Institute: Gecko Theatre – BBC iPlayer

Choreographer and Director: Amit Lahav

Gecko Theatre love an Orwellian vision; The Wedding, recently streamed online showed individuals being processed into worker drones, marrying society and expected to perform a set of rituals. Now, Gecko has translated its stage show Institute into a 60-minute dance theatre film available on the BBC iPlayer as two individuals try to process traumatic events.

In the grey corridors of an institution, Daniel in office-wear struggles with clerical task, unable to progress towards his desk, while the more brightly dressed Martin relives a romantic dinner with a girlfriend. Both seem to be the subject of some kind of experiment, locked in rooms and observed by CCTV but as they begin to interact with organisation staff Karl and Louis is this therapy after all?

The stage to screen transition is a seamless one in this inventive and layered production that blends a range of themes, ideas and emotions to create a film filled with possibility. Relocated to the featureless hallway of a concrete building, this is a place where people are processed in some capacity and one of the several doors could lead either to further oppression or to a new start.

Every moments of Institute feels carefully and deliberately choreographed, mixing scenes of dramatic interaction with dance, movement and even hints of clowning with several synchronised routines that suggest the powerlessness of individuals and the value of mutual support. However you choose to interpret what is happening to Daniel and Martin, the storytelling is engaging, while the expressiveness of the various scenarios draws the viewer in.

The contrast between the cool reality and burden of the individuals with their colourful fantasy worlds is successfully rendered through their therapy or reconditioning sessions. The elaborate romance of Martin’s frequently re-enacted dinner date feels whimsical, contrasting well with his inability to cope with the stark reality of life after his breakup. Daniel’s attempt to re-enact his office life flashes to scenes on a roof that take him down a darker path of anxiety and decline, and segments in which both have parts of their bodies restrained like puppets and controlled by Institute staff are powerfully staged.

The contrasting notes of weakness and the fist-powered gestures of the final section take the characters towards a new future, the choreography charting a developmental path for Martin (Amit Lahav), Daniel (Chris Evans), Louis (Francois Testory) and Karl (Ryen Perkins Gangnes) as patients and subjects trade places. Here, a sprinkling of humanity breaks through the rigid structure as the men become supportive and supplicating individuals, no longer defined by their role in the process.

Occasionally the incorporation of dialogue feels superfluous, even distracting when so much is already expressed in mime, dance and setting, and this is a very male world for reasons that are unclear. But it is great to see how well the dance elements have been reworked into this BBC film; the white square, in particular, like a dance stage where more complex sequences for a large group can take place, adding variety to the scale of the activity envisioned in Lahav’s piece, while honouring Institute’s history as a stage show.

Available here until 18 August 2020