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’.

A performance for audiences aged 16 and over. The performance features full nudity and sexual references.

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
Produced by Dr. Nora Laraki for Artsadmin
Creation produced by Mary Osborn for Artsadmin
Production Manager: Sorcha Stott-Strzala
Outside Eye: Nic Green
Movement advisor: Eleanor Perry
Captioning: Collective Text; Emilia Beatriz, Daniel Hughes with Rosana Cade, Yas Clarke, Ivor MacAskill, and Jamie Rea

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’. 

premiere: 12 May 2022

Performance with subtitles in Polish and subtitles in English.

Access information:

• The performance is 90 minutes long
• There is no interval
• The performance space has step-free access
• All performances are Relaxed this means you can move or make noise if you need to and can go in and out of the performance space
• Early entry will be permitted for audience members with access needs
• All performances are captioned, including descriptions of the sound and music
• Latecomers will be permitted
• Protective headphones (20 items) will be available for spectators who wish to use them
• There is a toilet accessible for disabled persons 
• There is a chill out space outside the performance space that is available anytime the building is open
• If you find that you have an overwhelming emotional response, be it positive or negative, and would like to check in with somebody, there will be a trained wellbeing practitioner available during and after the performances. Please ask a member of our welcome team and they will take you to them

Content Notes:

• There are no strobes, flashing lights or haze
• There is a short section with loud music
• There are no moments of complete darkness
• Contains nudity
• The show briefly talks about transphobia, and sometimes explores the exploitation and misrepresentation of trans people’s lives and bodies

★★★★ ‘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.’
Mark Fisher, 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.’ 
Frey Kwa Hawking, The Stage

Awards:

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

Commissioned by Fierce Festival, Kampnagel, Tramway & Viernulvier with support from Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Battersea Arts Centre, LIFT and Take Me Somewhere.

Produced by Artsadmin.

Funded by Creative Scotland, Arts Council England and Rudolf Augstein Stiftung with development support from The Work Room/Diane 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.