undertaken seven weeks of research and development working with East15 CT students, delivering a two-week intensive at the Estonian Academy of Music and Drama, and leading a Gecko professional Residency in London with professional artists and theatre makers. 

Along with an expanding relationship with Gecko, the Contemporary Theatre course at East15 is celebrated as a pioneering training program, and a creative hub producing innovative work that transfers to UK & worldwide venues. The course is dedicated to the training of multi-talented performers and students experiment with European physical theatre, creative writing, devising, composition, and cross-media art.