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

There are two people facing each other against a fake wooden backdrop, wearing fake wooden outfits with real wooden appendages, which are joined at the nose
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’.

Nominated for the Off West End Awards’ Best IDEA Production (IDEA: Innovative / Devised / Experiential / Atypical)

★★★★ ‘The wondrous trans tale of Pinocchio… A funny, clever and thoughtful two-hander, rich in playful imagery and direct-to-camera asides, about identity, definition and acceptance… The satire is gentle, but the politics are clear.

The Guardian

★★★★ ‘More than anything, The Making of Pinocchio testifies to an evolving, continually transforming love between partners, a love for making things and oneself.’ 

The Stage

‘The duo hold the audience with a brand of mischievous humour that’s provocative and reassuring in equal measure.’

Exuent

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, full aesthetic worlds on stage, with unique sonic elements embedded into their work due to ongoing collaboration with sound artist and designer Yas Clarke.

They are both experienced facilitators and trained volunteers with LGBT Youth (Glasgow). They are currently in the process of setting up a co-operative to open a new LGBTQIA+ second hand shop / community space in Glasgow.

cademacaskill.com
@cademacaskill

Commissioned by Fierce Festival, Kampnagel, Tramway & Viernulvier with support from Attenborough Centre of the Arts, Battersea Arts Centre and LIFT.
Produced by Artsadmin.
Funded by Creative Scotland, Arts Council England and Rufolf Augstein Stiftung with development support from The Work Room/Dianne Torr Bursary, Scottish Sculpture Workshop, National Theatre of Scotland, Live Art Development Agency, Gessnerellee, Mousonturm, Forest Fringe, West Kowloon Cultural District & LGBT Health & Wellbeing Scotland.

Created by Rosana Cade & Ivor MacAskill
Performed by Rosana Cade, Ivor MacAskill, Jo Hellier & Tim Spooner
Set, Prop & Costume Designer: Tim Spooner
Sound Designer: Yas Clarke

Cameras: Jo Hellier
Lighting Designer: Jo Palmer

Cinematographer: Kirstin McMahon and Jo Hellier
Producer: Artsadmin

Production Manager: Sorcha Stott-Strzala

Outside Eye: Nic GreenMovement advisor: Eleanor Perry
Captioning: Collective Text; Emilia Beatriz, Daniel Hughes with Rosana Cade, Yas Clarke, Ivor MacAskill, and Jamie Rea

  • The performance is 90 minutes long
  • There is no interval
  • All performances are captioned or subtitled
  • Further access information specific to the venue will be added here in due course

Date and time

12–13 November 2022

Please note
This is now a past event.

Venue

Alkantara Festival, Lisbon
Portugal
Alkantara Festival

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