We are all familiar with the nineteenth-century classic fable about Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy, and whose nose grows when he lies. The Making of Pinocchio is a fabulous theatrical reworking of the classic story, from a trans male perspective. The show, following a successful run in Europe, Canada and Australia, is on at London’s Battersea Arts Centre’s Grand Hall from 1-10 November.
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. Responding creatively to the changes happening in their relationship, they became excited about the imaginative potential of working with the story of Pinocchio to reframe trans narratives and ways that they could use the story of a lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’, to explore ideas around authenticity, shifting truths, and what it means to be seen as ‘real.’
The show is a true tale of love and transition told through the story of Pinocchio but set in a fictional film studio. Audiences are invited to go behind the scenes of Cade and MacAskill’s creative process as well as their relationship, questioning what it takes to tell your truth.
In The Making of Pinocchio, the duo has created a joyful, multi-layered world that constantly shifts between different realms of reality and fantasy. Playful, touching, funny, and accessible, Cade & MacAskill offer an intimate insight into their ideas and experience in this true tale of love and transition. Sounds like an entertaining evening!
The Making of Pinocchio 1 – 10 November | 1pm & 8pm Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, London, SW11 5TN www.bac.org.uk
Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
Labels: 2023, Battersea Arts Centre, London, Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill, The Making of Pinnochio, trans story
