'Troubled' is a 60 minute semi-autobiographical solo show from the Less Alone, More Alive! Project.
An extraordinary tale of love, loss and human connection - told with tea and biscuits.
Troubled made its 4* Edinburgh debut in 2025 (The Scotsman) and continues to tour into 2026 and 2027.
Troubled
"...and I run. I run from myself, to myself,
for myself"
Troubled
© Photograph: Rich Lakos
ABOUT
It’s 1993, Mum won’t let Alice go to Funderland because Belfast is burning.
'How about Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and Chinese chicken balls instead?’
Fast forward to the present day, where Alice meets Tim, finally falling in love but can she escape the legacy of a childhood shaped by conflict or will everything unravel?
Troubled is an extraordinary tale of love, loss and human connection- told with tea and biscuits. Blending storytelling, projection, and audience interaction, Troubled reckons with the past, offering us renewed hope for the future.
The show is accompanied by an optional 'Less Alone, More Alive!' workshop program which teaches creative wellbeing tools and is accompanied by a mental health first aider.
Executive Produced by Roisin Gallagher and Patrick Handley with Development supported by ACE.
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© Photograph: Cemanthe McKenzie
'An excitingly honest depiction of the power of human connection told with daring vulnerability' -
Haley McGee, Olivier Award Nominated Theatre Maker
TOUR DATES
We are excited to announce further UK tour dates
HOME MCR - Manchester, May 2026
Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, - Belfast, May 2026
More exciting dates and venues to follow in 2026 and 2027
WHY NOW?
All around the world, right now, we are faced with conflict. Troubled looks at the impact of division on a human being, who needs to acknowledge the past in order to move forwards.
The raw material of the play came from journaling, a wellbeing practice that I use daily. As I began to write about the past, and growing up during the 'Troubles', fragments of material began to create resonances with one another, knots became untangled, and threads of stories began to intertwine. As I wrote, and as I shared what I wrote, I began to feel less alone, and more alive.
Through my experience & involvement within community groups as a facilitator, I saw that what really helped people was the power of story. Whether that is writing their own story, becoming conscious of the stories that loop in their mind, or to be able to connect through stories — to watch a story and say, ‘Yes, that’s me! I felt like that too.’
© Photograph: Tallulah Self
'Thank you for modelling vulnerability' - Participant at Open School East
PRESS AND AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
⭐️FINALIST for the Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award in partnership with The Scotsman.
⭐️The Scotsman: 4 STARS ‘Warm intelligence and humour and a steady supply of tea and biscuits’ (Review is paywalled)
⭐️One 4 Review: 4.5 STARS 'Her presence alone is magnetic’ ‘Intimate, generous and deeply human’
⭐️The Student Review: 4 STARS ‘Crothers’ performance style is one of immense charm’
⭐️Fringe Review: ‘Highly recommended show’
⭐️What the fringe?!: 'Highly commended show'
⭐️The List: 'It might change your life a little'
⭐️What audiences are saying: click here (see reviews/ audience tab)
JOURNEY
This show has been developed through research and development, supported by Patrick Handley and Art Council England.
We are now reviewing proposals from partners who want to take part in the last chapter of our development, and our full-stage tour in 2026 and 2027. We've had the privilege of sharing this work at Sheffield Theatre, Belgrade-Coventry, Edinburgh and Ark- Margate.
We are looking for the following forms of support:
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Venues to host a performance.
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Workshop delivery partners.
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Match funding.
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Provide support in kind (rehearsal space, marketing support).
If your organisation would like to be involved please contact Susan and her team here.
100% of WIP audience members at Camden People's Theatre said they would like to see a full version of the show.
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© Photograph: Cemanthe McKenzie
© Photograph: Tallulah Self
OUTREACH
The show is accompanied by optional Less Alone, More Alive! workshops which teach the creative wellbeing skills that Suzy used to aid her wellbeing and creative process, through a ‘Creative Wellbeing Toolkit.’
The workshops have been delivered to over 100 people, including groups with neurodivergencies & mental health challenges, and with vulnerable groups including unaccompanied asylum seekers, and people experiencing bereavement.
They are formulated to cultivate moments of care, joy and connection, infused with Northern Irish values around the role of food & storytelling in creating communal joy.
Workshops require an environment here we can co-create a space for our session. We bring brightly coloured rugs, cushions and these sessions are accompanied by music. A space to make and serve tea and biscuits. The workshops are accompanied by a mental health first aider.
If you would like to book a workshop please contact Suzy and her team here.
93% of participants said that they had improved awareness of creative wellbeing tools after taking the workshop.
"Superbly written and acted."
- Audience Member, Camden People's Theatre
© Photograph: Georgia Hudson
Tinderbox Theatre Company, Kate Baiden, Lemn Sissay OBE, Haley McGee, Dr Emma Janes, Kat Woods, Patrick Handley, Theatre 503, Caroline Horton, Benn Keaveney of Mind
THANKS TO
