For this adaptation of the best-selling books I worked with the VFX team and the Motion Control company MoCo FX to create the movement for the fairies who guard the School for Good. On set I had to know where each fairy was at all times and then in the dedicated shoot for the fairy performers I translated that knowledge for the actors to give them direction and notes on their movement, as well as vital information on what they were interacting with and where all the much larger characters would be in the scene. As the actors were in flowing costumes and prosthetics it was important to make sure everything was clear, intentional and would read sufficiently when they had been shrunk down to fairy size. Running this unit on the movie was a wonderful culmination of my movement work and my VFX reference work and I'm proud that I got the chance to see the fairy process from set, to element shoot and finally all composited together on screen.

This play for children aged 5+ was created to highlight the climate emergency and the urgent action needed to prevent irreparable harm to our environment. Working with an access consultant it was a fascinating challenge to create movement for a show we were also making accessible for blind and visually impaired audiences. It meant that everything visual also had to be audible and that sight gags or purely aesthetic moments which would exclude portions of our audience had to be rethought. Everything had to have meaning and be well considered so that the story was being told equally by the text and by the movement. This high-energy, high-concept show included lots of time travel, a crashing torrent of water, a vortex of swirling energy and many changes in space. It was a delightful challenge and I am very proud of making an inclusive play on this vital subject.

I jumped at the opportunity to work with award-winning director Emily Jenkins (Fringe First winner 2019, Fringe First winner 2012) and award-winning writer Barry McStay (Vault Festival Show of the Week 2019). This tense drama set partly on Earth and partly in space required ingenious solutions to zero-gravity action which I took great pride in bringing to life. Early discussions with Emily made it clear that we needed to create something simple, repeatable and - most importantly - something that felt beautiful & serious so as not to detract from the story and writing.

"Mikey Brett’s movement is the perfect example of the success of this production’s simplicity- slow sequences of delicate, gravity defying choreography." - A Younger Theatre ✩✩✩✩

"Movement director Mikey Brett manages to make the astronauts look weightless, with adroit use of minimal props and set." - The Spy in the Stalls ✩✩✩✩✩

"As they float in zero-gravity, their balletic choreography (by movement director Mikey Brett) is the refrain that captures this dance." - The Reviews Hub ✩✩✩✩✩

I came aboard as the Movement and Puppetry Director for the revival of Kiki's Delivery Service a year on from its premiere. Working closely with Kate I reworked many scenes including adding new choreography, clarifying puppetry moments and introducing a new actress to the role of Kiki and aerial wire work! Reviews were very positive including:

"The movement and puppet director also deserves a mention here, as the results of his work are superb." - The Spy in the Stalls ✩✩✩✩✩

"A 90-minute celebration of the inventive and imaginative possibilities of live theatre" - The Evening Standard ✩✩✩✩

"Kiki flies in all sorts of different ways, sometimes with the help of her fellow actors; it’s a charming and practical decision that maintains the pace of the storytelling." - Exeunt Magazine

This promenade performance combined storytelling, circus and featured wonderful puppets including the Dormouse. The climax of the show involved incredibly complex puppetry as a miniature puppet Alice drew a sword and fought the Jabberwock! Choreographing a puppet fight scene with actors new to puppetry was a challenge as was creating puppetry moments which would work well outdoors or in the wet-weather contingency venue indoors.

“I heard one little girl in the audience ask if the dormouse (a puppet) was real. They weave a spell over the audience so that it’s easy to get swept up in the moment, and forget the mechanics of what you’re watching.” - Stage Talk ✩✩✩✩

Working with long-time collaborator Robin Guiver, I worked with director Tim Baker and designer Mark Bailey to bring the animals to life through movement, masks, arm extensions and puppetry. Thanks to the dedicated and hard-working actor-musicians the show was a joy to work on. I had a wonderfully collaborative relationship with the performers who were happy to work hard with unfamiliar disciplines thanks to the time I put in to ensure I taught strong technique, listened to any concerns, and ensured no one would feel silly. The Stage remarked, “Superb movement work by Mikey Brett and Robin Guiver...Animal Farm proves to still be a relevant and multi-layered satire with a devastatingly chill ending."

I created a puppet man out of umbrellas for this promenade circus show. Working with circus performers we devised moments for the puppet to interact with the circus acts in inventive, and sometimes destructive ways. Using my past experience as an aerialist and my love for circus performance I worked closely with the director to find successful ways to integrate puppetry into the show in a natural and cohesive way.

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An intriguing story of a girl pulled into a black and white circus filled with unusual and mysterious characters it was a great opportunity to connect multiple strands of my work.

I was brought in to choreograph an advert for vegan meat substitute Meatless Farm in a campaign for their Meat Free Mince. The brief was for a smooth and flowing action while the camera tracks the food. Working in a very short timeframe I had to coordinate the extras and teach them the camera move whilst also ensuring that the camera team were giving them exactly the same timing every take.

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This was a very challenging shoot and I am very pleased with the outcome. Watch the ad HERE.