"Their combined talents are formidable: strong acting, craftsmanship, musicality, originality and terrific vitality. Their high ideals show, but they are combined with a real feeling for popular entertaining, meaning that the work is accessible and funny but not shallow."
The company was formed in 1977 by Jacqueline Ilett and Holly Griffin. Since then, Jacolly has toured theatres, schools and festivals the length and breadth of Britain and through much of Canada, representing British puppetry in festivals abroad.
Past productions have included a fairytale ("Jack & the Beanstalk", which toured North America nine times); anti-violence plays ("Our Punch Show" & "The Tale"); entertainments demonstrating the basics of puppetry ("Puppeterama" and "Hands Up!"); and cabaret (alias Madame Rosa Bottles).
Productions have also been commissioned on awareness-development themes that have included Energy-Saving ("Hi Energy!" and "Astra and the Wastemonster"); Road Safety ("Dogworthy's Magic Roadshow"); and the work of the National Trust ("The Centenary Show").
Funders have included British county councils, Canadian arts and education councils and the British Council.
Although others sometimes join us for special projects, we are, at core, a company of three
Jac (BA jnt. hns. German & Drama) worked for several years as an actress in repertory theatre and as puppeteer/puppet-maker for Polka, Dasilva and the Little Angel Theatre before meeting Holly |
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Following art school, Holly worked in films and advertising and as a puppet-maker. Then she bought a schooner which she sailed to the Mediterranean where she began her career as a puppeteer |
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