Created and directed by OT Community Director Liam Shea for the festive season, Pinocchio comes to The Orange Tree Theatre.
Fiona Drummond (Mum/The Blue Fairy/Other beasts) joins Nathan Queeley-Dennis (Hugo/Pinocchio/Other beasts) in a fun, interactive adventure, for anyone aged 3 to 103 (babies welcome!), which awakens the imagination about the adventures we can have when we pretend.
Pinocchio, directed by Liam Shea, runs from 14 December – 31 December, alongside Terence Rattigan’s While the Sun Shines, the final play in the Orange Tree Theatre’s Recovery Season.
You’re bringing Pinocchio to the Orange Tree Theatre this Christmas, what can you tell us about the show?
It’s our first family show since before the pandemic and we’ve all had a difficult couple of years. For young people 2 years is huge! We wanted to create a fun, celebratory and interactive adventure which brings generations together using their imagination.
What inspired you to adapt the story of Pinocchio for the stage?
I’ve always loved the story and how the love of parent and child is central to the story. Pinocchio is naughty and gets a lot wrong, but he always loves his father and it’s that love and the sacrifices he makes that him a real boy.
I think that says a lot about what’s just happened in the world, we’ve asked young people to make huge sacrifices they don’t totally understand yet for the people they love. It’s that kindness that makes us real.
Tell us more about your role at The Orange Tree and how it feels to be directing this production for Christmas?
I’m Community Director at The Orange Tree and my department’s role is to bring our local community and communities who don’t currently engage with the theatre into the theatre. A family show during the festive season is a great way to welcome people in a fun and engaging way.
I hope that families will come and then perhaps the parents might want to come back to see Two Billion Beats by Sonali Bhattacharyya in the new year, or they might come back as a family to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Maybe Granny will want to join our over 60s drama group or an 8-year-old will be inspired to act themselves and join our youth theatre. We want the OT to be a place where people see themselves welcomed, reflected, and energised.
This is an interactive adventure; how will younger audience members be encouraged to get involved?
As well as some classic pantomime-style interaction, the audience gets to help Pinocchio build a plane, join in a snowball fight and tickle the belly of a whale to help Pinocchio get home. It’s not just about the young ones too, no one escapes the fun!
Tell us a little about the cast who will be bringing this production to life?
It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Nathan Queeley Dennis and Fiona Drummond, they’ve both been extremely experimental and willing to jump in and be silly. Nathan has just finished a tour with Paines Plough theatre where he took a children’s show into communities across the country. He brings, warmth, playfulness, and laughter into the room.
Fiona has worked at Shakespeare’s Globe performing with Globe Education department and just finished a two-person version of Hamlet. She is a dynamic, joyful performer. Fi is a mum and It’s been such a pleasure getting advice of a 2yr old and 5yr old throughout our creative process. Involving children in the creative process when making a piece for children should be the law.
What would you say to anyone thinking about coming to see Pinocchio?
Come along, get silly, have fun, come again!
