The Making of Pinocchio: Critically lauded show tells tale of gender transition

It’s why renowned art makers Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill have chosen the story of Pinocchio to produce a theatrical documentation of the latter’s gender transition.

Now there is a chance to see the critically lauded show when it is staged for one night only in Glasgow, the pair’s hometown, after its premiere in London this summer.

Although it is based on Carlo Collodi’s tale of the puppet who wants to become a real boy, MacAskill and Cade’s version is not for children but a good entry point for those who would like to know a bit more about the trans experience as well as have an enjoyable night out.

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“We tell the story with a lot of fun tricks and a very beautiful visual set to side step all those difficult ways it is dealt with in the media – we are trying to show the joy of transformation and what you could never imagine you could find,” said MacAskill. “Yes, there is all this stuff about the difficulties of being trans, particularly in the UK at the moment, but we want people to look at the possibility of it and see it is not a bad thing at all. It has potential for everyone.”

As well as creating ground-breaking work together, Cade and MacAskill have also been a couple for 10 years which meant that MacAskill’s wish to transition posed questions for their relationship.

“When I decided in 2018 that I wanted to start transitioning we knew that was going to change our identity quite a lot as a couple and as collaborators,” said the 42-year-old.

After looking for representations of couples in a similar situation but finding nothing positive, they decided it could be useful for others if they created a production to share their experience.

“A lot of things we saw were either transphobic or dramatically predicted that everyone would have a terrible time, so felt we had to make something ourselves,” said MacAskill.

They hope the end result has a more joyful, positive outlook on how one person changing in a relationship can have a big effect not just on the couple involved, but on wider society.

“What using Pinocchio helped us do was ask this question about what it means to be a real boy – what it means to be seen as real is at the centre of our production,” said Cade.

“In the medical transition process, you have to tell this story about your life that fits in with someone else’s idea of what being male or female is. There is this idea about transitioning that people want to change their gender to fit in with a ‘normal’ societal idea of that other gender – and then you will be seen as real and it is a success. But we are asking questions about what a real boy or girl is anyway and how we can have a broader perspective on that.”

MacAskill added: “It was quite sad for me when I was starting to transition because I thought I would get a positive response and what I actually encountered was some very old-fashioned views. I naively thought we had a more expansive idea of gender roles and how people are able to express themselves but a lot of the stuff we see in the media is transphobic.

Ivor MacAskill and Rosana Cade chose the story of Pinocchio to explore the former’s gender transition. Photograph: Christa Holka

“There is a lot of suspicion around it and this sense that you have to really prove yourself which has a really negative effect on your mental health because you keep questioning yourself and wonder if you are asking for too much and that is one of the sad parts of it,” he said.

“That is nothing to do with being trans – that is being put through a system that isn’t sympathetic but the two things get mixed up and then what happens is that being trans is seen as this really awful, difficult thing because it is damaging people’s mental health but it is not the trans part that is doing that, it is the process.”

Rather than being negative, the transition – if you can manage to access it and the waiting list is huge – is “amazing”.

“You suddenly feel gender euphoria because you can look in the mirror and your gender corresponds with your mind,” said MacAskill. “That has been really incredible. All that dysphoria and worry about whether you are ‘trans enough’ to make the change takes up so much headspace and thinking that when you do actually start to make changes and start to see yourself in a different light and accept yourself, it is like a whole weight has been lifted off.

“The trans part is a really beautiful, empowering thing – it is just the system and other people’s ideas that get you.”

This “policing” of gender stereotypes means that everyone has a raw deal because they are expected to behave in certain ways, he pointed out.

Until MacAskill’s transition, Cade said they had considered their identity to be “fixed”.

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“When I realised I was lesbian I felt I had found my identity and that was what I would be for rest of my life,” they said. “While I wasn’t surprised when Ivor decided to make the shift, it caused me to reflect on my own gender and sexuality and I think I have been amazed about the space that has opened up for me. The space I thought was fixed now feels much more fluid and now I identify as being non-binary.”

As a result, the pair are presenting their relationship as an illustration of how society can respond.

“Rather than feel threatened by the idea of transition and dig down to hold on tight to an idea of how things used to be, there is potential to listen to trans people and realise that what they are saying could have a huge impact on everyone in a positive way,” said Cade.

“It does not mean everyone is trans but the fact that people can realise that about themselves and make those changes is a really incredible thing and very inspiring and hopefully that is what we bring into our show.”

The Making of Pinocchio can be seen at the Tramway on October 28.