‘The Misadventures of Pinocchio: The Radical Robot Girl!’

London theatre troupe moves home to Wales with a reimagined Pinocchio tale for the Greta Thunberg generation

The Bohemians Theatre Co. return to their hometown as The Misadventures of Pinocchio: The Radical Robot Girl! visits Llanelli’s Ffwrnes between the 28th and 30th of May.

The Bohemians are an actor-musician theatre company formed by Rose Bruford graduates in 2018, including their Artistic Director, Llanelli-born Benji Mowbray. Having performed all over the country and across their former London base, they are delighted to now be bringing their politically-charged shows to Wales, with live music at the heart of their storytelling. 

The Misadventures of Pinocchio: The Radical Robot Girl! is a folk-rock fairy-tale for the Greta Thunberg generation set in a post-apocalyptic Wales. Audiences will still get noses that grow, puppet-masters and all the dazzling magic, but are warned not to expect a typical happily ever after! Written by Joel Nash, it’s an anarchic adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s ‘The Adventures of Pinocchio’. The piece started out as a lockdown writing project between two founding members of The Bohemians, Benji Mowbray and Joel Nash.  

Director Benji explains, “This isn’t any old version of Pinocchio. We’ve completely reimagined the original story to say something about the world we live in today. We are exploring how climate change might affect the future of young people in Wales. It’s an 80 minute actor-muso extravaganza exploring the challenges of following your dream and how to navigate the ever changing world we live in. We’ve also written a completely original score with punk rock songs, classic musical theatre moments and some fun folky melodies.”

Originally born in Swansea, Benji grew up in Llanelli, where he is delighted The Bohemians will now be based. For their performances at The Ffwrnes, ‘pay-what-you-decide’ tickets are available, helping to make it more accessible for families.  

Benji said, “I fell in love with theatre from a young age putting on shows in the back garden with my sister. I was a proud member of Llanelli Youth Theatre, where I cut my teeth before going to Rose Bruford College in London to study Actor-Musicianship. Bringing The Bohemians back home to Wales is a full circle moment for me personally. I hope that this is the beginning of our work in Wales and that we can inspire the next generation of theatre makers and actor-musicians to dream big.”

Sharon Casey

Theatres Development Manager

“Here at Theatrau Sir Gȃr, we have a strong commitment to nurturing local talent and fostering the growth of emerging creative individuals. The Bohemians Theatre Co has origins in Llanelli, we are pleased to support their ambition to return to the town, and to establish themselves in our artistic community, which in turn will enrich the cultural landscape of Carmarthenshire.” 

Tickets are ‘pay-what-you-decide’ and priced at £1, £3, £5 or £8. Bookings can be made online at www.theatrausirgar.co.uk or with the box office on 0345 2263510.