This piece had two different incarnations: the first was a collaboration with the Glowglobes (Laura Pocket and John Holmes) in 2012, and the second was a re-imagining of the first version in 2016, with just myself and Laura Pocket. The second version wove together the old Albanian fairytale with autobiographical material concerning motherhood, womanhood and gender, all set in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Laura and I realized that as children we were both often mistaken for being boys. This piece allowed us a space to explore that a little more, through an archetypal lens, in a slightly naïve way, before the debate around gender identity, fluidity and pronouns had really risen up into mainstream collective consciousness.

Ladies and gentlemen and anyone who’s not quite sure…Jo Blake brings a vibrant clash of myth and fairytale to life, where cross-dressing and unlikely transformations abound. Bizarre, comedic and magical by turn – and underscored by evocative gypsy-folk music…enter a mirror world where girls slaughter monsters, princes dream of being rescued and reptilian goddesses smirk from the margins.