MOLE & GECKO: THE SHOW Heads to Wakefield Library

Poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko have joined forces to write and perform an interactive musical show for children, aged 4-11, and families - Mole & Gecko: THE SHOW which they are bringing to Wakefield Library on Saturday 7 March at 11am. What's more, tickets are FREE! Book in advance to avoid disappointment. Email: wakefieldlibrarymuseum@wakefield.gov.uk or telephone: 01924 305376.

A mole and a gecko are starting a journey, with songs and with poetry too. A quest for adventure - a quest with a duck! And all that they're missing is YOU! Gecko sings songs and lives on the warm rock. Mole likes rap and lives at the edge of the water. This unlikely pair are off on a journey down the river on a boat. Mole & Gecko is an adventure story that the audience (that's you!) helps create. There are live songs, rap stories, instant poems... and a weasel with a serious biscuit problem. Join our heroes as they discover that what they thought they were searching for might be less important than what they find along the way.

Mole and Gecko are delighted to be performing the show in a number of libraries, alongside more traditional theatre venues, as part of this national tour.

Simon Mole said: "When I was growing up, going to the library was a highlight of my week. It was a place that felt somewhere between my living room and a mysterious wonderland. As well as picking out books I remember enjoying just sitting about in a space that wasn't mine in the same way home was, but kind of felt like it did belong to me as much as anybody else. I've done a lot of my writing and thinking (and napping) in libraries over the years too and seen first-hand what vibrant and vital spaces they are for such a wide range of people. This tour is about making our work more accessible so that audiences can enjoy the same quality show whether they see it in a theatre, a library or a community space."

Gecko said: "Libraries are somewhere that everyone is welcome without feeling pressured to buy a coffee if you're there too long. But these wonderful multi-faceted doors to endless worlds are under massive threat. We want to celebrate these spaces while we have them. Our show is low tech so we can bring exactly the same experience as a theatre right into the heart of communities reaching new people along the way whether they're regular bookworms or just took shelter in the library that morning because it was raining."

Simon Mole is a Poet, Emcee, and Theatre-maker. He built his skills on the Brighton hip-hop scene and has shared the bill with Simon Armitage, John Cooper Clarke and Kate Tempest. He has been featured on BBC Radio 3's The Verb. Simon co-founded Chill Pill Collective, curating and hosting popular poetry nights at London's Soho Theatre and the Albany, and was the first Poet Laureate for the London borough of Brent. Simon is an experienced facilitator working with rap and poetry in community and education settings, including projects with Great Ormond Street Hospital and Arsenal FC.

In 2012, Simon established Simon Mole Presents with immersive performance director Peader Kirk and producer Maeve O'Neill, since creating three full length shows for theatre spaces: Indiana Jones and the Extra Chair, No More Worries and Friends For All. Their partnership takes spoken word performance in a bold direction, with Simon's intricately crafted poetic stories at the core of immersive entertainment and integrated participation. Since becoming a Dad, Simon writes increasingly for young people. His first book for children, Kites, a collaboration with illustrator Oamul Lu, was published by Quarto/Lincoln Children's Books last year.

Gecko is a Singer, Storyteller and Musician. A North London based artist, his playful lyrics cover the big things in life; think iPhones, libraries and Guanabana fruit juice to name but a few. Gecko has previously appeared at Glastonbury, Bestival, BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, BBC Scotland, BBC London and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2017, he launched his debut album Volcano with a sold-out London show, a session with John Kennedy on Radio X and a tour of Sofar Sounds shows across the UK and the Netherlands. Volcano was made 'Album of the year' in the Morning Star. Gecko has shared stages with the likes of Ed SHeeran, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Robin Ince, Josie Long, John Hegley and Billy Bragg.

Two catchy songs from the show, The Name Song and The Friend Ship, have been released on YouTube (tagged #molegecko), giving a fun sneak preview of what's in store for families.

To post a comment, you must register and login.