Chichester's Pinocchio takes to the stage

In this most extraordinary of years, Annalise Bradbury and Olivia Dickens are cherishing every moment they spend with Chichester Festival Youth Theatre.
Annalise Bradbury in rehearsal for CFYT's Pinocchio Photo by Richard GibbonsAnnalise Bradbury in rehearsal for CFYT's Pinocchio Photo by Richard Gibbons
Annalise Bradbury in rehearsal for CFYT's Pinocchio Photo by Richard Gibbons

Both are in the company for this year’s Christmas show, a socially-distanced run of Pinocchio on the main-house stage (December 16-January 2).

Olivia, aged 12, who comes from Chichester and attends Bishop Luffa, said: “Rehearsals have been different, but they are still as good as ever. It is just good to have something to come to. We have to have social distancing on and off stage, and we have to wear masks off stage. And we are having to sanitise our hands. But it is just really nice to be doing something with a lot of people.”

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Olivia has been with the youth theatre for a couple of years now: “I have always loved acting and dancing and singing. It is a really good environment to come into.”

Playing a cricket in the show, just like Olivia, is Annalise, who is 13 and attends the Millais School in Horsham where she lives.

“I started in the youth theatre at the start of year six. My sister had been in it for a few years, and I just really enjoyed acting and singing and dancing, and the youth theatre had only just come to Horsham. It was quite new to us, and I just wanted to try it.

“This is my first youth theatre production. My sister has done Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty. She knows the theatre quite well. I came to watch her in the Christmas shows and the other shows, but this was the first year when I have been able to audition.”

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Olivia is delighted at the choice of show for them all: “It is brilliant that there are so many ensemble parts as well. When you are looking for a show, you don’t just look at the story; you are looking at the key characters and at how many people can be involved. I knew this story, but I didn’t know it that well. It has been adapted and there are a couple of little twists.”

It will all be part of a very different Christmas for everyone.

“Usually we see our cousins at Christmas, but they are in tier three at the moment,” Annalise says. “They live up in Leicester. We can’t see them this year, but we are still able to see our grandad. But we can’t see our friends.”

But at least they can still do this. And Annalise and Olivia are convinced it will add to the fun of their festive season.

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“I just love being here,” Olivia says. “I don’t see it as work at all! I am just so happy to be here.”

Whether it is all going to lead to a career in showbiz, it’s understandably far too early to say: “I just know that I really really love acting and dancing and singing, but at the moment I don’t know what I want to do. I am just jumping around ideas!”

Annalise’s mind is a little more made up: “I do think this would be my first choice of career, but I know that it is very hard to get into. There are so many people in the industry. I just don’t know. I am still quite young – and I just keep changing my mind about what I want to do!”

The show comes in a new adaptation by Anna Ledwich with music by Tom Brady from the original novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.

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Anna’s previous work at Chichester includes The Butterfly Lion (2019), Crossing Lines (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2018).

Dale Rooks previous work at the CFT includes The Butterfly Lion, The Midnight Gang and Running Wild.