Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak at The Garage

After a critically acclaimed run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, award-winning theatre maker Victoria Melody (Northern Soul, Hair Peace, Major Tom, Head Set) takes Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak on tour of the UK this Autumn. Directed by political comedian and director Mark Thomas, the show has been praised for its humour, warmth and radical spirit. A joyful testament (The Guardian) and a ‘hymn to community and solidarity’ (The Stage), Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak offers a bold, funny and heartfelt celebration of communities and the ordinary people who shape history.

What started with Victoria Melody joining a historical re-enactment group to navigate her divorce grew into something bigger: an unexpected journey into the legacy of the 17th Century Diggers. Once landless radicals who occupied common ground in the face of poverty and hunger, the Diggers’ spirit lives on today – still here and fighting - in the modern activists and community organisers Victoria encountered along the way.

Through storytelling, comedy and her trademark immersive style, Victoria draws a line between past and present, shining a spotlight on the grassroots fight for food justice, green spaces and local resilience. Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak is about what happens when communities are let down by those in power and step up to fill the gaps themselves.

Relaying the stories of the modern-day Diggers who are still answering the call to arms 375 years later, Victoria steps from re-enactment into reality, where history isn’t just remembered but made. It’s a story rooted in Whitehawk, Brighton, but it resonates far beyond. So many towns and cities across the UK have their own pockets where working-class communities are facing the fallout of political decisions, yet still finding ways to organise, resist and thrive.

Victoria Melody comments, This show has been made with pure love and built with the community at every stage, from the knitted vegetables to the sounds collected in the show. People from Whitehawk have given their stories, feedback and challenged me all the way through. Through this production, I wanted to show the great work people here are doing to keep each other afloat. These are ordinary heroes doing extraordinary things. It’s a disgrace that food poverty and battles for land and space are everyday realities in this country – but they are. And without the people stepping up in places like Whitehawk, we would all be in a much worse state.

Recognised for her unique, immersive approach to theatre-making, Victoria brings real communities to the stage with humour and heart. Her critically acclaimed shows blend documentary, comedy and social commentary, making complex issues accessible, funny and defiantly hopeful.