The Vaults News

Diana Nneka Atuona’s Liberian Girl was a hit at the Royal Court in 2015. In her second play, she shifts away from the African continent to 1940s Cardiff for her second play Trouble In Butetown.

Following its triumphant return for the first time since the pandemic, VAULT Festival, the UK’s leading festival of live performance, has been advised by its venue-landlord, The Vaults, that it must find a new home for future festivals.

As someone named Kat in her twenties and living in the 20s, I thought it would be interesting to review Kat and Kat Comedy’s The Whoreing Twenties. The show is an interesting mix of pre-recorded video and live comedy presented by two women, both named Kat, who “really want to give back to the community”  by giving advice about sex in your twenties.

Directly following the season two premiere of Peacock’s critically acclaimed drama series “Bel-Air,” “Watch With” officially launches with Jabari Banks + Olly Sholotan on Feb. 24th at 9 p.m. ET. The feature will soon extend to “Eurovision” with Johnny Weir, “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” with Candiace Dillard Bassett and Marysol Patton.

Quadruple (at a minimum) threat Sam Hooper and composer Robert Tripolino write a scrumptiously macabre play that defies genres and styles. It’s a bleak and uniquely intoxicating cocktail of provocation and allure topped with a cheeky splash of sacrilege. A playful, sophisticated sadism permeates the production until - believe it or not - the narrative turns even more Stygian.

It has been announced that Sean Delaney (Kenny in Killing Eve, BBC; Life After Life, BBC; The Ferryman, Gielgud Theatre), Evening Standard Award-nominated Shubham Saraf (The Father and The Assassin, National Theatre; Shantaram, Apple TV+; Bodyguard, BBC/Netflix) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (The Nevers, HBO; Black Mirror, Netflix; The Capture, BBC) have joined the cast of Brilliant Jerks at Southwark Playhouse. 

Hummingbird is a funny yet serious work that sometimes attempts to move into the world of surrealism but works better as a realistic piece. Christopher Neels writes a powerful story of grief while also including a biting sense of humour that lets the audience laugh instead of simply simmering in their sadness.

Bruised Sky Productions and Fledgling Theatre Company have announced full casting for their 2023 Vault Festival show Hummingbird. The production runs at The Vaults, 28 February to 5 March.

The winners have been announced for the 2022 BroadwayWorld UK / West End Awards, honouring the best in regional productions, touring shows, and more which had their first performance between October 1, 2021 until September 30, 2022.

TheatreGoose's thrilling debut show, Her Green Hell, follows the incredible double survival story of Juliane Koepcke.

There are some shows that fit perfectly within the walls of The Vaults. Magic is made when old bricks and humidity meet the right production. Expial Atrocious’ Butchered is one of those that feel at home enveloped by the horrid architecture and the rumblings of Waterloo Station. The love child of Sweeney Todd and Hannibal, it’s a grim look at life and death in a dog-eat-dog world.

Villain, Interrupted is a fun show that gives the “villains” a chance to shine while also looking at the psychology in a world in which those who have powers are feared, separating the world into “us versus them”.

ShyBairn Theatre presents BURNOUT. Invigorating, urgent new writing addressing the exhaustion of campaigning and the intrinsic need for intersectionality when tackling the climate crisis.

Criminally Untrue: An Improvised True Crime Documentary is a hilarious show that will leave you wanting more from PillowTalk Theatre. Oldfield and Treen have directed a fantastic cast of improvisers that will bring a little bit of “organised chaos” into your life, creating the crime story of the decade.

Film Club - An Improvised Comedy is a show that may have been better with a more enthusiastic audience and a funnier genre of movie, as the “conmen thriller” really failed to get many laughs from the crowd. While the Film Club seemed enthusiastic, it also felt as though they failed to blend their characters together into a funny storyline.

La Voisin is a fantastic prototype of what could be an incredible show. I was in awe of the acting abilities of all four performers, who are each given their moments to shine. Becca Chadder weaves together the individual stories of each character, giving each of them their own motivations while illustrating their connections to one another.

Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit is a quick and funny show that will have you laughing at jokes made up on the spot. While the beginning of the show takes time to be established, especially when speaking with audience members in order to build the characters, the rest of the show flies by in an hour of delightful comedy.

Queer Planet is a fun show that will leave audiences feeling proud to be a part of the strange species known as humanity. While it may not have had as many animal facts as I would have liked to see and a few strange guest performances, the show as a whole is delightful and a light of hope in this chaotic world.

Caligula and the Sea blew my expectations out of the water, pun fully intended. It is an incredibly well-crafted show that will leave you speechless in the best way possible. Director and producer Yuxuan Liu has created a tale for the ages. Everyone will adore Caligula - And isn’t that, in a strange way, what he wanted?

Mohan: A Partition Story is a beautiful solo show by Niall Moorjani that is a brilliant mix of their own story in the 21st century and their grandfather’s story from the Partitioning of India. The live music by Dibyo Mukherjee only enhances the incredible storytelling Moorjani displays throughout.