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A Watermill Theatre Production

Michael Morpurgo's Pinocchio

Adapted by Simon Reade
Music & Lyrics by Chris Larner

Fri 15 Nov 2024 - Sun 05 Jan 2025

This Christmas, the most famous puppet the world has ever known is coming to the Watermill Theatre in this brand-new musical adaptation of Pinocchio.

Lovingly carved in Geppetto’s workshop, Pinocchio’s parents dream of a bright future for their wooden son. Pinocchio, however, dreams of adventure and sets off on a path of fun and freedom ready to discover the world. Along the way, Pinocchio is confronted with big decisions and a menagerie of colourful characters, leading to calamitous consequences as he starts a fire, turns into a donkey, and even ends up inside a whale!

With courage, heart, and a sprinkling of magic, Pinocchio celebrates what it means to grow up; the mistakes we make, the lessons we learn and the power of unconditional love.

Tickets from
£15
Concessions available.

First performance special offer - all tickets £15
Join us on 15 Nov at 5.30pm and you will enjoy a complimentary hot drink and a sweet treat from our cafe before the show.

Pinocchio Fun Day - 29 Oct 
Join us for our popular family fun day. Let your imagination run wild and join Pinocchio on an action-packed day of adventure. Create themed crafts, join in with drama games sessions and listen to storytelling. We are telling no lies; this is a day not to be missed! 
Click here to find out more

Performance information
Most suitable for ages 4+ but all ages are welcome.

Babes in Arms (under 24 months) are welcome to sit on a guardian's lap for the duration of the performance, just select an 'Adult & Babe In Arms' ticket when booking. Children aged 24 months and over will require their own seat. We would recommend sitting downstairs with very young children. 

Audio flyer

 BSL flyer

 

The Watermill Theatre · Pinocchio

Written by Michael Morpurgo 

Adapted by Simon Reade 

Music & Lyrics by Chris Larner 

Co-Director Elle While

Co-Director Indiana Lown-Collins

Set and Costume Designer - Yoav Segal

Puppet Designer/ Maker/Director - Marc Parrett

Lighting Designer - Jonathan Chan

Sound Designer - Ella Wahlstrom

Movement Director - Asha Jennings-Grant

Musical Supervisor and Onstage MD - Simon David

Jerome Yates

Pinocchio

Theatre credits include: Our Teacher’s A Troll and Peter Pan & the Battle for Neverland (Ruined Theatre); Surfacing (Asylum Arts); Driftwood (Pentabus/ThickSkin); The Leftovers, Sophocles’ Oedipus/Silent Practice, We Anchor in Hope, Against, Julius Caesar, Jumpers for Goalposts, Much Ado About Nothing, Three Sisters, Six Characters in Search of an Author and The Glass Menagerie (LAMDA).

Film credits include: The Children (Black House Pictures).

Christopher Bianchi

Geppetto

Theatre credits include: I’m Sorry Prime Minister: I Can’t Quite Remember and Waiting for Anya (Barn Theatre); Of Mice and Men (The Torch Theatre); Othello, Tartuffe, All's Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Living Quarters, As You Like It, Arcadia, Richard III, The Cherry Orchard, King Lear, Antony & Cleopatra and Julius Caesar (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory); Othello (English Touring Theatre); Cinderella (MAC, Birmingham); Robin Hood (Regal Tenbury); The Boy Who Cried Wolf, No Loud Bangs series, The Rivals, Penetrator and Aesop's Fables (Bristol Old Vic); The Last Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor, A Christmas Carol, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Waiting For Godot (Tobacco Factory); Betrayal and The Nutcracker (Bath Theatre Royal); The French Detective & the Blue Dog (Egg, Bath); A Flying Visit, The Crowstarver, Bonjour Bob and The Ministry of Fear (Theatre Alibi); King Lear, The Provok'd Wife, The Seagull and Filumena (Peter Hall Company); The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Charlotte's Web and The Three Musketeers (Duke's, Lancaster); Clown (Travelling Light); Blue/Orange (Plain Clothes); Instant Wit and Desperate Men.

Television credits include: The Outlaws, The Pale Horse, Casualty, Gunpowder, X-Creatures, Historyonics and Dead Famous (BBC TV); The Café (Sky) and Radio Sea Breeze (ZDF German TV).

Lottie Latham

Signora Geppetto

Theatre credits include: The Mousetrap (West End and National Tour); The Miniaturists (Arcola); Sweet Eros (Alchemial Theatre, NYC); The Secret Life of Sally (Southwark Playhouse); Opening Doors (Soho Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing and The Importance of Being Earnest (Cunard) and The Lizzie Play (RADA Festival).

TV credits include: Russell Brand: In Plain Sight (Channel 4, BAFTA-Nominated).Lottie has also participated in short films, workshops at Theatre Royal, Stratford East and Wilton’s Music Hall.

Fred Double

Cricket

Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts

Watermill credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (2024).

Theatre credits include: Lord of the Flies (New Adventures, UK Tour); Wuthering Heights (Wise Children, DeLaMar Theatre); Aladdin (Hackney Empire) and A Swingin’ Christmas (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club).

Jacoba Williams

Carabiniere

Training: Italia Conti Academy of the Arts & National Youth Theatre.

Theatre credits include: The Frogs (Kiln Theatre and Royal & Derngate), Women & Theatre: Revival (Birmingham Rep), Twelfth Night For One Night Only, The Fir Tree, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Winter’s Tale and Our Verse in Time (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Where do we go from here? (Pentabus Theatre), Alice in the Universe (Oxford Playhouse), Bogeyman (The Pleasance Dome), Before I was a Bear (Bunker Theatre and Soho Theatre), Gulliver’s Travels (Unicorn Theatre), Love Dance (Chiswick Playhouse), The Snow Queen (The Stephen Joseph Theatre), When the Sea Swallows us Whole (Vaults Festival), and Queens of Sheba (Camden People’s Theatre , New Diorama, Underbelly and Vaults Festival - Winner of The Stage Award 2018).

Television credits include: Vera (ITV) and Twelfth Night (CBeebies).

Short Film credits include: Framed, The Vest, Highlife, Montague, Cleo’s Choice and Expiry Date.

Radio credits include: Bleak House (Audible), Vergil (Audible/Naked Productions) and Precious Little Thing (BBC Radio 4 & Talawa).

Hanora Kamen

Fox

Theatre credits include:MACBETH (English Touring Theatre); The Gangs of New York and The Importance of Being Earnest (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre); A Brief Encounter (New Wolsey and Wiltshire Creative and UK tour); A Gig for Ghosts (Soho Theatre with 45North); TESS (Ockham’s Razor); The Ballad of Maria Marten (Wilton’s Music Hall and UK tour); Winners and The Wind in the Willows (The Wardrobe Ensemble); RIOT, 1972: The Future of Sex and C Word Clubhouse (Bristol Old Vic); Education, Education, Education (Trafalgar Studios); Four Seasons (Little Bulb with Bristol Old Vic); The Money (Kaleider); Mog: The Forgetful Cat (The Royal & Derngate with The Old Vic); Chloe and the Colour Catcher (Theatre Ad Infinitum with Bristol Old Vic); Eloise and the Curse of the Golden Whisk (The Wardrobe Theatre and UK tour); 5 Children & IT (The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath); Edgar and the Land of the Lost (The Bike Shed Theatre); Pippi Longstocking (The Royal & Derngate); Rebellion Playground (The Exeter Phoenix); The Snow Beast (UK tour); Great Train Robbery (Greenwich Theatre and UK tour); Nel (Battersea Arts Centre and UK tour); A Fool’s Proof (UK tour) and Blok/Eko (Exeter Northcott).

TV credits include:Hijack (Apple TV+); The Undeclared War (Channel 4); Breadline (BBC Four) and Mimi’s World (Channel 5).

Radio credits include:The Flock (A Ton of Feathers).

Eddy Payne

Cat

Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts .

Theatre credits include: Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet (Orange Tree Theatre and Guildford Shakespeare Company); Richard II and The Two Noble Kinsman (Guildford Shakespeare Company) Little Women, Romeo & Juliet and Stig of the Dump (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre); The Witches and The Battle for Neverland (Ruined Theatre); Fighting Irish (Belgrade Theatre); Oliver Twist! (Storyhouse); Great Expectations and The Macbeths (Rotherhithe Playhouse); Macbeth (Young Shakespeare Company); Fanatical (The Playground Theatre); Baby Come Back (Leicester Square Theatre) and Wondergirl (Pleasance Theatre). Workshop credits include: Uncool (Kenny Wax Productions) and Fanatical and The Rhythm Method (Rachel Kraftman Productions).

Simon David

Onstage Musical Director

Simon trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. There he met collaborator Chris Larner, who directed Simon’s debut, musical comedy hour Virgin at the Edinburgh Fringe, nominated for Broadway World’s Best Cabaret Show (2018). His follow-up musical comedy hour, White Gay won a Brighton Fringe Award (2021) and featured in the British Comedy Guide’s Recommended Shows at the Edinburgh Fringe (2022). His latest hour, Dead Dad Show won Amused Moose’s Most Entertaining Show at the Edinburgh Fringe (2023) and was nominated for Chortle’s Best Variety Show (2024) with The Scotsman writing, ‘Five stars feels inadequate for this joyous, hilarious, brilliant, witty, sparkly campfest of a show.’

Credits as Musical Director include: The Musical of Musicals! The Musical! (Above The Stag Theatre, nominated for Off West End award) and James and the Giant Peach’(UKCI, Beijing).

Simon is a regular pianist at London’s show tune piano bar, Overtures, and leads an amateur choir in South London.