"At Barking Gecko our audiences are children and their families. I feel very lucky to get to create theatre for young audiences. I reckon children are the best theatre audiences there are!"
Artistic Director, Luke Kerridge explains the process of creating a professional theatre production like HOUSE
THE FIRST IDEA
All great shows start with a great idea. Sometimes these ideas come from existing books or stories. Sometimes the idea (like with HOUSE) is to create something brand new.
DEVELOPING THE SCRIPT
One of my favourite parts of being a director is working with a playwright to develop a new work. HOUSE is an idea that writer Dan Giovannoni had almost four years ago. He and I have developed the story together since then, and he has written multiple drafts of the beautiful script!
ASSEMBLING THE ARTISTIC TEAM
One of the most important moments as a Director is choosing the team that will work with you to bring a show to life. My job is to assemble a team of Designers and a cast of actors who are a perfect fit for the story we are wanting to tell. I love working with people who are exceptional at what they do and who love the story as much as I do.
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Each new work we make at Barking Gecko goes through a series of Creative Developments – week long workshops where the creative team explore possibilities and test out ideas. Our works usually have around 3 creative developments, held over a period of two years. Often children give us feedback at this stage.
BUILDING THE SET
Usually the set begins to be built around 6 weeks before rehearsals start. For most shows we try to have the main parts of the set ready to go on day one of rehearsals. For a show like HOUSE where the set is almost a character itself, it is very important to have it there from the beginning.
REHEARSALS
This is where everything comes together! Over a period of 5 weeks I work with the actors and the Design team to start to bring the story to life. All of the careful thinking and planning that has happened for years leading up to rehearsals begins to crystallise into a show.
PREMIERE SEASON
After all the hard work, the final ingredient is the audience. At Barking Gecko our audiences are children and their families. I feel very lucky to get to create theatre for young audiences. I reckon children are the best theatre audiences there are!
TOURING
At Barking Gecko the theatre we make often goes on tour after it has finished its initial season. This could be around WA, Australia or overseas! In this way, the shows we make last for many years.
