BOSSES at Ipswich's New Wolsey Theatre have today announced the venue will become home to a new company.

BOSSES at Ipswich's New Wolsey Theatre have today announced the venue will become home to a new company.

From autumn 2008, the award-winning physical theatre company Gecko is to become an associate company of the New Wolsey and is relocating to Ipswich.

New Wolsey chief executive Sarah Holmes said she is very pleased to have this company based in Suffolk.

She added: “Gecko is one of the most innovative companies I have ever had the pleasure to work with and we believe their presence in the region is a very positive outcome of this relationship.

“The company works with schools and universities and I'm sure there will be a lot of demand for their talents once word gets around.”

Gecko's 2005 hit The Race, which won a coveted Total Theatre Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's Aurora Nova venue, followed their widely acclaimed 2002 show Taylor's Dummies.

The Race played at the New Wolsey in autumn 2006 and the New Wolsey subsequently collaborated with Gecko to produce their follow-up show The Arab and The Jew.

Ms Holmes added: “New Wolsey audiences had an opportunity to see a very early development of this work and were invited to contribute towards its development by taking part in a post-presentation discussion. The show then went on to the Edinburgh Fringe and returned in triumph to Ipswich last November.”

Gecko artistic director Amit Lahav is currently looking for a house in Ipswich and will be based at New Wolsey Studio from August onwards.

New Wolsey Gecko will present some of the ideas they are currently working on at the New Wolsey on Thursday November 13 in a piece titled The Overcoat.

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