VAULT 2022: Six more shows that should have been.
The productions, the artists behind them, and what they are up to instead.
Hello, and welcome to The Crush Bar, a weekly newsletter about theatre written by me, Fergus Morgan.
Each issue usually features an interview with an exciting, emerging theatremaker - and gives them a chance to be explicit about where they want to go and what help they need to get there. This issue, though, like that of a fortnight ago, and a fortnight before that, and a fortnight before that, is slightly different.
VAULT’s cancellation was a devastating blow for dozens and dozens of artists and companies, and I wanted to do what little I could to offer some support to people who were planning on performing at the festival, so I decided to dedicate several issues of this newsletter to the shows that should have been. This is the fourth and final one.
To receive future issues with my regular interviews with emerging artists, you can subscribe to The Crush Bar below.
Before this week’s selection of shows, I just wanted to remind you quickly that The Crush Bar is now available for promotional purposes - from short shout-outs, to longer mentions, to entire issues. You can get more info on the opportunities available via the below button.
1. The Greatest Hits of Lily and John - Tritone Theatre.
Who are you?
We are Calum Sivyer and Rosanna Adams. We started writing The Greatest Hits of Lily and John, our debut show, while we were studying together at Oxford School of Drama. We founded our company, Tritone Theatre, when we got our slot at VAULT last Autumn. We came together as friends over our mutual love of folk music, and plan to make live music an integral part of any work we create.
What was your show at VAULT 2022?
The Greatest Hits of Lily and John is a semi auto-biographical, modern folk gig-play featuring original music and exploring loneliness, creativity and how friendship and conversation can inspire change. We have partnered with three brilliant mental health charities to raise awareness – The Listening Place, HiS Charity and HUMEN.
What were you hoping to achieve at VAULT 2022?
VAULT is such a well-known and respected event, and we were so proud to have a slot there. We hoped that it would be a stepping-stone for us, and aimed to be programmed for a full run somewhere else subsequently, and possibly a tour as well.
Where can people find out more about you?
We are extremely fortunate to have been re-programmed at The Other Palace, and we are premiering the show there next week. You can come see us there, or you can find us on Instagram and Twitter.
2. Blanket Ban - Chalk Line Theatre
Who are you?
Our team consists of Davinia Hamilton, Marta Vella, Sam Edmunds and Vikesh Godhwani. Davinia and Marta are London-based Maltese performers and writers. Sam and Vikesh are co-artistic directors of the multi-award-winning Chalk Line Theatre. We love to experiment with form and tackle hard-hitting political subjects in playful and innovative ways.
What was your show at VAULT 2022?
Blanket Ban is a devised docu-play interrogating the blanket ban on abortion in Malta. The piece presents an accurate depiction of Maltese women’s experiences through interviews, verbatim, innovative use of technology, and a fondly critical look at the island state.
What were you hoping to achieve at VAULT 2022?
VAULT was expected to be the premiere of the show and a chance to record the show for online viewing in Malta. We were aiming to use it as a launchpad for further development, with the aim of a three-week London transfer and subsequent touring.
Where can people find out more about you?
Right now, we are looking for the right home for the play. In the meantime, we are continually working away on it. New stories and circumstances come our way and we are committed to updating the show to reflect the evolving situation. You can find Chalk Line on Twitter and Instagram, or via our website, and you can find Davinia and Marta on Twitter, too.
3. I Know I Know I Know - DONOTALIGHT
Who are you?
DONOTALIGHT is a new company run by Flora Wilson Brown and Harry Tennison. Its work is grounded in formal inventiveness and telling political stories through a personal lens.
What was your show at VAULT 2022?
I Know I Know I Know follows two friends: Hannah, a content creator, and Max, a newly famous musician. It’s about what you do when you find out someone you love has done something awful, the power that comes with fame, the implications of that on relationships, and how we remember the same stories in different ways.
What were you hoping to achieve at VAULT 2022?
I Know I Know I Know was our first show as a company, and the first full production we had solely written and directed respectively. We primarily wanted to flex our creative muscles at a bigger scale, but also to meet other creatives and introduce ourselves to venues who may be touring partners in the future.
Where can people find out more about you?
I Know I Know I Know has a re-arranged run at Southwark Playhouse in April, so we’re busy preparing for that. We’re on Twitter and Instagram, too.
4. I Can’t Hear You - Jessica Millward and Natasha Brotherdale Smith
Who are you?
We are Jessica Millward, a neurodivergent director from Yorkshire and East London, and Natasha Brotherdale Smith, a queer Northern playwright. We’re keen to make work that dissects the world around us and incites vital conversations and change.
What was your show at VAULT 2022?
I Can't Hear You is a queer, female-led two hander, unique in both its storytelling and content, with a lot to say about the reality of being a queer female today. Told in three intersecting timeframes, it is a heart-wrenchingly nuanced exploration of the fear of being honest with yourself, of secrets too large to vocalize, and the shattering effects of hate crime.
What were you hoping to achieve at VAULT 2022?
I Can’t Hear You was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2021 and we were excited for it to have its first audience at VAULT. We were particularly keen to connect with a new queer audience, and with other venues and creatives.
Where can people find out more about you?
We are working hard at the moment to find the perfect place to premiere this play. You can find out what we are up to on Twitter - here and here - and our websites - here and here.
5. Circus In A Bottle - Trajectory Theatre
Who are you?
We are Trajectory Theatre, a registered charity working on advancing public appreciation of the immersive digital arts. We are also Rob and Tom, two friends who went to drama school and now carry a suitcase around and hope to wow folks.
What was your show at VAULT 2022?
Our show is Circus in a Bottle, an experience combining immersive theatre and augmented reality in order to tell stories of the greats of circus past. An audience of six uses Magic Leap headsets to witness death-defying stunts and thrilling adventures. The entire show happens on a table using props pulled from a suitcase.
What were you hoping to achieve at VAULT 2022?
After four years of honing (and one online experience where Tom hid under a table), Circus in a Bottle was finally ready to be shown to the wider public. We were hoping to finally show the world what we had been working on for such a long time.
Where can people find out more about you?
We are delighted that Parabolic Theatre have taken us in and we’ll be able to premiere the show in their new CRYPT space in Bethnal Green at the end of the month. You can get more info on our website, and you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
6. La Voisin - Paprichoo
Who are you?
Paprichoo is a female-led theatre company focused on telling stories from overlooked and underrepresented perspectives. Our team is made up of writer and director Becca Chadder, producer Sophie Kilgannon, stage manager Steph Weaver and lighting designer Ruth Harvey, alongside our wonderful cast Sanda Bournane, Amy Revelle, Sofia Morreale, and Alexandre Déwen.
What was your show at VAULT 2022?
La Voisin tells the remarkable true story of the three most famous female poisoners in seventeenth-century Paris and what happened when one of them said too much. It explores the complex web of lies that led to the imprisonment of hundreds of people, and what happens when the women we tell stories about are bad.
What were you hoping to achieve at VAULT 2022?
As a company new to London and made up predominantly of recent graduates, we were so excited to be platformed at VAULT. We hoped to share this incredible story with new audiences ahead of our plans to expand the one-hour show to a full-length piece.
Where can people find out more about you?
We're currently working on an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Poison Belt that will be performed later this year, and we have some exciting news about where to catch La Voisin next. You can keep up to date with our future announcements by following us on Twitter.
Anything you can do to support The Crush Bar is hugely appreciated. There are three helpful things in particular: you can subscribe using the button above, you can share it, either on social media or by forwarding it to anyone who might be interested, and you can donate to my Ko-Fi account using the button below.
If you want to get in touch with me to ask about anything, or to suggest someone who deserves a shout-out in this newsletter, you can reach me on Twitter - I’m @FergusMorgan - or by simply replying to this email. That’s all for now. Back in a week. Thanks for reading.
Fergus Morgan