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The Making of Pinocchio

Cade & MacAskill

There are two people facing the camera in a rich red backdrop with fake trees made of wood. On the right, the person, Ivor, is lying down, leaning on his elbow. He wearing pointed red hat, a large collar and a top printed with a fake wood pattern. There is a small person on the left, Rosana, and they are wearing a cap, top and trousers printed with a fake wood pattern, with wooden clogs. They are carrying a wooden video camera, pointed at Ivor.
Photo by Christa Holka, post-production by Anna Fernandez

Join two artists on a fantastical journey through a real-life story as they make a new trans version of Pinocchio. 

Set in a film studio crafted from real wood, and fake wood, and real fake wood, 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 theatrical and cinematic spectacular, their tender and complex autobiographical experience meets the magical story of the little lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’.

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

The Making of Pinocchio joyfully embraces the importance of imagination in queer worldmaking and the idea of transness as a state of possibility that can trouble fixed perspectives and inspire change.

★★★★ ‘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

★★★★ ‘The Making of Pinocchio is clever and absorbing, full of reflection and self-revelation, powerful visual imagery and movement.’

The Scotsman

‘It was so beautiful, and such deft balancing of things for trans audiences and things for cis ones. Also, I never cry with joy at things but I did at the ending of it, and I’m crying now thinking about it… it was just so beautiful… a very joyful watch… and such deft balancing of things for trans audiences and things for cis ones… it’s so rare.’ 

Audience response

The Making of Pinocchio is also available to tour digital. Find out more about the The Making of Pinocchio: Digital Edition.

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

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+ secondhand shop / community space in Glasgow.

www.cademacaskill.com

Commissioned by Fierce Festival, Kampnagel, Tramway & Vooruit 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 and performed by Rosana Cade & Ivor MacAskill
Set, Prop & Costume Designer: Tim Spooner
Sound Designer: Yas Clarke
Lighting Designer & Production Manager: Jo Palmer

Cinematographer: Kirstin McMahon
Producer: Mary Osborn for Artsadmin

Technical Stage Manager: Sorcha Stott-strzala

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

Events

Date Location More info
The Making of Pinocchio
29 June – 2 July 2022
Various times 		Battersea Arts Centre, as part of LIFT 2022, London, UK Details and tickets
The Making of Pinocchio
12–16 October 2022 		Fierce Festival, Birmingham, UK Details and tickets
The Making of Pinocchio
19–20 October 2022 		Attenborough Centre of the Arts, Brighton, UK Details and tickets
The Making of Pinocchio
27–28 October 2022 		Tramway, Glasgow, UK Details and tickets
The Making of Pinocchio
12–13 November 2022 		Alkantara Festival, Lisbon, Portugal Details and tickets

For more information on this project, please contact Mary Osborn at mary@artsadmin.co.uk

Date Title Venue City
12–14 May 2022 The Making of Pinocchio Kampnagel Hamburg
4 March 2022 The Making of Pinocchio: Digital Edition Warehouse9 Copenhagen
21 May 2021 The Making of Pinocchio Take Me Somewhere
18 March – 27 April 2021 Guest Artist Support Sessions: Rosana Cade
21–22 February 2015 Walking: Holding Home and Away - London, Maison Folie Mons
There are two people facing the camera in a rich red backdrop with fake trees made of wood. On the right, the person, Ivor, is lying down, leaning on his elbow. He wearing pointed red hat, a large collar and a top printed with a fake wood pattern. There is a small person on the left, Rosana, and they are wearing a cap, top and trousers printed with a fake wood pattern, with wooden clogs. They are carrying a wooden video camera, pointed at Ivor.
Photo by Christa Holka, post-production by Anna Fernandez
Person lies down looking forward and in the background someone is holding a camera and filming someone else
Cade & MacAskill, The Making of Pinocchio. Photo by Tiu Makkonen
Silhouettes of two people performing against a red backdrop
Cade & MacAskill, The Making of Pinocchio. Photo by Tiu Makkonen
Cade & MacAskill, The Making of Pinocchio. Photo by Tiu Makkonen
two people with wood textured costumes on and wooden sticks stand and lie on the floor
Cade & MacAskill, The Making of Pinocchio. Photo by Tiu Makkonen
Person sits on the floor with a party hat on, whilst another person, closer to photographer hovers over the person on the floor
Cade & MacAskill, The Making of Pinocchio. Photo by Tiu Makkonen
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