Placement at Award-Winning Theatre Company Inspires Student

When your ambition is to establish and run your own theatre company, as it is for Beth Hargrave, one of our second year Theatre & Performance students, getting a placement with an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed touring company like Gecko is a big win.

Any physical theatre fan worth their salt knows about Gecko; they are renowned for their innovative performances, created through collaboration, experimentation and play.

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BA(Hons) Theatre & Performance

Beth told us: “I was really happy, excited and grateful to find out I’d been offered the placement. Gecko have inspired me since I first discovered physical theatre. I was absolutely thrilled to spend time with them and begin to understand the administrative mechanics of their company. I felt like all my hard work was starting to pay off.”

Working in Gecko’s head office in Ipswich, Beth was given a variety of tasks, such as proofreading marketing materials for upcoming shows, updating databases and providing feedback on Gecko’s website, promotional videos and content.

Beth said: “Before arriving at Gecko, I was filled with a mixture of nerves and excitement but was immediately put at ease by the friendly and welcoming staff. During the placement, I felt like I was given genuine responsibility as a co-worker in the office and was able to ask any questions I liked.”

Inspired and buoyed by her placement experience, Beth and some course mates have since formed the theatre company Solo Theatre and are performing their show Fragments as part of the Camden Fringe Festival (2019) and the Exeter Fringe Festival (2019).

Beth said: “This placement has provided me with a useful insight into the administrative side of an incredibly successful developing and touring theatre company. It has broadened my knowledge of marketing and social media to promote productions. Working in the office has also provided me with professional contacts to help promote my upcoming performances. It was everything I’d hoped for and more!”

During the placement, Beth was able to talk to each staff member one-to-one, learning about their individual roles and asking any questions that might help with her future career. This included Gecko’s esteemed Artistic Director, Amit Lahav.