Pinocchio (2025)

At the Flying Carpet Children’s Festival 2025—the world’s first mobile arts festival dedicated to children in conflict zones along the Turkish-Syrian border—the timeless story of Pinocchio (originally created by Italian author Carlo Collodi) was reimagined into an extraordinary, multidisciplinary live production under the vision of director Ava Darvishi. Staged across open-air historical sites and non-traditional community spaces, the performance brought Collodi’s tale of agency, truth, and transformation to life through a rich synthesis of physical theater, immersive design, and community engagement. The visual world was anchored by striking multimedia projections and art created by Naghmeh Farzanehand Nima Dehghani, whose fluid, imaginative backdrops interacted seamlessly with the cast, while Camellia Rashidi’s evocative lighting design sculpted the open-air stages with rich color palettes and dramatic contrast. Adding depth and tactile texture to the performance, the imaginative costume and prop design was co-crafted by Soheila Bajelan, Shayan Shariat, and Micaela Bottari, who built handcrafted outfits, expressive puppetry, and inventive tactile props that allowed the story's magic to pop off the stage. Together, this collaborative creative team turned a classic story about breaking free from puppet strings into a deeply moving celebration of resilience, playfulness, and human connection for thousands of young audience members.