Our Story Begins Here

Unpuzzled Theatre Company exists to put community at the centre of theatre-making. Through participatory techniques, we collaborate with people of all ages to create productions that reflect lived experiences, celebrate local voices, and spark meaningful conversations.

We believe theatre is strongest when it belongs to everyone – and every voice matters.

Our Mission

A group of people sitting on chairs and smiling while looking at a person kneeling in front of them, inside a rustic wooden room with a brick wall background.
Group of children and teenagers sitting outdoors on grass, watching an event and smiling or laughing.
Children sitting on hardwood floor watching a girl in red shirt and gray pants crouch and interact with others during a performance or activity in a school gymnasium or auditorium.

Our Story so Far

Victoria and Jamie Jones founded Unpuzzled Theatre — both graduates of the BA (Hons) Acting and Community Theatre course at East 15 Acting School- and they created Unpuzzled with a simple belief at its heart: that life is like a jigsaw puzzle. It’s okay not to know how all the pieces fit together — and it’s OK to need help finding where they belong.

After graduating, Victoria and Jamie moved to Bangkok, Thailand, where they taught English at a secondary school and established Unpuzzled Theatre as a creative way to support language development. They later relocated to South Korea, continuing their teaching careers and expanding the company’s reach. During this time, one of their proudest achievements was The Truth About Love — an intergenerational devised performance featuring 25 community members from eight different nationalities. The project received national press coverage and recognition from the local government for its powerful social impact.

In 2015, the pair returned to the UK and pressed pause on the company. Victoria went on to qualify as a teacher, while Jamie began a new career in engineering. Then, in 2021 — as many people re-evaluated their paths — Victoria secured Arts Council England’s Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) funding and completed a Diploma in Creative Producing with Chris Grady Organisation. With a renewed vision and purpose, Unpuzzled Theatre was relaunched as a Community Interest Company (CIC) in 2022.

Since then, Unpuzzled has produced five original shows and delivered numerous projects in schools and community settings, always putting inclusion, participation, and local voices at the heart of its work. Based in Basildon, Essex, the company now serves the five towns and surrounding areas of South Essex, with a mission to celebrate local stories, create meaningful opportunities, and make theatre that belongs to everyone.

We’re also passionate about supporting the next generation of creatives. In 2025, we proudly offered seven paid apprenticeships to emerging local artists — and we’re just getting started. The puzzle continues to grow, and every piece — every person — matters.

A poster for a community play called 'Revolt!' featuring a group of six diverse people holding their fists in the air, with text about the event including date, time, location, and sponsors.
A poster for Unpuzzled Theatre Company's play titled "The Rocket", featuring an illustration of a red rocket with white windows, set against a starry space background. The poster includes performance dates and locations, a QR code, and information about funding and age suitability.
A promotional poster for a theater performance titled "The Truth About Love" by Unpuzzled Theatre Company, featuring Korean and English text, and a large photograph of a woman hugging herself in the center surrounded by smaller images of people in various theatrical scenes.
Poster for Unpuzzled Theatre Company's community and school tour of "The Mitten". Features silhouettes of various animals, with a prominent hare in the center. Includes logos for Postcode Local Trust, Community Investment Board, and Essex Community Foundation.
Group of people in a yoga or meditation class with hands together above heads in a prayer position, focusing inward, in a dark room.

Our Ethos

At Unpuzzled Theatre, we believe that theatre is more than performance — it’s a powerful tool for connection, understanding, and change. Our work is built on the idea that every voice matters, and that stories — especially those that are rarely heard — deserve a place on stage.

We collaborate with communities to create theatre that reflects real experiences, celebrates diversity, and asks bold questions about the world around us. Whether we’re devising work with children, co-creating with young people, exploring history through performance, or bringing generations together, participation is at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to making theatre that is inclusive, accessible, and meaningful. We aim to spark conversations, challenge assumptions, and inspire change — one story, one project, and one community at a time.

Rooted in collaboration and community, our theatre celebrates stories that need to be told. We question, we create, and we inspire change — one performance at a time.

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