Victoria Melody
(dir. Mark Thomas)
Trouble, Struggle,
Bubble & Squeak
→ entry · access · artist · reviews · credits · websites Updated 8 January 2026
Presented by Lowry + Word of Warning as a WTF Wednesday
Award-winning theatre maker and “Fringe legend” (Time Out), Victoria Melody joined a historical re-enactment society… because we all deal with divorce differently!
Spending weekends as a Musketeer trying to get her head straight, Victoria uncovered the story of a bunch of 17th-century radicals called the Diggers — and everything changed.
What started as a personal search for happiness turned into a quest to find the Diggers of today. She didn’t expect to find them far from the battlefield, right on her doorstep.
Blending storytelling and stand-up, past and present collide in this tale of high jinks and resistance.
Directed by Mark Thomas, it celebrates the ordinary people still shaping history.
Entry
Pay What You Decide: £20/£15/£10/£5/£0 (advance booking recommended).
Tickets: available online or call Lowry on 0161 876 2000
Time: Wednesday 11 February 2026, 8pm (no interval, ends about 9pm).
Location: Lowry (Aldridge Studio 1), Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ.
Access
Age Advisory: 14+ (parent/guardian/carer discretion).
Content Warnings: please click here.
Features: a contemporary performance work with varied content including spoken English; occurs in Aldridge Studio 1 on the second floor, a studio space with raked seating.
Queries: please contact Lowry on 0161 876 2183 or access@thelowry.com
Artist
Victoria is an award-winning British artist with a passion for other people’s passions. Her work is rooted in playful, human-centred storytelling and combines meticulous research with on-the-ground community engagement, creating pieces that are accessible, witty, and deeply moving. She embeds herself in unique subcultures becoming an active participant in their rituals, then blends documentary techniques with theatrical performance to give a voice to these often-overlooked stories.
She works in theatre, film, and stand-up comedy producing work on-stage, on-screen, in audio, and in the public realm. In the past she has become a pigeon racer, northern soul dancer, championship dog handler, beauty queen, funeral director, comedian, and skipper.
Engaging with audiences who don’t normally go to the theatre is at the forefront of what Victoria does. Her work merges the personal with the political and although it can tackle difficult subjects such as food poverty, death, neurodiversity, and impossible beauty standards it does so with care, creativity, tons of humour, and an ambition to make change.
Known for her unique, immersive approach – living the life and learning the trade – Victoria brings real communities to the stage with warmth, humour, and heart. Her critically acclaimed shows blend documentary, comedy, and social commentary, making complex issues accessible, funny, and defiantly hopeful.
Reviews
★★★★ A joyful testament to people power and a heartening parable about the possibility of collective action — The Guardian
A delightfully oddball solo account … where she finds wonderful people, everyday heroes, in and out of armor — The New Yorker
★★★★ Hymn to community and solidarity — The Stage
★★★★ A moving and inspirational comic call to arms — The List
★★★★ I doubt there will be many, if any, shows at the Fringe this year which will restore your faith in humanity — The Quinntessential Review
Credits
Victoria Melody and Mark Thomas present Trouble, Struggle, Bubble and Squeak
Writer & Performer: Victoria Melody
Director: Mark Thomas
Producer: Faith Dodkins
Sound Designer: Simon James
Design Consultant: Katharina Radeva
Lighting Designer: Sean
Commissioned by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival with financial support from East Brighton Trust, Creative Crawley as part of Creative Playground, and Keep It Fringe.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Developed with Crew Club, East Brighton Food Co-op, Friends of Whitehawk Hill, The English Civil War Society, and Woolly Umbrella.
Image: Matt Stronge
Websites
victoriamelody.com · Insta @victoriamelody_