We’re excited to be part of VAULT Festival this year and we can’t wait to bring Jade City by Alice Malseed on 6 – 10 February! But there are so many other talented peeps bringing work – here’s some of our recommendations…
Lola
23 – 27 January
“I’ve always known I could do something like this.”
Sixty years after Nabokov’s Lolita, meet Lola. She’s eighteen, full of rage and has extremely large breasts. This time our leading lady won’t be silenced.
We’re excited to see both shows from the formidable Papercut Theatre at this year’s festival, including Dangerous Lenses starring the fantastic Grace Chilton. Lola has an intriguing promise of taking down the male gaze via some drastic action. Papercut and Melissa Dunne keep delivering complex stories about women to the London stage – we loved Masterpieces and Just To Get Married at the Finborough over the last couple of years. Long may they continue!
The Noble Nine
30 January – 3 February
“Don’t you want to finally be one of the Nine? To be noble? A bit above things, regardless of earthly cost?”
Cripes! Estelle West, illustrious English author of the famed Noble Nine novel series is on her death bed. Her handsome and hearty adult grandchildren – the inspiration for the Nine – gather only to discover there’s treasure buried on their childhood island! But what lay ahead of the Noble Nine, dear reader, was not the kind of adventure you’ll find in the pages of a story written by Estelle West. Herein lies a very adult tale …
Written by Matt Parvin and presented by Theatre Tewl, this show was originally developed at Oxford School of Drama and has appeared at the Theatre Upstairs at Soho Theatre so you know it’s going to be good. We’re excited to see Polina Kalinina working with a large ensemble cast (and what a cast!) on this show from Theatre Tewl. Expect a crazy, dark and rollicking adventure.
Get Rreel
6 – 10 February
Get RREEL are Ireland’s favourite girl band. They’ve had it all; world fame, sold out tours, number one hits. But since the departure of a key band mate they are on the brink of collapse. Join them for one last intimate session before they hang up their dance shoes and apply for jobs in call centres.
We’re big fans of Eva O’Connor’s writing, after seeing her fantastic Maz & Bricks with one of our favourite Irish companies, Fishamble. Now she brings another show to VAULT with her own award winning company Sunday’s Child. It looks like a feisty laugh-out loud riot of a show, behind-the-scenes of a girl band at the end of their rock-n-roll journey. We stan.
We’ve Got Each Other
6 – 10 February
Unable to resource the cast of 35, 7 piece live band, sets, costumes, hydraulic lifts, Paul’s ‘Livin on a Prayer’ that you might just imagine this grand spectacle with him.
Our stage manager Philippa saw this show at Edinburgh Fringe and it was a absolute joy to watch. It’s an amazing ride through Paul O’Donnell’s imaginations of a Bon Jovi musical. Grab a pint of beer and celebrate the latest new musical featuring the breath-taking tragic love story of Tommy and Gina. We especially love Paul’s dancing!
Tryst
13 – 17 February
TRYST explores the price of curiosity, the limits of friendship and the complications of sex.
Matt and Steph are hungover. Their wedding is in a week. Things are under control. Mostly. But when their best friend Rachel arrives unannounced, she reveals a secret that threatens to unravel everything.
We’re seeing this in Belfast next week at the Lyric when we’re rehearsing our show, Jade City – so we won’t catch it at the festival but you definitely should. Sickle Moon promise razor-sharp dialogue and brilliant performances, with insights into intimate relationships.
Collapsible
13 – 17 February
Essie’s lost her job. Not her fault, she just – never mind.
Her girlfriend’s left. But she’s alright.
She’s fine. Except lately she feels more like a chair than a person. One of those collapsible chairs. Solid one minute. And then.
Margaret Perry is one of Ireland’s most exciting new playwrights and her work has appeared at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. This piece also boasts the director of award-winning Ross & Rachel, which we loved seeing at Battersea Arts Centre a few years back. We can’t wait for the opportunity to see this pairing in action.
Richard Soames: Let’s Make A Movie
23 & 24 February
Join ‘charming storyteller’ (Chortle.co.uk) Richard Soames as he gets the band back together, gives that half-time speech to the peewee hockey team, casts the ring into the fires of The Death Star without crossing the streams and makes an entire movie in sixty minutes.
We love Richard Soames’s comedy – he’s a talented writer and performer – and this show lives up to the hype. Some pretty cool technology and some familiar lessons in film-making – this show involves the whole audience in literally making a movie. Definitely a fun night for you and your friends.
i will still be whole when you rip me in half
27 & 28 February
- An expectant mother stares at a crack in the wall.
- A lost daughter stares at her reflection.
What does a mother owe her daughter? And what does a daughter owe her mother?
i will still be whole (when you rip me in half) is a poetic interlinking of monologues devoted to family, inherited trauma and the essential violence of whiteness
We already know Ava Wong Davies can write from her theatre criticism, and we’re excited to see her work for the first time. Good luck Ava!
A Clown Show About Rain
27 February – 3 March
Forth, Cromarty and Dogger take each day as it comes, but as the water levels rise, how will they cope with a broken umbrella and leaking wellies? Watch as they play, dance, seek and hide in this world of ever-changing weather.
This physical theatre show is absolutely gorgeous and well worth your time. A dazzling, poignant and, surprisingly, funny insight into mental health, with strong performers and brilliant sound from Ellie Isherwood. Tackles head on the complexities of understanding and dealing with depression.
Dangerous Giant Animals
6 – 10 March
A kick. A scream. A tantrum. With a disabled sister, what’s allowed?
Claire’s younger sister, Kayla, has ten small seizures an hour and has the mental capacity of a one year old. Kayla loves dangerous giant animals, like dinosaurs and lions, and her tantrums can rival their violent nature. As a care-taking sibling, Claire struggles to shut down her own animal impulses.
Our director Katherine saw this show at the Park Theatre late last year, coming to London after winning the SIT-UP award. Christina Murdock writes and performs, playing Claire, a middle child who is forced grow up too soon alongside a sister who never will. A moving, funny and honest play that explores a sibling’s experience of disability performed with a huge amount of heart.
Anyone else got any other recommendations?
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