«Pinocchio might have preferred to remain a tree»

Mrs Tsang, how did you come up with the idea of staging Pinocchio?

It wasn't an intellectual decision, more an intuitive one. I was walking in a forest in Zurich with my friend Tosh (she plays the lead role in Pinocchio, editor's note). We were having a lot of fun and suddenly said: How about Pinocchio? We'd never done a children's play before.

What does it take?

Children need much less context than adults and have their own approach to stories. They are very open, are sometimes better at recognising emotional nuances and read body language very accurately.

The children in the audience talk, laugh or shout along without inhibition.

Imagination, music and movement have a great influence on them.

That's exactly where we come in. I think it also helped that I don't understand the German language and first had to get to grips with it like a child. But we wanted a play that works for both adults and children. It does this on various levels: linguistically, dramaturgically, visually and sonically. We draw on the full potential of often the simplest means.

Do you have an example?

When Pinocchio flies on the bird. The actors move only minimally, but the video effects take the audience along on this flight.

What feedback have you received from the children's viewers so far?

What touches me at every performance is how the children get emotionally involved. There is no filter to keep their feelings to themselves: They talk, laugh or shout along without restraint.

Is there a scene that the children particularly like?

Quite a few. One of them is when Pinocchio comes to life. How the wooden puppet discovers his body. The awkward movements at the beginning, when he gets up, walks and falls again. The children really empathise.

I immediately fell in love with the snail, one of the two protagonists. What is your favourite character?

I love them all, of course (laughs). But the children seem to love the snail and the blackbird, the second protagonist, in particular. They are usually depicted in the drawings we receive from them. Because of their roles, Blackbird and Snail are particularly close to the children: they are in direct dialogue with the audience, ask them questions and involve them. That connects them.

And both have amazing costumes.

Kyle Luu's costumes are really fantastic.

Collodi's work is teeming with animals. Why a snail and a blackbird, of all things, as narrators?

We chose the snail because it is so slow and in no hurry. It teaches Pinocchio to be patient and perceives life differently to the blackbird. The snail is very lively, inquisitive, flutters and hops around and wears its heart on its sleeve. The snail lives on the ground. The blackbird can fly and shows Pinocchio the world from a bird's eye view. The two narrative characters complement each other perfectly and make it possible to experience the story from two different perspectives.

A Pinocchio story that has never been told like this before. How did this version come about?

I see our play as a hybrid of Collodi and Disney. In terms of the narrative style, we orientated ourselves on the compact Disney version. Collodi conceived Pinocchio as a series in a magazine. So it's very loose and difficult to follow narratively. But we are very fond of his wild imagination.

Tell us.

In contrast to Disney, Collodi is less concerned with Pinocchio's development from a wooden puppet to a real boy. Like us, he starts out as part of a tree. Pinocchio carries this wild, original nature within him and must somehow come to terms with human reality.

They go even further: Pinocchio is part of an animated tree, an animated forest. They place him in a larger context than the original.

We do this very consciously. During our research, we read many books about trees and the forest. One that particularly inspired us was «The Secret Life of Trees» by the German forester Peter Wohlleben. He shows how trees function and their life strategies, how they form entire communities, even families, and how the strong take care of the weak.

Pinocchio brings with him all the forest knowledge, this deeper understanding of ecosystems and social cohesion.

Pinocchio is not the stupid, simple-minded wooden puppet who has to be taught better by people?

No, on the contrary. Pinocchio becomes Geppetto's teacher in the end. He brings with him all this forest knowledge, this deeper understanding of ecosystems and social cohesion.

Nevertheless, as in the original, Pinocchio is not immune to human error. He stumbles from one trap to the next.

It stems from his forest nature: Pinocchio is far too trusting. He shares everything, just as he did as a tree. This is exploited in the human world. If you read Collodi carefully, you will discover a pronounced social criticism. He warns ordinary farmers and people of the dangers of industrialisation and capitalism. We also explore the question of how we can nurture the vitality and love within us and at the same time protect ourselves from an environment that is not loving and nurturing.

Pinocchio doesn't want to become human?

For us, this question is part of the original and we find it exciting. Pinocchio knows and appreciates the advantages of the wooden puppet. For example, that he can't drown.

What does being human mean to you?

Well, I'm human (laughs) and I can only try to imagine what a non-human experience might be. I've been following this thread in my work for years: I try to explore and embrace the limited human perspective.

What did you discover?

People are much more emotional and simpler in their needs than they would like to be. Our behaviour is rooted in our relationships, our families, our childhood experiences. We are captivated by this fantasy of technology, progress and superiority. I don't see us as the crown of creation.

The human concept of gender is a very narrow one compared to the animal world.

Pinocchio's gender is also more broadly defined: The wooden puppet is not aiming to become a boy, as in Disney.

I think the human concept of gender is a very narrow one compared to the animal world. We see it as more fluid and try to open it up more.

Not only with the androgynous Pinocchio, but also with figures such as the blue fairy with the posture of a Viking, who playfully prances through the spheres in a tutu.

(laughs) For example.

Everything is animated and interconnected. The piece also creates a spiritual dimension.

We talk a lot about transformation. Pinocchio would perhaps have liked to have remained a tree and not been cut down. Once it has happened, however, the figure cannot return to its tree form. The same applies to Geppetto, who finds himself in the tree after his death. Perhaps as a memory, as a thought only, we leave it open. The play has plenty of room for interpretation.

What would you like to give the audience?

In addition to the best entertainment and lots of glitter?

Exactly. Your core messages.

Pinocchio is born into this world involuntarily. Just like us. We all start out with different prerequisites and then look for the path that is right for us. Change can be scary, but it is part of life. Pinocchio shows all of this. And wouldn't it be great if we could live in harmony with our inner and outer nature and take more care of each other?