Barking Gecko Theatre

What Barking Gecko Theatre does

Barking Gecko Arts is a Western Australian not-for-profit registered charity (legal entity Barking Gecko Theatre Company Ltd) that produces theatre, festivals, and creative learning programs for children, young people, and families. The organization was formed through the 2023 merger of Barking Gecko Theatre Company (founded 1989) and AWESOME Arts Australia (festival founded 2015), creating what it positions as Western Australia's dedicated creativity company for children, families, and communities. It operates an annual AWESOME International Arts Festival in the Perth Cultural Centre during September school holidays and runs a 2026 production slate including Walk of the Whales, Stellarphant, and the return of The Stones, alongside school holiday workshops, school season bookings, and regional touring.

The company's core programs span four areas: productions and festivals (AWESOME Festival reaching 100,000+ Western Australians annually), school engagement (curriculum-linked Theatre Seasons, Gecko Learning Workshops, and INSPIRE Schools subsidised access program), regional outreach (Creative Challenge artist-in-residency across 8 WA regions plus 4 new outer-metro/regional hubs in Beverley, Kwinana, Hopetoun and Esperance), and artist development (Tony Chong Creative Fellowship, Blank Page playwright program). Technology is operational rather than differentiating: the company relies on third-party platforms including TryBooking for ticketing, Tessitura for customer management, and Jotform for forms and applications.

Revenue is generated through six streams: government funding (Department of Creative Industries Tourism and Sport), foundation and charitable grants (Lotterywest, Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, Minderoo Foundation, Cybec Foundation, Peter & Elizabeth Moore Foundation, Wright Burt Foundation, Quercus Foundation, No Place for Poverty), corporate partnerships (Woodside Energy, Horizon Power), ticket sales (e.g., AUD 16/student for school performances, AUD 150–396 per workshop participant), individual donations under DGR status, and per-student school service fees. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the website and TryBooking, supported by a dedicated Learning & Engagement team managing school bookings and venue partnerships with His Majesty's Theatre, Subiaco Arts Centre, Koorliny Arts Centre, and regional venues.

Name

Barking Gecko Theatre

Legal name

Barking Gecko Theatre Company Ltd

Website

https://barkinggecko.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Barking Gecko Arts is a Western Australian not-for-profit arts company producing theatre, the AWESOME Festival, school holiday workshops, and creative learning programs for children, families, and schools across metropolitan and regional WA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Theatre and Performing Arts

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Fine Arts Schools (61161), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI), Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

Keywords

• Children's theatre
• Performing arts education
• Theatre for young audiences
• Creative learning programs
• Arts festivals

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth City

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from theatre season tickets, school holiday workshop fees, and festival event admissions. Ticketing managed through TryBooking platform with processing fees.
2. Government Funding: Operational funding and project grants from government agencies including Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport. Government partnerships for regional programming.
3. Foundation & Charitable Grants: Multi-year funding from foundations including Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and Lotterywest grants. Corporate foundation support from Minderoo Foundation and others.
4. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individual supporters. Registered charity with DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status enabling charitable giving.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Partnership arrangements with businesses providing financial support in exchange for brand visibility, VIP access, and co-branded initiatives.
6. School Service Fees: Per-student fees for school performances, workshops, and residency programs. Subsidized rates for low-ICSEA schools through INSPIRE program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Barking Gecko Theatre (operating as Barking Gecko Arts) is a Western Australian non-profit performing arts company that produces and presents theatre productions, school holiday workshops, and creative learning programs for children, young people, and families. Its core offerings include the annual AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things, touring school season productions, Gecko Learning Workshops co-designed with schools, the INSPIRE subsidised-access program, the Creative Challenge regional residency program, and artist development initiatives such as the Tony Chong Creative Fellowship and Blank Page playwright program.

Product overview

Barking Gecko Arts is a Western Australian arts company for children, young people and families, formed through the merger of Barking Gecko Theatre Company and AWESOME Arts. The organisation operates as a unified platform offering: AWESOME International Arts Festival (annual multi-arts festival for children 0-12), School Season Productions (touring theatre to schools and venues), School Holiday Workshops (drama programmes during breaks), Gecko Learning Workshops (school-based creative residencies), INSPIRE Schools (subsidised access programme), Creative Challenge (regional artist-in-residency), Tony Chong Creative Fellowship (artist development), Blank Page (playwright development), and Imaginarium (creative learning platform). The company also produces specific productions including Walk of the Whales, Stellarphant, The Stones, and touring works across regional and outer metropolitan Western Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AWESOME International Arts Festival for Bright Young Things: Annual multi-arts festival for children aged 0-12 and families, held during September school holidays in Perth Cultural Centre.
• Creative Challenge
• INSPIRE Schools
• Blank Page
• Tony Chong Creative Fellowship

Products and services

• AWESOME International Arts Festival Western Australia's major annual arts festival for children aged 0-12 and families, featuring theatre, music, dance, workshops and free activities. Held in Perth Cultural Centre during September school holidays, with regional festival hubs in Beverley, Kwinana, Hopetoun, and Esperance.
• School Season Productions Professionally produced theatre works made especially for young people, touring to schools and venues across Western Australia with curriculum-linked creative learning resources.
• School Holiday Workshops Drama and theatre-making workshops for children during school holidays, led by experienced Teaching Artists at venues including Subiaco Arts Centre and Koorliny Arts Centre. Subsidized rates available for outer metro locations.
• Gecko Learning Workshops School-based creative learning experiences co-designed with schools, delivered by Teaching Artists covering drama, theatre-making, creative writing, visual arts, music, movement and circus.
• INSPIRE Schools Access program providing fully subsidised tickets, transportation assistance, and curriculum-linked creative workshops to students and schools facing social, geographic, or financial barriers.
• Creative Challenge Artist-in-residency program placing two professional Teaching Artists into regional and remote WA schools to co-create arts experiences with children over one- or two-week residencies.
• Tony Chong Creative Fellowship Creative development initiative supporting Asian emerging and mid-career artists in Western Australia with a $40,000 Creative Development Fund plus $10,000 structured residency to develop work for children and families.
• Blank Page Playwright development initiative supporting Western Australian writers working in or aspiring to enter Theatre for Young Audiences, providing creative mentorship and up to $5,000 honorarium to develop new work from pitch to first draft.
• Imaginarium Creative learning platform initiative of Barking Gecko Arts engaging children in imaginative storytelling experiences.
• Walk of the Whales Theatre production adapted by Gita Bezard from Nick Bland's award-winning picture book about whales walking out of the ocean into the streets, exploring friendship, environmental stewardship and understanding.
• Stellarphant Theatre production adapted by Clare Testoni from James Foley's picture book about Stella the elephant who dreams of becoming an astronaut, exploring determination, equality and following dreams.
• The Stones Theatre production by Tom Lycos and Stefo Nantsou, directed by Sam Longley, dramatising a true story about two boys and the consequences of reckless behaviour; recommended as General Drama text for WA senior secondary curriculum.
• Little Impressions Student artwork showcase program within the AWESOME Festival in which children create original artworks themed around annual topics, using recycled materials to explore sustainability.
• Regional and Outer Metro Touring Touring productions and programming delivered to venues across Western Australia including Karratha, Port Hedland, Esperance, Bunbury, Kwinana and other outer metro and regional areas.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,500+ students experienced live theatre through INSPIRE program (2020-2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Koorliny Arts CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOuter metro venue partner for AWESOME Festival programming and school holiday workshops. Key partner in delivering programming to Kwinana community.
• Beverley Station ArtssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for 2025 AWESOME Festival Hub in Beverley.
• Esperance Civic CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for 2025 AWESOME Festival Hub in Esperance.
• RAVE About ArtssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for 2025 AWESOME Festival Hub programming.
• His Majesty's TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier Perth venue partner hosting Barking Gecko productions including Louder than Words workshop downstairs at the Maj.
• Subiaco Arts CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary venue partner and host of Barking Gecko administration office; location for school performances and workshops.
• DADAAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing AWESOME Accessibility Guide since 2015, supporting inclusive festival programming.
• Hello InitiativesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport organization for The Stones 2026 production.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Black Swan State Theatre Company: Western Australia's flagship state theatre company based in Perth. Comparable as a WA-based performing arts company with similar funding sources and venue partnerships, though serving broader adult audiences rather than specializing in TYA.
• Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company: WA-based Aboriginal-led theatre company. Comparable as a Perth-headquartered NFP performing arts company with similar government and Lotteries Commission funding, though focused on Indigenous storytelling for adult and family audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Sydney Theatre Company: Australia's largest theatre company based in Sydney. Comparable as a major Australian NFP performing arts company with similar government and corporate funding relationships, though adult-focused and operating at much greater scale.
• Belvoir St Theatre: Major Sydney-based not-for-profit theatre company. Comparable as an Australian NFP theatre with similar revenue mix (government grants, foundation support, ticket sales), though serving broader adult audiences and operating at significantly larger scale.
• Perth Festival: WA's premier annual international arts festival. Comparable as a Perth-based NFP festival with overlapping Lotterywest funding and venue partnerships (Perth Cultural Centre), though serving multi-arts adult audiences at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Windmill Theatre Co: Adelaide-based Theatre for Young Audiences company producing high-quality productions for children and families. Directly comparable as an Australian NFP TYA company delivering touring productions, school programs, and artist development with similar funding and programming models.
• Arena Theatre Company: Melbourne-based Theatre for Young Audiences company creating original works for children and young people. Directly comparable as an Australian TYA producer with similar touring, school engagement, and creative learning offerings, though serving Victoria rather than WA.
• Spare Parts Puppet Theatre: Perth-based puppet theatre company dedicated to performances for children and families. Directly comparable as a WA-based TYA company with similar funding model (Lotterywest, state government), school programming, and family festival presence.
• Patch Theatre Company: Adelaide-based company specializing in interactive performance experiences for children aged 4-12. Directly comparable as an Australian children's performing arts company with similar target audience, school workshop programming, and NFP structure.

Emerging players

• Imagination Theatre (UK TYA peers): UK-based TYA producers and presenters. Comparable as international Theatre for Young Audiences producers with similar school touring and family programming models, useful as a peer benchmark for content licensing and international touring potential.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/geckotweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarkingGeckoTheatreCompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/barkinggeckoarts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barking-gecko-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barking Gecko Theatre