Gecko: touring 'Institute' and ancillary programme exploring mental health (360G-Wellcome-202730_Z_16_Z)

Ipswich based physical theatre company Gecko will tour their critically acclaimed show Institute to HOME Manchester, the Nuffield Southampton and Liverpool Playhouse in autumn 2016. HOME and Liverpool Playhouse are new venue partners for the company and Gecko has not toured to Nuffield since 2012. Funding from the Wellcome Trust will subsidise the fees paid by the venues, allowing the company to reach a new audience for the production from different geographical areas at venues that may otherwise be unable to programme the show. Alongside performances, Gecko will develop a programme of ancillary activities with Ezra Hewing of Suffolk Mind that will explore mental health, allowing audiences to have a deeper engagement with the themes raised by the production. The programme will include a workshop at each venue specially developed for the project that introduces participants to Gecko’s physical theatrical methods, using these to demystify mental health issues, a panel discussion at each venue drawing on local experts with a specific interest in the dialogue around the gendered brain and mental health, a resource pack that people can take home with information on local support networks, plus the chance to meet with a local mental health worker after the show.