Vault Festival 2018

The 10 top shows to see at Vault Festival 2018

Will Longman
Will Longman

Every year, the best and brightest fringe theatre companies gather below Waterloo to showcase their work at one of London's most adaptable theatre spaces, The Vaults. This year's Vault Festival promises to be bigger than ever before, with 300 individual shows running between 24th January and 8th March.

Here, we've picked ten shows that have piqued our interest, but there are obviously plenty more shows to check out. For information and tickets for these and the 290 other shows at the festival, visit the Vault Festival website.


Becoming Shades

Chivaree Circus and Upstage Creative present their re-imagining of the Greek myth of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and princess of the underworld. The story focusses in on Hades, the god of the underworld, and his seduction of the princess. With an all-female cast, this production utilises acrobats, aerialists and fire artists in an immersive experience that sounds pretty visceral.

from 24th January to 18th March

 

 

Bismillah: An ISIS Tragicomedy

This play is about Dean and Danny: one of them joined the Army, the other joined ISIS, and they both find themselves together in a basement in northern Iraq. And yes, it is a comedy, but will also look at being a young person modern day Britain, social alienation and radicalisation. There's also mention of the rock band Queen, too, so we're all on board.

from 28th February to 4th March

Neverland

At last year's Vault Fest, The Guild of Misrule and Theatre Deli stole the show with their immersive, raucous production of The Great Gatsby, which transferred to a secret London location and is still running. Now, the companies return with their take on JM Barrie's Peter Pan. Expect rum, mermaids, pirates, food fight, absinthe bars, and many a sea shanty from a live band.

from 24th January to 18th March

Revolution

Theatre-meets-gaming in this interactive experience that sees three rival factions rise up from the rubble of a revolution-ravaged London. It draws inspiration from games such as Risk, Diplomacy and Settlers of Catan to place the audience at the centre of the story and decide what neds to change, who is in charge, and what you would sacrifice.

from 24th January to 18th March

Great Again: The Musical

American politics would be a bit more palatable if it was a bit more musical, wouldn't it? In Great Again, two friends from Ohio take up an opportunity to join the Trump campaign trail in the summer of 2016. Through a number of catchy tunes and political rallies, these young Conservatives push for their vision of a new America. 

from 24th to 28th January

Wrecked

Some people like to visit the theatre, sit back, relax and enjoy the show. But if you like to feel a part of the action, why not join Sam and five other audience members as passengers in the stolen car she's just written-off. This site-specific piece puts the audience in a real crashed car, and starts just seconds after Sam's crash. It doesn't really get more intimately immersive than that, does it?

from 24th January to 18th March

Caravan Theatre

The Caravan Theatre returns to the festival for its third year, inviting an audience of nine people max to watch a variety of new, funny, evocative short plays. Each piece is about 20 minutes long, and takes place inside a caravan on the street by the venue. If you're short on time but need your theatre fix, this is just the solution for you.

from 15th February to 10th March

For a Black Girl

With two actors and over sixty characters appearing in the space of 70 minutes, For a Black Girl looks at everyday racism and sexism though courtroom trials, games of Never Have I Ever and a homeless lady questioning the future. It sounds like a moving response to the claim that "racism and sexism don't happen in the UK".

from 24th to 28th January

Revelations

James Rowland tells the simple story about how his friends asked him for his sperm, why that was a pretty big deal, and why it made him think about God in the aftermath. It's set in the same universe as his pervious works A Hundred Different Words For Love and Team Viking, which he will also be performing as part of his Songs of Friendship cycle at the festival. This show also wins the award for most striking promo image of the festival, we think.

from 31st January to 4th February

Think of England

Theatre company Anonymous is a Woman transform an underground space at Vaults into a 1940s air raid shelter as Bette and Vera host a tea dance to boost morale during the war. But, as the title may suggest, the parties have a certain goal to achieve. Audiences will have the opportunity to get involved (hopefully not too involved) with a good old fashioned British tea party in this piece which is based on real wartime scandals.

from 7th to 11th February


For more information and tickets, visit the Vault Festival 2018 website

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