Throughout VAULT Festival, we’ll be sharing nominations for our Festival Awards, which recognise exceptional shows and the outstanding contributions of our artists each and every festival. We’ve been presenting and developing the awards since 2015, and they’re assessed by an independent panel of judges. Hear from our Head of Programming, Bec Martin about the nominees for week four:

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it’s been a big week for us here at VAULT Festival. We announced on Tuesday that we have been told we need to leave our venue, our home for the last 10 years, as the landlord pursues more commercial ventures. It has been an incredibly trying time for the team in the lead up to this announcement, but the enormous groundswell of support has been truly overwhelming.

You can find out about the situation and how you can help at vaultfestival.com/save-vault

And once more, every artist in the programme is giving their all, making hilarious, groundbreaking, joyful work. This week I’ve spent a lot of time in the bars, talking to people, meeting people, hearing about their experiences and about what VAULT Festival means to them. I am constantly honoured and humbled by the passion and empathy of everyone who steps through our doors.

Week 4 saw the staging of our second Plays from VAULT, our publication in partnership with Nick Hern Books. The volume (along with the 5 previous editions) is available for purchase at the Festival and online. We also presented a number of shows from our cancelled 2022 Festival and were so thrilled to be able to finally host them.

We’re halfway there, folks! And with 4 more weeks to go, I can’t tell you how thrilled and full of energy I am for the second half of the Festival. See you underground!”

SHOW OF THE WEEK

Awarded to exceptional productions from the Theatre & Performance programme.

My Period the Cockblock – Ruth Oyediran

Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name

How We Begin – Surfacing Acts Theatre and Antonia Georgieva

Hear Me Now – Burnt Orange Theatre

ORIGINS AWARD

Awarded for outstanding new work from the Theatre & Performance programme. Shows must have not been performed more than twice prior to their run at VAULT Festival to be eligible.

Katherine and Pierre – Talk Small

Far Out – L Squared

Surfacing – ASYLUM

Kindle – Written by Hattie Collins, by Almanac Theatre