In 2018, the Giardino Chiuso company and COB/Compagnia Opus Ballet began a path of artistic collaboration for the creation of a theatre dance production of one of masterpieces of literature, Pinocchio.

Reintroducing Pinocchio in dance is never trivial; countless interpretations, from theatre to dance, from musicals to cinema, with more or less fame, with more or less dramatic integrity, with more or less respect for the fantasy and the controversial Collodian character, have been produced about this famous wood puppet. It is exactly this chameleon like quality that has contributed to his undisputed success. Dissected, reduced, turned inside out and upside down, Pinocchio, the good little rascal, is always able to maintain his steadiness, his impertinent marionette like gaze. His good name.

With this interpretative generosity, our work aims to recreate his world with a distinct imaginative and symbolic direction: Pinocchio forms and changes according to the contemporary expressive condition; once again this wooden puppet takes on life to tell us a story in a new and different light.
The words of Kleist, from “On the Marionette Theatre” and interpreted by Virginio Gazzolo, open the performance and allow us to place our Pinocchio in a intuitively recognisable representation. The marionette finds himself between the divine and the terrestrial, continuously recreating that unique phase which is often identified with the work of art; likewise is the impressionable condition of the artist, who perceives reality through various points of view. Furthermore, this magic wooden puppet mysteriously and consciously appears in Master Cigliegia’s workshop, in anticipation of the marvellous, intricate and imaginary birth of a naive character that unequivocally transcends from the mundane to immediately escape towards a world of discovery and curiosity. Sincere and mischievous towards humanity, Pinocchio, who in this story is the reflection of the artist, curiously investigates and is full of expectations for that which will happen around him. But his misfortune and his will for freedom bring him to completely subject himself to the terrestrial world, deciding to become flesh and bones and accepting the anonymity of uniformity, renouncing his “divine” part in favour of the human one.
Without pause, the scenes incessantly follow one another in imaginary and perilous travels to discover sensations, feelings, justice, uncertainty, friendship, betrayal, joy, tears, poverty and honesty.

The performance incorporates diverse theatrical languages. Dance, speech, video and music counterbalance each other on stage to bring the spectator in a suspenseful, captivating and magic dimension in search of telling a story and defending the intrinsic liberty of Pinocchio. A Pinocchio, who as an artist, sees the world for the first time, with naive eyes and a forever curious nature. A pure soul.

with Tamara Aydinyan, Leonardo Diana, Lorenzo Di Rocco, Isabella Giustina, Gianmarco Martini Zani, Stefania Menestrina, Giulia Orlando, Riccardo Papa, Françoise Parlanti, Jennifer Rosati
and the participation of Virginio Gazzolo
choreography: Patrizia de Bari
dramaturgy: Tuccio Guicciardini
set design and video: Andrea Montagnani
costume designer: Santi Rinciari/Opificio della Moda e del Costume
sound design: Daniele Borri
scenic element: Takeshi Tamashiro/Lautak
costume designer assistant: Marilù Sasso
technical director: Saverio Cona
project coordination: Rosanna Brocanello
production: COB/Compagnia Opus Ballet and Giardino Chiuso
co-production: Fondazione Fabbrica Europa and Versiliadanza
in collaboration with Fondazione del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
with the support of Mibac, Regione Toscana
with the support of NCA.Small Theatre, Yerevan (Armenia)