Leaning on imagination and 'being naughty,' the Children's Theatre prepares to bring 'Pinocchio' to life

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The imagination is a powerful engine, especially for younger audiences who are capable of building entire worlds and myhtologies at the drop of a hat.

That’s not lost in the Children’s Theatre Company‘s upcoming retelling of “Pinocchio,” which the Minneapolis theater will stage for the first time since 2016.

This version, adapted and directed by Greg Banks, isn’t the straightforward story of a wooden boy making mistakes, defying his creator, and coming of age. Instead, a crew of painters tell the story and build Pinocchio’s world with the tools at hand: Scaffolding, paint brushes and cans, sawhorses, planks, and wallpaper.

Reed Sigmund and Antonisia Collins in the Children’s Theatre Company production of “Pinocchio.”

Glen Stubbe for Children’s Theatre Company

“I think it’s fun for kids to see that we don’t have to roll in another piece of scenery to make a place happen,” says Banks, who has directed many productions at the theater.

“We can just let them know where we are. We go to school, and just put a plank over two sawhorses and that’s the school bench. We’re there. You ring a bell and we’re there. I think it has that playful element. Kids, when they’re playing, they don’t have any problem deciding they’re in a castle or now we’re in the woods and now we’re all swimming underwater. They just do it. Then, suddenly, everything’s on fire. They just do it.”

The production invites its audience to join in the process of imagining this world, and maybe to find some joy in the contrast of a magical, larger-than-life story told from a real-world place on a sparse stage.

“My wife laughs at me,” Banks says. “Are you doing another show where it’s all beaten-up things?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, yeah, because I kind of like that.’ I have done some more expensive sets, but even then, I like rough stuff. I like stuff that feels accessible and doesn’t feel posh.”

Antonisia Collins and Dean Holt in the Children’s Theatre Company production of “Pinocchio.”

Glen Stubbe for Children’s Theatre Company

While it’s famously a story with a moral, that playfulness and the depth of the relationship between Geppetto and Pinocchio is key to bringing the story to life for the director.

“It’s a good story that resonates for parents and kids because Geppetto is a parent and Pinocchio’s a child who’s just growing up through the world,” Banks says.

“All our kids grow up through the world. We have to watch them making mistakes, getting it wrong. Sometimes they do everything right, and even that can be wrong because they need to be naughtier. Being naughty is part of growing up.

“That can sound terribly serious. In a way, I’m not that person. I want people to have fun and be a bit naughty. So, we enjoy Pinocchio being naughty, but then we do see, yeah, he does have to learn some lessons as well.”

“Pinocchio,” which starts the CTC’s 2026-27 season, opens on Friday, Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 8 at 2400 3rd Ave. S in Minneapolis. Ticket prices range from $25 to $80.