Head Set

Delving into amateur stand-up culture and trying to make peace with a messy brain, this joyful and mischievous documentary-theatre show from Victoria Melody is a celebration of neurodiversity and an exploration of the social model of disability. Fed up with theatre-making after a hard tour, Victoria Melody fell back onto her plan b: she decided to try and crack stand-up comedy. But what sounded like genius in her head came out of her mouth as garbled mess, so she sought the help of a speech and language therapist which led to her eventual diagnosis as neurodivergent. Always the experimenter, she took her late age diagnosis of ADHD and autism to neuroscientists and started working with them to examine the scientific potential of stand-up as self-medication for ADHD, using wearable tech to scan her brain while she delivered jokes. Head Set follows Victoria’s strange journey into finding one’s authentic self while trying to succeed in the mainstream.