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

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.

We began creating The Making Of Pinocchio in 2018 when Ivor came out as trans. With support from the Diane Torr bursary and through a series of residencies at Gessnerallee, Mousonturm, National Theatre of Scotland and West Kowloon Cultural District, the process allowed us to respond creatively to his gender transition as a couple. 

This tender and complex autobiographical experience is woven into the work, which is set in a film studio, and follows 2 artists on a fictional process of creating a trans version of Pinocchio, inviting audiences to see the behind the scenes ‘reality’. 

The layers of reality and fantasy become complicated and slide around throughout, as the artists get consumed by the fantasy world of Pinocchio. Using cameras, live feed, screens and Forced Perspective the audience’s view is manipulated and constantly shifting. Central questions around what it means to be seen as a ‘real boy’, or to have to prove your authenticity, and how this relates to a cultural trend for autobiography underpin the work. It also joyfully embraces the importance of fantasy and imagination in queer world making, and the idea of transness as a state of possibility that can open up society.