Joanna Holden on Gothic Horror and Finding Liberation in the Menopause ahead of Countess Dracula at Camden People’s Theatre

Why did you choose Dracula specifically as the myth to reframe through menopause, and what did you want to subvert in that story?

I just casually said to Jack one day, “I want to be Dracula so I can drink the blood of young men and get my libido back.” Jack went off and read the book and came back and said this is really exciting, there are loads of parallels in here. We didn’t think long and hard about it. The funny idea came first, and the more we delved into it, the more we found it stuck.

How does the gothic tradition, with its obsession with blood, decay and transformation, lend itself to conversations about ageing and bodily change?

I think they are really connected. They are huge human themes with lots of fear and superstition attached. Frame that through the prism of a female body and suddenly it’s even more resonant. The idea that women past a certain age are useless or, worse, dangerous is something that has been around a long time. Yet there is a power and a liberation as a woman to be freed from the shackles of the male gaze, and perhaps that is a bit dangerous to some people.

The show embraces horror and satire in equal measure. Do you see laughter as a way of disarming fear around menopause?

I think laughter can be a really good way to break down barriers and to open up conversation. Whilst it doesn’t always feel like it when you are living with it, there is a funny side to menopause, and if we can create a space where you can share and laugh about it, I think that can be really helpful and healing for everyone concerned. We ran some workshops as part of the development for this show, and whilst there were a lot of emotions in the room, laughter and sharing experiences really helped to bind everyone together.

Menopause is rarely addressed in theatre. Why do you think that absence persists, and how does Countess Dracula intervene in that silence?

I think theatre reflects society, and it doesn’t get talked about much there either. I think that is starting to change. I have found, making this show, that so many women really want to talk about this subject. I hope this show creates a space where that conversation can be a bit more out in the open and the whole subject not seen as something that must be buried in silence.

This is a show with a central theme that affects half of the population. How do you see the relationship between stage performance and community engagement?

I hope it can be a place where people can see elements of their life reflected in an abstract and playful way, where conversations can begin in a lighter and less pressured way. We have worked with women with lived experience of the menopause, and I think there is clearly demand to do more of that. Little by little, conversations can start, and that will hopefully make a difference to people’s lives.

Working with Jack Kelly as producer, how has collaboration shaped the work, and what role does trust play in creating something this vulnerable?

Trust is really important. Jack and I have worked together a lot, but this is the first time on a project that is so personal. I think because we have that established relationship, it has allowed us to explore areas that might have been tricky or felt out of bounds had I been working with someone for the first time.

Finally, do you see Countess Dracula as part of a larger movement in theatre toward confronting female ageing and embodiment more directly?

I don’t know. I don’t get out enough! I think there is a growing recognition of voices that are missing from the conversation, whether that be female, LGBTQ+ or BAME, and it is slow, but it feels as if things are trying to change. I’m not sure this show is part of a movement, but I think work that shares experiences that are often missed is really important. So I hope there will be more.

Countess Dracula will run at Camden People’s Theatre from 29 October – 1 November 2025. Ticket link is HERE.