Calling all StageSiders, welcome back to another instalment of StageSide Stories. This time around we speak with Gecko, singer / songwriter, and performer in The Great Big Bug Show. We talk writing music, creating shows about bugs and how to get your foot in the door. So if you are interested in learning more about starting out as a singer / songwriter in theatre, settle in!
To start, could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your role in The Great Big Bug Show?
I’m Gecko, I’m a singer songwriter and I’m a performer in The Great Big Bug show and created the show with poet Simon Mole and our director Peader Kirk.
How did you first get involved with the project, and what excited you most about joining the team?
Me, Simon & Peader all worked together on a show called The Great Big Dinosaur Show inspired by Simon’s book ‘A First Book of Dinosaurs’. A sequel book ‘A First Book of Bugs’ followed so we thought it was time to get the dream team back together…
Music traditionally plays such a big part in family theatre and storytelling. How do you use sound and song to help tell the story of The Great Big Bug Show?
Sound and song are integral parts of The Great Big Bug Show whether that’s setting the scene with our mini beast magnum opus opening ‘Mini, Many, Mighty’, the sound of grasshopper (or is it a tiny violin) or the kapow of the Shrink-a-do button which (definitely really) shrinks me down to bug size.
When you began creating the music for this show, did you already have a sense of what each bug or setting might sound like, or did that evolve in rehearsals?
Si had a lovely poem about migrating butterflies and so very quickly that clearly needed some warm emotive music underneath it. Others were a bit more surprising like coming to the conclusion that Ladybirds are our garden’s rock stars deserving of a proper head banging rock anthem!
What’s your creative process, when working on a show for younger audiences? Is it different from your other projects?
Songwriting comes from a similar place but the main difference in writing for younger audiences is that we test the work with children every step of the way. That’s exciting (and daunting) as kids let you know exactly what they think!
The show has such a playful energy. How do you keep that sense of fun alive in your music and performance?
What keeps it fresh for us is the amount of interaction in the show – that means there’s always a new element even 50 shows in and children are endlessly surprising with the ideas they’ll come up with.
Do you have a favourite song or musical moment in the show, one that always makes you smile?
At the end of the show we throw a big party to celebrate the bugs and what they do for us and our planet. There’s a party song that incorporates the kid’s ideas that crescendos with a beat drop and a big dance moment. That’s my favourite bit.
You and Simon Mole both work in spoken word and performance. How do your creative styles complement each other on stage?
We’re both obsessed with word play and very in sync with what the other person might enjoy so collaboration has always flowed really nicely.
Was there anything that surprised you during the development of the show, maybe something that changed the way you approached your music?
The bug world was too inspirational! So we couldn’t fit all our ideas into a 45 minute show. I wrote an informative jingle about identifying different mini beasts called ‘Count the legs’ that didn’t make the cut but I hope will get some sort of outing at some point!
And finally, what would you say to a young musician or songwriter who dreams of performing or creating music for the stage one day?
Start! Get a little crew of friends together and make something. Don’t worry about the end result at first just have the best time together.
A huge thanks to Gecko for answering our questions and sharing some insight into the world of theatre making and song writing. Gecko is on tour in August playing at a number of venues in the UK. Head to Gecko’s site to find out more
Have your say
Are you thinking of starting a career as a Singer / Songwriter? Are you studying music or singing at college, University or Drama School? How are you finding the process, and do you have any tips?
Let me know in the comments!
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