Gideon Reeling

A bespoke interactive & immersive theatre piece which took place aboard a transatlantic flight in September 2017.

Ahead of Time was the first of a series of free performances for passengers to kick start the celebrations for Icelandair’s 80th birthday

Working with Icelandair and Brooklyn Brothers, we invented an 80 year old heroine and her family who inhabited some of the defining eras from 1937 to 2017.  and embodied the changing role of women through that period.
They featured in a mash up of immersive chapters which connected to the airline’s history and the changing face of air travel.
Woven in were tales from Icelandic culture  and culture  including tales and oral histories from the lives of the airline staff that we worked with. 
Not only creating memorable experiences for passengers but also staff.
It was told over 13 hours by 28 performers; 10 professionals and 18 - Icelandair staff with hidden talents
We rehearsed in summer schools in Reykjavik.
The performance crossed  2 continents, took place on 2 flights and in 3 airports  in one day.

We also trialled cutting edge mobile app technology created by Winkball and Goldsmiths University and developed with us for performance use.

"Gideon Reeling were a great creative partner, bringing a wealth of expertise and passion to such an ambitious project. The attention to detail and research they put into making the production was obvious from the wonderful experience had by all who attended. From the small touches of brand history to wonderful quips, they are  out the box thinkers providing something truly unique and innovative ways of looking at immersive experiences." 
The Brooklyn Brothers

Written and Directed by Kate Hargreaves & Kathryn McGarr
Produced by Gideon Reeling (Hargreaves, McGarr, Burton) in partnership with Brooklyn Brothers.
Art Direction by Jim Wright
Costumes by Alice Lessing with Elise Nader
Props and Set Design by Bryony Rumble with Clare Grotefeld
Performers: For Gideon Reeling:  Kate Ashcroft, Matthew Blake, Jo Bowis, Adam Burton, Hetty Burton, Harriet Green, Sam John, Kathryn McGarr, Adam Redmore.
With Jo Dagless as the Voice of Edda- the app’s audio book

Icelandair Cast : Huggin Ragnarsson, Laufey Soffía Pétursdóttir, Aðalsteinn Kornelius Gunnarsson, Inga Sveinsdóttir, Jodis Dagny Vilhjalmsdottir, Ragnheiður Gunnarsdóttir , Elísabet Björgvinsdóttir, Ingvar  Örn Gíslason, Sonja Einarsdóttir, Inga Ósk Ólafsdóttir, Jón Baldur Bogason , Ragnhildur Eiríksdóttir, Sigrún Anna Waage Knútsdóttir, Svanborg María Guðmundsdóttir, Sigrún Erlendsdóttir, Steingrímur Rafn Friðriksson, Bergalind Heiða Árnadóttir, Kolbrún Aðalbjörg Hjartardóttir

Assistant Director/Producer: Hetty Burton
Stage Management: Rich Irvine, Sara Lee, Gareth Hulance,Kate Williams
Production Assistance: Zoe Jane Smith
Make Up: led by Anna Inglis Hall with Paul Rogers
Recorded by James Dagless Music
Ahead of Time Mobile App Created and Developed by Winkball by James Ohene Djan, Gideon Carr and Vlad