The Vandens Karta Ensemble to Present THE CATHEDRAL at VAULT Festival

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

Clowning, hymns and karaoke collide in this ode to the joys and traumas of womanhood. Directed by Ami Okumura Jones (recently the lead in the RSC/Barbican's world premiere of My Neighbour Totoro) with original live choral music by Virginia Ruspini (Italy's Got Talent, The Voice).

The Cathedral is a devised theatre piece by an all-female, all-migrant ensemble, exploring what it means to be a woman through the lens of sex and religion. The stage is transformed into a confessional; into a crucible of sexuality; into a dreamlike pit of shame and redemption. At times hysterically funny, at times powerfully emotional, with a beautiful strangeness throughout.

Ami comments: "We aren't interested in making didactic, burdensome theatre which preaches at audiences or tells them how to think and feel. The beauty of The Cathedral is it is a sequence of sounds, images, songs and jokes where each individual audience member finds something totally different. Some discover feminist rage. Some people see a clowning show with four very funny women. Others a railing against institutional oppression, or even a complicated love-hate letter to religion."

The Cathedral's set is entirely knitted and crocheted by hand by a team of women.

In an era where hard-won progress is rolling backwards, where reproductive rights are being stripped away, and the rise of the far right is giving power back to misogynists and religious fundamentalists, The Cathedral is a mischievous, defiant and elusive call to arms.

Welcome: confess your sins. Come and be cleansed.

Themes: Womanhood, Religion, Sex, Shame, God, Music, Violence Against Women, Isolation, Institutional Oppression, Female Joy

The Vandens Karta Ensemble is an all-female, migrant-led company which creates devised theatre. Our members hail from Hong Kong, Japan, Denmark, Italy, France and the UK. We combine clowning, text, physical movement and original live choral music to create work which is haunting, strange, funny and beautiful.

THE TEAM

Director | Ami Okumura Jones

Ami is a director and performer with roots in Hong Kong, Japan and the UK. Ami's work as director has been shown at the Camden People's Theatre (London), the Barn Theatre (Cirencester), the King's Head Theatre (London), the Edinburgh Fringe and the Debut Festival (Essex). Credits include I Lost My Virginity to Chopin's Nocturne in B-flat Minor (Pleasance, Edinburgh / The Vaults), Pits (Underbelly, Edinburgh - winner: Spirit of the Fringe, Derek Awards) and That Halloween Party (East 15). She has also led workshops with companies such as the OPIA Collective and KiteHigh. As an actor she recently appeared in the award-winning and high acclaimed production of the RSC's My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican Centre.

Musical Director/Devisor/Performer | Virginia Ruspini

Virginia Ruspini is an actor, musician, vocalist and musical director. She was born and raised in Genova, Italy. Her musical style is a blend of classical and jazz, blues and soul. Virginia has appeared as a vocalist on TV programmes such as The Voice, Italy's Got Talent, Zecchino D'Oro and Ti Lascio Una Canzone. She trained at East 15 on the Acting & Contemporary Theatre course. She is also a co-founder of RUNT Theatre and Dead Face Productions.

Devisor/Performer | Helene Smed

Helene Madsen Smed is a multi-disciplinary artist and actor from Copenhagen, Denmark. She is a physical comedian, textile artist, filmmaker and painter. She is a co-founder of the indie production company Dead Face Productions with whom she directed the short film LOAD!, which won two prizes at the Milan International Indie Film Festival 2022 and is currently featured on the EKKO shortlist.

Devisor/Performer | Lily Sinko

Lily is a French-British actor, singer, writer and clown. She has performed both in England and abroad in venues such as The National Theatre of Marseille, the Planeta Ginga Film Festival in Rio, and the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. She trained at the Conservatoire of Marseille and graduated from East 15 Acting School, and was also a winner of the John Gielgud Award.

Devisor/Performer | Margherita Deri

Margherita is an Italian theatre and film actress who has appeared in works such as Sanpietro (2019), Not Me (2019), and Shapes (2016).
She has performed as an opera singer and dancer for National Theatre of Genoa (Modena Theatre), and also appeared in Complicité's physical theatre piece Everything That Rises Must Dance. Margherita featured in the R&D for Ella Donaldon's Reach Out and Touch Me, performed at the Lyric Hammersmith.

She also devised and performed in the opera The Monk and The Lotus by Shiru Wang, which was performed at the Arcola Theatre and RADA Studio.

She graduated from East 15 Acting School (BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre).

VAULT FESTIVAL

VAULT Festival is the UK's leading independent showcase of live performance and artistic talent; featuring thousands of sensational performances across Theatre, Comedy, & Live Entertainment, made by the most exciting and boldest artists of our time. Set in bespoke venues across the heart of Waterloo, VAULT Festival bursts to life for eight glorious weeks of joyous creativity; adding vibrance and colour to the otherwise dreary deep winter months. We're the most accessible, sustainable, affordable, and welcoming performance festival in the UK.

We value art and entertainment equally, creating an environment where artists and audiences feel welcome, surrounded by culture created by, and for, them.

www.vaultfestival.com