Artsadmin

Skip links

  1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to search

The Making of Pinocchio

Cade & MacAskill

Photo by Tiu Makkonen

A true tale of love and transition told through the story of Pinocchio. 

Set in a fictional film studio, you are invited to go behind the scenes of Cade & MacAskill’s creative process and their relationship, and question what it takes to tell your truth.

Artists and lovers Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill have been creating The Making of Pinocchio since 2018, alongside and in response to Ivor’s gender transition. In this ‘funny, clever and thoughtful two-hander, rich in playful imagery’ (The Guardian) their tender and complex autobiographical experience meets the magical story of the lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’.

With an ingenious scenography designed by Tim Spooner, layered with sound by Yas Clarke, lights by Jo Palmer and cinematography from Kirstin McMahon and Jo Hellier, the show constantly shifts between fantasy and authenticity, humour and intimacy, on stage and on screen. 

This “ravishingly beautiful’ (The Arts Desk) show is for anyone seeking to explore the sheer joy and limitless potential of queer imagination. Audiences called it ‘unmissable’, ‘breath-taking’, ‘phenomenal’, ‘showstopping’ and ‘the queer love story of the year’.

Part of Dublin Theatre Festival.

Performed in English

Cade & MacAskill are Rosana Cade (they/them) and Ivor MacAskill (he/him): renowned queer artists and facilitators based in Glasgow, Scotland. Their work, together and individually, straddles the worlds of experimental contemporary theatre, live art, queer cabaret, film, children’s performance, site specific, and socially engaged practices.

Their collaboration is born from a shared love of subversive humour, experimentation with persona and text, playful theatricality, and the joy they find in improvising together. They also share a passion for LGBTQIA+ rights and culture. They create strange, rich aesthetic worlds on stage, with unique sonic elements embedded into their work due to ongoing collaboration with sound artist and designer Yas Clarke.

Performed by Rosana Cade, Ivor MacAskill, Moa Johansson, Tim Spooner


Set, Prop & Costume Designer: Tim Spooner


Sound Designer: Yas Clarke


Sound/AV Technician and show operator: Riwa Saab


Cameras: Jo Hellier


Lighting Designer: Jo Palmer


Relighter: Marty Langthorne


Cinematographer: Kirstin McMahon & Jo Hellier


Produced by Artsadmin


Creation produced by Mary Osborn for Artsadmin


Production Manager: Sorcha Stott-Strzala


Assistant Stage Manager: Moa Johansson


Company Manager: An* Neely


Outside Eye: Nic Green


Movement advisor: Eleanor Perry


Captioning: Collective Text, Rosana Cade, Ivor MacAskill &
Jamie Rea


Caption Design: Yas Clarke & Daniel Hughes

Captioned and relaxed performances:
25-27 Sept

Audio described performance and touch tour:
27 Sept

For full access information please visit Dublin Theatre Festival’s website

Date and time

25–27 September 2025
7.30–9pm

Please note
This is now a past event.

Venue

Samuel Beckett Theatre
Dublin
UK

Top