A Glastonbury-based performer is taking to the stage with a new play that explores life as a van dweller — a way of life rooted in the town's modern-day traveller culture.

Maddie Wakeling, 28, who lives in a van herself, debuted her one-woman show Roadside at the Trinity Arts Centre. The production draws on her personal experiences and conversations with others living nomadically, particularly around Glastonbury, which has the highest density of van dwellers in the UK.

The play follows a character named Milly, a woman searching for freedom, self-reliance and connection outside of conventional society. Ms Wakeling said the show is not a protest, but a celebration of the community.

The term New Travellers refers to people who choose to live nomadically, a movement that grew from the free festival culture of the 1960s. According to Somerset Council, around 300 people currently live by the roadside or in unauthorised encampments in and around Glastonbury.

Ms Wakeling began work on the show in 2023, following proposals to regulate roadside living as part of the Glastonbury Town Deal. In response, she spent time speaking with other van dwellers and drawing on shared experiences for inspiration.

She added that Roadside is also about challenging the way certain groups are portrayed in public discourse.

Using a mix of shadow puppetry, storytelling and physical performance, Roadside asks the audience to reflect on what home and belonging really mean.

The show openeds at Trinity Centre in Bristol and is moving to The Cockpit Theatre in London on 4 April.

H/T: BBC Somerset