AN INTIMATE, funny and moving exploration of what it means to care is coming to the Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts, next month.

Multi-award-winning physical theatre company Gecko are heading to the theatre on January 23 and 24 with Institute, their unique take on human emotion and interaction.

Set in a warped world of emotional compartmentalisation and treatment – where memories are filed, relationships scrut-inised and patient becomes carer and vice versa – four people und-ergo a series of extraordinary physical ‘treatments’ as they struggle to prepare themselves for the outside world. But a Gecko world is never as it first appears. Expect ingenious set design, featuring giant filing cabinets from which fully-formed memories, whole relationships and secrets are pulled out and filed away.

There is visceral movement and intricate group choreo-graphy from the all-male cast and moments of stunning tenderness and beauty that shine out from the shadows so brightly, they leave you reeling.

Amit Lahav, director of Institute and artistic director at Gecko said: “Institute will pull you in and take you on a voyage – your relationship with the word ‘care’ will ultimately determine how that journey feels for you.

“The idea that society is becoming more fragmented, individualistic and desensitised is terrifying to me.

“I’m fascinated about what the implications may be if we don’t ask questions about the way we care for each other.”

Institute is Gecko’s sixth creation in 10 years.

With each new show they build on their established working methodology of physical explo-ration and theatrical invention. A free post-show talk follows the show at the Lighthouse on Friday, January 23.

Co-presented by Pavilion Dance South West and Lighthouse, Institute is a Gecko production and is supported by Arts Council England and Ipswich Borough Council.

It is co-commissioned by Derby Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre and New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich. In association with DanceEast, and Northern Stage.

It is recommended for those aged 14 and above.