Acclaimed theatre company Gecko relaunch live performance at the Corn Exchange with powerful new show Kin

20 Oct 2023

"We all have migration stories, whether we’re aware of them or whether they’re more distant, and that excites me because we have the potential to encourage a profoundly positive, celebratory voyage towards empathy” – Amit Lahav

Our Grade I listed Corn Exchange is welcoming back live performance with a brand-new show, Kin, from award-winning physical theatre company Gecko.


A personal story

Kin was inspired by a conversation Gecko’s Artistic Director, Amit Lahav, had with his grandmother, Leah, about the journey their family made from Yemen to Palestine in 1932 to escape persecution.

With an equally personal contribution from company members who drew on their own stories of migration, racism, empathy and home, Kin promises to be a powerful and emotional experience for our audiences.

Two performers on a blackout stage lit by a single spotlight. A man to the left wears a bottle-green jacket, and is holding onto a floor-standing lamp that is switched on, he is also leaning on a woman next to him. The woman next to him is also holding onto the lamp, she is wearing an orange life-jacket and dark floral headscarf. Both of them are in motion with some areas of the photograph blurred for this effect. A small 90s television sits behind them on a table.

Praise and innovation

Commissioned by the National Theatre, Kin blends physical theatre and dance with a stunning global soundtrack for a poetic and intoxicating story of desperation and compassion.


Gecko’s work is created using collaboration, experimentation and play and has been described as: “visually stunning...brave...and physically distinctive” by The Guardian

For schools and colleges

To mark Gecko’s inclusion as a recommended practitioner on GCSE and A-level theatre and drama syllabuses, tickets are available at a reduced rate for school and college groups for performances on Wednesday 1, Friday 3 and Saturday 4 November.

A woman on a blackout stage lit by a spotlight. She is wearing a blue shirt, skirt and headscarf. Her eyes are closed in an uncertain emotion (maybe despair, hope, prayer or relief) and she clutches a letter to her chest. To her right, a disconcerting paper mache, human style puppet is reaching towards her - it is wearing an encompassing black outfit with material around its head. We can see a couple of cast members in the gloom behind it managing its movements.

The company is also offering all school and college bookers a discounted accompanying classroom workshop led by the performers. Suitable for Year 10 and upwards, participants will have the opportunity to experience the company’s unique style of movement and physical theatre, gaining insight into the creative process behind every Gecko show.

Watch Kin before it hits the National Theatre