Donna faces up to life with Pinocchio

Nov 3 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PINOCCHIO actor Donna Griffin attended a casting with a difference at Perth Theatre yesterday.

Donna, who will play the part of the loveable wooden rascal in Perth’s magical Christmas musical, had a life cast made of her face by top sculptor Morag McLean. The resulting exact replica of Donna’s features will be used by Morag to create Pinocchio’s famous growing nose.

Morag, who has worked extensively in television and film in Canada and the UK, most recently as lead sculptor in the 20th Century Fox film, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, to be released early next year, said: “Donna will have to become Pinocchio in more than 40 performances so it is essential that the character’s features are comfortable for her to wear, easy to take on and off, realistic and simple to operate. Making a life cast of Donna’s face is the best way to ensure the most effective result.”

Morag used alginate normally used for making dental impressions to create a ‘reverse mask’ of Donna’s face which will then be filled with plaster to form an exact replica. The model will used by Morag to create Pinocchio’s characteristic features in the form of a removable mask. The life casting process takes no more than 20 minutes.

Donna said: “I was a bit worried about breathing under the cast, but Morag showed me how to blow through my nose to create tiny bubbles which then burst and form air holes – it was actually quite a relaxing experience – a bit like a facial!”

To retain the magic of the show, the exact details about how the mask will operate will remain a closely guarded secret – as Morag explained, that information is available strictly on a ‘need to nose’ basis!

The Horsecross production of Pinocchio runs in Perth Theatre from Friday, December 4, to Saturday, January 2. For further information and tickets, call Horsecross Box Office on 01738 621 031, or visit www.horsecross.co.uk