York Theatre Royal, Full Body and the Voice, The Shysters present Directed by Richard Hayhow and Jon Palmer BABLAKE THEATRE, BABLAKE SCHOOL, Coventry CV1 4AU 'on the borderlines of theatre, dance and mime. Visually stunning' The Shysters Theatre Company - Coventry This is a radically new version of the children’s classic tale presented by an integrated cast of professional actors with and without learning disabilities. The production, created through a unique devising method, is highly visual and uses the power of imagery and physical gesture to tell the story of a boy carved from wood who eventually becomes human

An original soundtrack by composer Chris Madin supports a strong emotional and sensory narrative. Verbal story-telling is kept to a minimum. Themes The play explores the theme of difference. How we regard people who look and behave differently. How they function in a world that is alien to their way of thinking. How we all cope with change and the need to embrace the future. Click to Download PDF Curriculum Areas This production is appropriate for English and Citizenship studies and could inform a project that explores different types of communication. (see theatre review also) For the re-telling of this classic story we have returned to the original book by Carlo Collodi and explored the elements relevant to a contemporary young audience. Pinocchio has to learn to conform and understand the rules of family love and loyalty. Old Joe’s shack, alone in a modern urban landscape of high-rise offices and faceless technology, stands as a symbol of a homespun culture in decline. His bizarre attempt to create a son from a piece of wood nonetheless demonstrates the power of unconditional love over the enticement of the quick fix – a stable upbringing at odds with the temptations of peer pressure. As well as being a highly entertaining theatre experience in its own right, this production is also particularly relevant to students studying contemporary drama. It is an excellent example of: • Physical Theatre • Applied Theatre • Story-telling Theatre • Devised Theatre • Ensemble Theatre • Experimental Theatre Pinnochio Review by Cecily Boys (2007) ' Collaborating for a creative flourish to a new telling of an old tale, three excellent companies come together to create a captivating and thought provoking tale. This production sees Full Body and the Voice, The Shysters and York Theatre Royal working together in an invigorating tale recognising fairy tale and real life hardships and the story of becoming 'a real boy' in Pinocchio. Full Body and the Voice as well as The Shysters are two companies that have been making theatre with actors with learning disabilities for a collective almost 20 years. Coming together with York Theatre Royal's dynamic staff they make a physical and vibrant half-term tale for young and old. Their production returns to Carlo Collodi's Italian original for its source and therefore produces a darker but more challenging story. Pinocchio (Jon Tipton) causes havoc in his home town fishing village, goes to school, loses his father's money, is led astray to the fun of the fair ground, finds and looses friends and family and much more. All this on his ultimate quest to journey from being a wooden puppet to become 'a real boy'. This is indeed an 'extraordinary boy' who faces these real life hurdles and comes to know his humanity. This is both a fantastically playful production, including an excellent sequence in which Pinocchio meets the puppets of a travelling puppet show, and a deeply reflective piece. Not only is Pinocchio mocked by his fellow school pupils for his difference but his encounter with the fairground becomes a modern day nightmare when he is effectively led into a dark and aggressive 'rave' by the excellent Laura Sanchez with a wicked glint in her eye. The actors contribute brilliantly to the many different roles they play but Coventry shyster, Jon Tipton as Pinocchio, is particularly noteworthy. This is an important and affecting collaboration to take youngsters to and teaches the journey to responsibility, generosity and humanity. Forget ever elongating noses and see this for a far more enlightening tale than anything presented by a cartoon cricket.' Background The Shysters (Coventry) and Full Body and the Voice (Huddersfield) are two theatre companies that have been in existence for ten years and whose work has been at the forefront of a revolution in changing the way theatre regards actors with learning disabilities. They have now teamed up with York Theatre Royal to apply their unique devising methods to a high quality ‘mainhouse’ production aimed at a traditional theatre-going family audience. A post show discussion and a chance to meet the cast can be arranged with any of the performances. For Further Information Contact: Sue Walker 024 7623 9186 or sue@opentheatre.co.uk PERFORMANCE TIMES & BOOKING INFORMATION Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 November 2007 Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 7.00pm (no performance Friday) Saturday 7.30pm Matinee Performances, Wednesday 1.30pm & Saturday 3.00pm Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) Schools £5.00 and for every 10 students there is 1 FREE ticket Belgrade Theatre Box Office 024 7655 3055 Online www.belgrade.co.uk