Countess Dracula
From the forgotten depths something truly awful is coming.
Lurking in the shadows is your worst nightmare.
A parasite,
a monster,
a Woman!
This is no ordinary adaptation.
Joanna Holden is getting on. The roles are drying up and so is everything else. After too
long in the shadows she’s coming to claim
what is hers. One of literatures greatest
monsters as you’ve never seen it before. Longtime collaborators Joanna Holden
and OftheJackel are fusing their significant experience in physical comedy and clown
(Cirque De Soleil, Clowns Without Borders...)
with Joanna’s lived experience of the menopause. From this unholy marriage will spring something truly terrifying. A raucous retelling of Bram Stokers famous tale full of blood, rage and humour.
To Whom It May Concern:
Joanna Holden has been a highly valued member of the Told by an Idiot family for many years. Her extensive experience as a performer, creator, and also a practitioner within our Taught by an Idiot program has made her an indispensable part of our team.
In addition to performing in numerous ‘Idiot’ shows, Joanna directed our successful family show, Get Happy in 2021, which toured to community spaces across the country. She also led accompanying workshops for all ages. She never fails to engage and invigorate participants, and is celebrated as a brilliantly enthusiastic, considerate and talented creative. We have always had brilliant feedback from any workshops Joanna has led, including from a recent teacher CPD workshop:
“We had such a great afternoon. Joey was amazing. We all said afterwards she did an incredible job of making us feel super comfortable (even though she got us doing some rather silly things!!) and it was great how the exercises so naturally allowed us to be free and playful without feeling self-conscious. Lots of great techniques for our team to take into the classroom.”
Given her proven creativity, openness and exceptional skills, I wholeheartedly endorse Joanna’s bid for funding for the upcoming production of Countess Dracula and I am excited to see how the project progresses. This retelling offers a unique opportunity for a middle-aged woman experiencing menopause to portray one of literature's greatest monsters, in a raucous narrative filled with horror and dark comedy.
I equally support the accompanying community workshops, where individuals affected by menopause can share their experiences and insights. Joanna will brilliantly engage this audience, expertly creating a welcoming space for expression and connection through comedy and performance, fostering understanding and solidarity.
Yours faithfully,
Jennifer Holton, Executive Director
Joanna Holden
Lead Artist
Joanna Holden is a renowned performer with over 25 years experience as actor, director, clown and facilitator. Born and raised in a working class family in Scunthorpe, despite a career spanning the globe she has never lost her northern roots.
A long time collaborator with Told By An Idiot and John Wright she has also worked with Directors such as Roxana Silbert, Stephen Daldry, Cal McCrystal and Angela De Castro. In an extensive career Joanna has worked with companies including Cirque du Soleil, Kneehigh, The RSC, The National Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Hull Truck, Soho, The Royal Festival Hall, York Theatre Royal, Theatre By The Lake, Bolton Octagon, Northern Stage and Sheffield Crucible.
OftheJackel
Producer
OftheJackel led by Artistic Director Jack Kelly, make visual theatre shows for audiences of all ages. We specialise in making work for hearing and D/deaf audiences. Our shows are physical, playful, and deeply accessible. OftheJackel makes work for first-time theatregoers and life-long fans alike. We are inclusive. We are committed to taking our work outside of traditional touring venues. We seek to reflect our audiences’ lives in our work. We have developed and performed work at The Soho, The Bush, The Little Angel, The Lyric,
Arts Depot, Camden Peoples Theatre, Attenborough Arts,
Tall Stories, Battersea Arts Centre, The New Diorama, Wilton’s Music Hall, The Cockpit and Theatre Delicatessen. Our work has been described as: “Madcap Brilliance...Sheer Comedic Joy” ***** Broadway Baby
“a lovely cross between Edward Lear's nonsense and Chaucer's middle English tales.” **** The List
Countess
Dracula
Drawing a line through the inglorious history of woman’s marginalisation. From Lilith, Adam’s first wife (typical she’s only remembered cos
of who she married!). Cast out of Eden for refusing to
submit to a man. Lilith was forced to take refuge in a
desolate area (sound familiar?) and walk the
earth with demons and became, so the legend goes, the mother of all vampires, through witch
trials to 20th Century advertising right up to the
present day where feminism is now available to be
sold back to you for a tidy profit. This is a show about our
fear of ageing. Giving voice to that which is right in front of us but that we dare not confront. It’s about loss and acceptance, obsolescence, transition and transforma- tion.
The narrative around menopause is shifting. Whilst there is still a long way to go there is a space emerging to talk about it. This show aims to be part of that conver- sation. We want to explore this issue and how it intersects with other outside forces, social, political, economic and the different experiences and pressures depending on who you are and where you are from. 50% of the population will experience the menopause and the other half will have women in their lives experiencing it. Mothers, Partners etc. 13 million people in the UK are currently peri or menopausal. 90% were never taught about it at school. 62.7% had found it either difficult or very difficult – with women describing their experiences as a “nightmare”and“awful”.
As Dracula says in the novel “I am coming for ALL of your women!” This show is for everyone with a female body or who first grew in one.
Previous Collaborations
Between Joanna & OftheJackel
SPLAT!
Splat is a physical comedy about Art and Creativity for ages 3-6. Set in an artists studio the show follows two aspiring artists one dedicated and serious the other erratic and messy. The two characters attempt to complete their masterpieces whilst antagonising each other in the process. They take a journey through the history of visual art, experiencing the techniques of the great masters and movements before eventually realising that to achieve anything they must embrace their opposites and work together. The show explores themes of collaboration, play, dedication, spontaneity and letting go. The show features no language and is accessible for deaf audiences.
Plant
PLANT
Warning may contain nuts!
If you go down to the woods today who knows what you might find…
A Squirrel busy at work
A Pigeon lost and far from home
OftheJackel returns with a brand new show for ages 3-6.
Plant is a tender comic celebration of the natural world, abundance and sharing for ages 3-6.
A squirrel hides a nut from a nosy pigeon inadvertently planting a tree in the process. They squabble through the seasons until a tree emerges providing enough nuts for everyone.