Utah State Theatre Premieres Pinocchio Teatrale

LOGAN — Pinocchio Teatrale, a new musical by Nicole Adkins and Ashby Blakely, opens in the Morgan Theatre in USU’s Chase Fine Arts Center on Friday, Feb. 24. The show runs select dates through March 4.

Come one, come all! Join the circus troupe on this never-before-seen musical romp through Collodi’s magical tales of a wooden boy and the friends, foes, and family he meets along the way on his quest to be free. What is freedom? What does it mean to be human? And who is really in charge of our fate? Step right up to see who holds the strings.

Director of the show Stefan Espinosa fled the Tucson, Arizona, heat for the fluffy white stuff he’d only read about in books. He has a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Arizona and an MFA in acting from the University of Houston PTTP. Espinosa has spent the last 20 years performing, directing and teaching professionally throughout the region, as well as serving as a fight choreographer and dialect coach. He was the head of Voice and Movement at Idaho State University before coming to Logan for a visiting professor position in the Caine College of the Arts this year. Espinosa co-founded and runs the Utah Festival Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Logan, an education branch of the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre.

“I have always loved new works, new challenges, and have a special spot in my heart for Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), so this project was a perfect fit,” Espinosa said. “TYA is such a powerful medium with the ability to access the imaginations of our youngest theatregoers, helping to shape and inspire the next generation of theatre makers and audiences.”

From the first moment Espinosa met Adkins and Blakely, he knew they shared the same goals and vision for the production and couldn’t wait to bring the story to life. He particularly loves shows for young people that don’t talk down to them and respect their evolving sensibilities as young humans, which he feels is the spirit the playwrights used to approach this story.

Espinosa notes that this adaptation of Pinocchio stays true to Carlo Collodi’s original story, in which Pinocchio is a dynamic character who goes on a significant journey of self-discovery.

“Our version incorporates quite a bit of the original Italian language and style, borrowing from a wide range of theatrical language including circus, commedia dell’arte, clowning, puppetry, and more,” Espinosa said. “The entire show is set in the ‘dark circus’ world of the mysterious and powerful Azure Fairy, and the entire cast and technical team create delightful magic before your very eyes. It’s a feast for the sense and soul.”

Pinocchio Teatrale asks audiences to consider what it means to be human, to truly love someone else as much or more than yourself, and what it means to have agency and accountability in this world of instant gratification and easy answers to hard questions.

“My favorite part is that this story isn’t simply about Pinocchio and his choices, but also the adults around him who must learn and grow to become better versions of themselves, worthy to lead the next generation,” Espinosa said. “Along with the talented cast who dove into this magical circus world with courage and creativity, the technical team is also absolutely stellar and have created a visually stunning world that will delight and inspire audiences of all ages.”

Pinocchio Teatrale plays Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., Feb. 25 at 1 and 7 p.m., March 1-3 at 7 p.m., and March 4 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10-15 and free for USU students with ID. The movie equivalent rating is G. For more information or tickets, contact the CCA Box Office in room L101 of the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU’s campus, call 435-797-8022, or go online to cca.usu.edu.