About the Gecko workshop

Led by Gecko’s highly experienced facilitators, our workshops are a practical and engaging exploration of the processes and performance techniques we use when creating a show. They are the perfect opportunity to experience first-hand the tools used by the company to devise and create our visceral, poetic and provocative productions. Through preparation, ensemble building, serious play, simple beginnings and highly physical, dynamic tasks and activities, we focus on methods for creating movement for performance. We delve into the use of breath and language to express, and open doors to accessing emotional spaces safely. Participants will be nurtured and challenged in their artistic decision-making, and will move, have fun, express, and connect with themselves and others through creative discovery!

About Paul Smethurst

Paul Smethurst is an innovative and passionate Artist and Leader who creates connections, tells stories and inspires change. He takes his diverse background in dance, theatre, arts education, producing and directing and centers it around creating work with and for marginalised communities.
Paul has a long history with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures; working for the company as a performer, character principle and rehearsal director before becoming their Resident Artist. Alongside this, Paul worked as a freelance practitioner in the fields of dance, musical theatre, acting and physical theatre with a career spanning Opera and West End productions.
After over a decade as a versatile performing artist, Paul moved into Arts Management and Education. In 2015, Paul was Head of Dance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, lecturing, coordinating and managing the Dance strand for their BA and MA in Musical Theatre. During this time, Paul expanded his creative career and worked extensively as a Director, Movement Director and Choreographer.
Most recently, Paul was the Creative Engagement Producer for award-winning physical theatre company Gecko, responsible for the direction, conception and delivery of their Creative Engagement strategy; nurturing, transforming and inspiring communities, young people and schools across the UK and internationally.
He is now a freelance Director, Choreographer, Movement Practitioner and Creative Engagement Consultant. He sits on the Board of Trustees for One Dance UK and is also a Nature Therapist and aspiring poet.