News

Artistic Director says goodbye to Barking Gecko 4/02/10

by Katherine McLean

Jeremy Rice

Jeremy Rice is leaving Barking Gecko Theatre Company on 31 January after four years as Artistic Director. Jeremy is the Company’s second artistic director in its 20-year history, moving from Darwin to replace founding director Grahame Gavin in 2006.

Under Jeremy’s direction, Barking Gecko Theatre Company has maintained its position as the leading producer of Western Australian plays for young audiences, with favourites including Skylab, Improvilicious, The Lost Girl and Fatty Wombat all produced to fantastic reviews.

Barking Gecko Theatre Company’s repertoire has expanded during Jeremy’s time at the company with challenging new plays for teenagers including Run Kitty Run by Tiffany Barton and Trains of Thought by Shirley Van Sanden, which was nominated for an Australian Writers Guild Award.

Jeremy said, “After four enjoyable years of creating children’s theatre, I’m looking forward to new challenges in directing for adult audiences. I will always have great affection for Barking Gecko, the artists I’ve worked with and children we’ve entertained. The best moments by far have been watching children’s excited, joyful and enthusiastic responses to the trolls, fossils, villains, robots and everything else we have put on stage for them.”

Michael Mitchell, Chair of Barking Gecko said, “Barking Gecko greatly appreciates Jeremy’s passion, enthusiasm and talent for children’s theatre. We thank Jeremy for his contributions and wish him every success with his future plans.”

Jeremy’s future does include a brief return to Barking Gecko later this year as a freelance director to direct The African Magician by Perth playwright Afeif Ismail Abdelrazig. The African Magician is an enchanting story featuring song, dance and puppetry, created to captivate young audiences and the young at heart. Look out for The African Magician in the July school holidays.

Barking Gecko will soon begin the search for a new Artistic Director. Watch this space.