Artistic Director of Gecko, Amit Lahav, is concise and doesn’t beat around the bush; it feels only polite for Run Riot to reciprocate. Here goes – straight to the point.

Missing, Gecko’s show about memory, the past and identity, spent 2014 touring the world, but now it’s back for a run at the Battersea Arts Centre, where it joins the programme of A Nation’s Theatre – a year long exploration focused on out-of-the-capital creation and nationhood. Gecko has been based in Ipswich since 2008, but the Battersea Arts Centre is where they devised one of their first shows; Missing will take over the venue’s Grand Hall. In anticipation, we talked to Amit about why Gecko’s productions are never finished, why he doesn’t mind what the audience thinks before entering the theatre and the importance of patience.

Run Riot: Gecko’s shows don’t rely on clear narratives, asking the spectators to inject the performance with their own interpretations. Is there anything you do want the audience to know/think about going in? 

Amit Lahav: Well the truth is that I really don’t mind what an audience member thinks - it’s important that they engage with the experience.  My hope is that the experience for everyone will be deeply personal, and better still that it will reveal a new perspective on their world.

Run Riot: Missing explores how the past relates to identity. How did science and personal histories interact in the devising?

Amit Lahav: Every Gecko devising process calls on the personal histories of the performers in the room and for me, as the writer, I have to find a central truth about each show which means something to me and is therefore important to me.  I have to feel that I am resolving a puzzle about myself and at the same time know that it will be a meaningful/personal journey for the company and for each audience member.

Run Riot: You’re back at the venue where you devised Taylor’s Dummies, performing in its Grand Hall. What is the interaction between the space – over a hundred years old – and Missing – a performance that employs modern technology? 

Amit Lahav: We began working in one of the spaces today and I was reminded of past experiences in the building, and I remembered how inspiring the building was - back in the days of Taylor’s Dummies, I’d walk into a space and begin devising ways to make each and every space work in a totally individual way.  We toured around the world with this mind set.  Missing is a piece that explores memory and the past and in that sense I think we have a great marriage with Battersea Arts Centre.

Run Riot: Gecko’s shows take their time, developing over several years in some cases. What’s this gestation period like? 

Amit Lahav: It is a joy.  It is the only way I know how to make theatre.  Slowly and patiently.  It’s impossible to rush certain aspects of the process, so I try to create a process that removes pressure where possible and focuses the team and myself on creativity.

Run Riot: You’ve mentioned several times that Gecko’s performances continue to evolve while on tour, that no show is ever finished. What’s happened to Missing since it first opened? Has a year of international touring made a difference?  

Amit Lahav: Missing has changed dramatically since it opened, we never stop refining and trying to make the piece more ‘right’.  I don’t necessarily put too much weight on the importance of international touring on the development of a show.  Often you are very pushed for time and desperately trying to get the show in its best possible shape for international tours rather than giving yourself time to examine its structure.  That said we do have fascinating conversations, which definitely sink in.

Run Riot: The company moved to Ipswich in 2008. What prompted this move? How has the city influenced your work?

Amit Lahav: We moved to Ipswich in an attempt to make the company flourish.  I am a big believer in the strength of relationships; if you have strong relationships around you as a company then you should do everything to strengthen them.  We had a very good connection with the New Wolsey Theatre and everything sprang from there.  

Run Riot: Missing is part of the Nation’s Theatre at the Battersea Arts Centre. What’s the relationship between London and not-London in the arts?

Amit Lahav: It has been extremely beneficial for Gecko.  We have cultivated a very healthy set up in Ipswich where we are very well supported by the cultural buildings in the town and where we feel that we can bring something unique and influential to audiences and young aspiring theatre and dance makers and performers.

Missing

4 – 21 March

Battersea Arts Centre