Video: Get an Extended Look at Arden Theatre's PINOCCHIO

Get an extended look at Arden Theatre Company's modern retelling of the classic tale — a wooden boy, a nose that grows, a huge whale, and a cricket with a lot of opinions. Directed by Rebecca Wright, the production features a book by playwright Greg Banks (from the story of Carlo Collodi), and music by composer Victor Zupanc.

From the moment Gepetto creates him from a stick of wood, Pinocchio dreams of being a real boy. But will the all-too-tempting delights of puppet shows and Playland be too much for Pinocchio? When Gepetto is swallowed by a whale, it is up to this little puppet to show his courage and prove his love for his Papa is real. This is a new, fast-paced, story-within-a-story version of the classic Pinocchio tale.

In a wildly imaginative production, Pinocchio is filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, and adventures that will amaze and delight children of all ages.

Arden Theatre Company was founded in 1988 by Terrence J. Nolen, Amy Murphy, and Aaron Posner. The company began producing at the 70-seat Walnut Street Theatre Studio, and was immediately hailed as a welcome addition to the Philadelphia theatre community.  After our second season, we co-founded the St. Stephen’s Performing Arts Center, which held a larger theatre and a unified location for classes, education programs, administrative offices, and production shops. 

In 1995, the Arden purchased and renovated a 50,000 square foot building in historic Old City, creating a thriving two-theatre complex and a new home. Our presence has helped Old City emerge as one of the region’s most popular destinations, with a significant economic impact on the neighborhood. The move was also the catalyst for the creation of Arden Children’s Theatre in 1998, the city’s first resident professional children’s theatre. Arden Children’s Theatre was founded on the dual premises that children’s theatre must maintain the same high production values as our nationally-respected Mainstage shows, and that theatre should be affordable for children and their families.  

In November of 2013, we opened the Hamilton Family Arts Center; a two-story, multi-use building situated just north of our main theatre building.  The building houses six classrooms, a teacher resource center, the Arden’s rehearsal hall, scenic design shop, and paint deck, and a third performance space, the 100-seat Bob and Selma Horan Studio Theatre. The additional space provided by the Hamilton gives the Arden the ability to support the development of multiple projects at the same time.

The Arden’s Education Department includes Arden for All (AFA), our theatre access and education program for underserved young people; Arden Drama School, our after-school, Saturday, and summer camp classes for students in grades pre K-12; Teen Arden, an immersive after-school access program for Philadelphia-area based teenagers and the Arden Professional Apprentice Program, a nationally renowned comprehensive theatre management training program.

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