The Vaults News

Casting has been announced for the UK tour of Katie Redford's Tapped. Piers Black directs Marie Blount (Dawn), AK Golding (Jen), and Max Hastings (Gavi) in the UK tour.

The cast has been announced for Hull-based company Middle Child’s UK tour of Modest, starting at Hull Truck Theatre and heading across the UK, landing at Kiln Theatre, London in the summer.  Made in collaboration with Manchester-based artist-led company Milk Presents, Modest brings you Elizabeth Thompson, the megastar of the Victorian art scene, in a riotous, empowering new show starring the UK’s hottest drag king talent. 

VAULT Festival marked the end of its decade-long run at its original venue, The Vaults on Sunday 19th March, bringing to a close a record-breaking year which welcomed more than 81,000 audience members throughout its eight week run.

The Royal Court Theatre has announced it will present four new works between April and August 2023 as well as a Tony Award-winning Broadway transfer in 2024.

Entering the VAULT Festival is like stepping into a small pocket universe. Once you are inside The Vaults, you are in a place of arts and acceptance, where people in drag mingle with businessmen after a busy day of working and performing, with shows where women attach steaks to their labia and cabaret performers dance all in the same night. 

Queerstory the Musical is a fantastic show that is both hilarious and informative. Mercury and Maxim do a wonderful job of combining humour and music while also remembering those who lived before us, fighting for queer rights and standing up for who they love. I look forward to attending more lectures with Professor Maxim and Mercury in the future!

The Freshwater Five is a show that may have a powerful message, but it is buried beneath layers of confusion that are never unravelled. Audience members shouldn’t have to do their own research to figure out the basic information a show is based on - I’d much rather a show has too much exposition than not enough.

Inspired by mythology, '90s pop culture and an especially memorable fifth birthday pirate party, How To Be A Pirate invites all adults to dive into a world of saucy storytelling, ludicrous characters and sea-based stupidity in this ludicrous adventure comedy set on the high seas.

Lagahoo Productions' joyous cabaret theatre show SPLINTERED will take Soho Theatre by storm following the outstanding audience and critical response to its Soho Upstairs run in 2022. The dazzling new production, restaged and redesigned for Soho's main stage, features choreography from Mariama Devers and cast members Nicholle Cherrie, Yolanda Ovide and Charlotte Dowding.

Since the cusp of the pandemic, the founder and artistic director of the company, Angus Castle-Doughty has been busy. After a stint in Brighton in 2022, he’s about to bring their new production, The Net Kill, underground, but theatre hasn’t really been the focus of Castle-Doughty’s post-Covid life.

Brazen experimentalism leans into performance art and blurs the lines of form and style with a non-narrative approach. They challenge the status quo chest first, challenging the very concept of a play to introduce ideas like naked existentialism, romantic disillusionment, unilateral desire, gender expectations, cultural demands, and the juxtaposition of perception and reality. They know what they’re doing. They almost mock the audience for their voyeuristic attitude with clever coups de théâtre that require as much lateral proactivity from the public.

The full cast has been announced for the London run and UK Tour of Harry Hill and Steve Brown's hilarious musical, TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera].

Peacock is expanding its content portfolio with the addition of new streaming partner REELZ, the independent television network best known for hit docuseries “On Patrol: Live” (OPL). Peacock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers will be able to watch REELZ Channel on platform as well as have on-demand access to new “OPL” episodes next-day.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat has announced the line-up of guest stars for its one-night-only benefit concert to celebrate the 20th Anniversary Season of the Hermitage and to raise funds for ongoing repairs to the Hermitage following the impact of Hurricane Ian earlier this season.

Beresford-Knox introduces a cunning monarch with a steely gaze and flawless posture. Portrayed by Frankie Hyde-Peace in a magnificent performance, Mary owns a regal poise. She rarely explodes, but when she does, it’s with composure and intention. Joined by Kelvin Giles as the Archbishop, she boasts her cruelty while he grovels.

VAULT Festival 2023 will present the Vandens Karta Ensemble's The Cathedral from 14-17 March 2023 (21:15) at The Studio.

It’s A Motherf**king Pleasure is a brilliant commentary on disabilities and the arts and fully deserves the recommendation made by Lyn Gardner, even though she hasn’t even seen the show. As one of the actors comments, “They didn’t know it was good, but they knew it was disabled.”

Check out rehearsal photos of Brilliant Jerks at Southwark Playhouse!

It's been a messy, disillusioning time for the arts. Another blow came last week when it was announced that VAULT Festival had to find a new home once this edition closed. BroadwayWorld spoke to Bec Martin, Head of Programming at VAULT, about the devastating news.

The full cast and creative team have been announced for Noël Coward's Brief Encounter, adapted for the stage by Emma Rice. Learn more about the show here!