Vault Festival 2023 - To Do List

66 Unmissable Shows at VAULT Festival 2023

66 Unmissable Shows at VAULT Festival 2023 1

As the cold, dark reality of winter renders December festivities but a distant memory, there’s only one surefire escape – it’s time to go underground again at VAULT Festival!

Back for the first time since 2020, we’re so excited to share our picks from the huge programme – we aim to showcase the magical wonder of the cave-dwelling multi-arts extravaganza that is VAULT Festival.

Sorry to all those we couldn’t squeeze in – please do tag us on socials @todolistldn and we’ll try to share – or invite us to review!

VAULT Festival 2023 | 24 January – 19 March

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All Falls Down | 24-28 January | From £22

An improvised plane crash disaster story.

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Another Lover’s Discourse | 7-11 February | From £13

Rediscover love with this inventive new multimedia performance, from one of Palestine’s most exciting contemporary artists.

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Project Atom Boi | 24-29 January | From £13

A bizarre journey into China, nuclear weapons and utopia.

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Billy Kidd Show | 2-5 March | From £13

Scrap your clichéd expectations of a magic show and embrace wonder again with Billy Kidd.

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Boorish Trumpson | 11-12 February | From £13

Claire Parry conducts an orchestra made of, well, us – examining how popularism can make heroes of scoundrels like Boris.

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Borders | 7-12 February | From £13

A Middle-eastern cross border love story, which asks big questions around who and how we can love.

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Buff | 31 January – 19 February | From £13

A deeper dive into the gay dating pool to discover what it’s like for a plus-sized, 32 year old primary school teacher living in a Grindr world.

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CACEROLEO | 24-29 January | From £17

Nastazja Domaradzka examines “safe spaces” in the arts for survivors of domestic violence.

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Charlie George: Grace (WIP) | 7 March | From £8

Charlie explores her story as a queer, mixed-race, neurodiverse, working class, ex-Jehovah’s Witness.

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Cybil Service | 27 January – 10 February | From £6

A diva-licious dragged-up look at bureaucracy in the civil service.

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Dark Matter | 21-25 February | From £13

An afro-futurist, spiritual quest to commune with those passed away.

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Five Years With The White Man | 28 February – 5 March | From £13.50

Uncover the story of a forgotten Black Briton – ABC Merriman-Labor – and his journey to the imperialist capital, London.

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Garbo! (WIP) | 25 & 26 February | From £8

‘A Welsh Hollywood Babylon’ – character comedy featuring the most famous woman in the world.

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Gay Witch Sex Cult | 3 February | From £8

The hilarious, sardonic tale of a gender reveal party that takes a turn for the demonic.

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General Secretary | 7-9 February | From £13

If you were leader of the world, what would you change? Comedy duo Thick ‘n’ Fast ask just this.

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Good Day | 7-12 March | From £13

Zara discovers immortality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…

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Goodbye ‘89 | 18 & 19 March | From £13

Celebrate the pioneering activists of the 80s with a talented all-female group from East 15.

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Gush | 7-12 March | From £13

A telling comedy about masculinity through the eyes of Neil a plumber – who gets called in to fix a leak at a performing arts festival.

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High Steaks | 24-27 Jan | From £13

Eloina lives labiaplasty in this odd and unmissable highlight of VAULT 2023.

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Hear Me Now | 14-17 February | From £13

Mya Onwugbonu’s play puts blackness centre stage and explores the stories that matter.

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HEXENHAMMER | 10 & 11 February | From £13

Two misogynist monks, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, might have been the first incels. This show gets to grips with their witch-hunting bible and delves into why so many women are killed even today.

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Honour-Bound | 7-10 March | From £13

Interracial relationships are explored through the eyes of a South-asian woman whose family’s anti-blackness holds her relationship ransom.

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How We Begin | 14-19 February | From £13

Female-centred queer storytelling.

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I Fucked You In My Spaceship | 7-10 February | From £13

Two couples get extraterrestrial when they invite a stranger into their lives.

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In PurSUEt | 25 February – 5 March | From £13

Obsessed with Sue Perkins? Not as much as the star of this queer cult sensation, who battles alcoholism through the power of Sue.

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It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure | 21-26 February | From £13

A rib-tickling parody of the exploitation of identity politics, including disability for profit.

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Khandirella | 4 & 5 March | From £22

A cabaret masterclass from Mahatma Khandi and a host of stars.

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La Voisin | 28 February – 5 March | From £13

Fortune-teller Catherine Montvoisin is a female villain in a pickle…

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Lali | 21-26 February | From £13

An intriguing tale of home invasion by a stranger.

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Laurie Black: Dystopiano | Dates | £xx

Synth-star Laurie Black gives musical comedy a shot in the arm.

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Liv Ello: Swarm | 7-10 February | From £13

A batshit and gloriously silly show inspired by one of David Cameron’s epic faux-pas: describing immigrant influx as a swarm.

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Matty Hutson: Matty Goes Electric | 7-16 March | From £8

Warrington’s very own musical comedy star.

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Miss Ellaneous | 17 March | From £13

‘Miss Ellaneous is a space for those struggling to define ‘what it is that they do’. A perfect blend of out-of-this-world cabaret, comedy and miscellany.

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NHSmackdown | 26 February | From £13

Live art provocateur wrestles (literally) with the plight of front line NHS workers.

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Nitwit at Hanging Rock (WIP) | 11 & 12 March | From £8

A tongue-in-cheek re-imagining of Australian gothic classic Picnic At Hanging Rock

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OMELETTEMACHINE | 14-17 March | From £13

Tommaso Giacomin butchers Hamlet.

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Perverts | 31 January – 5 February | From £13

Trapped in a sex club, Katie unravels her internalised ‘lesbophobia’ in this queer fantasy.

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Priya Hall: Sertraline Dreams (WIP) | 25 February | From £7.50

Brutally honest breakdown comedy. Sertraline all round.

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PUBLIC The Musical | 17 & 18 March | From £13

A show in which the characters are trapped in a gender-neutral toilet. PUBLIC The Musical is pure rock and (toilet) roll.

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Queer Planet | 24 February – 4 March | From £13

The nature doc gets queered by drag-king Bi-curious George. Expect gay animals galore.

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Ram of God | 10 & 11 March | From £13

Join the cult of RAM and you will not regret it.

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Serena Flynn: Lizard King | 10 & 11 February | From £13

Cold-blooded character comedy from acclaimed physical performer Serena Flynn.

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Siapa Yang Bawa Melayu Aku Pergi? (Who Took My Malay Away?) | 28 January – 5 February | From £13

An eye-opening lecture performance tackling what it’s like to be Malay in Singapore.

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Sikisa: Words (WIP) | 1 & 2 March | From £8

Future national treasure Sikisa is here to slay.

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Sluts with Consoles | 10 & 11 March | From £6.50

A dark comedy about girl gamers.

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Sockpuppet | 1 & 2 February | From £13

Three students delve into the dark web of deepfakes.

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Su Mi: Banana Beard (WIP) | 15 February – 5 March | From £6.50

British Malaysian Alternative Comedienne Su Mi is one to watch.

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SURFACING | 14-19 February | From £13

Motion sensor tech eases us down the rabbit hole, with NHS therapist Luc and their mysterious new client Owen.

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Tatty Macleod: Fugue | 26 January – 14 March | From £13

Famed for her French vs English sketches on TikTok, Tatty brings the cross-channel culture clash underground.

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Ted Hill: Tries and Fails to Solve Climate Change | 31 January & 1 February | From £7.50

Ted has terrible ideas to solve climate change, with graphs and laughs.

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That’s Ace | 14-17 March | From £13

Asexuality is explored in an over-sexed world.

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The Ballerina | 31 January – 5 February | From £17

An interrogation of democracy through African eyes.

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The Bargain Basement Gameshow-Cabaret | 17 & 18 March | From £13

Come and celebrate the garish glitz of British gameshows.

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The Messiah Complex | 14-19 March | From £13

A psychological thriller from daring theatre company Bag of Beard.

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The Phase | 7-12 March | From £13

Talented musical theatre duo Zoe Morris and Meg McGrady fight back against queer phobia.

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The Quota Cabaret | 10 March | £17

Under-represented performers are given the spotlight in this countercultural cabaret. The night includes a a strict DBAA (“Don’t Be An Arsehole”) Policy.

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The Wedding Speech | 21-24 February | From £13

The toxic mother-daughter relationship bubbles to the surface in this relatable comedy.

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This Is The Land | 11-19 February | From £13

Eye-popping physicality and ideas explode in this uncategorisable treat.

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Trash Salad | 31 January & 1 February | From £13

Sex. Love. Lettuce. A gaudy burlesque adventure to find the meaning of intimacy.

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Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa: French Kiss Tunnel (WIP) | 9 February | From £8

Gifted writer Vidura BR uses dead-pan humour to explore love.

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Wasteman | 14-16 February | From £13

Drag queen bin man. Enough said.

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We Need to Talk, A Jazz Cabaret | 27 January | From £13

Jazz classics aplenty in this modern day soul soother.

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YOU ARE GOING TO DIE | 14-19 March | From £17

Defying tick boxes and electrifying audiences, Adam Scott-Rowley (creator of the award-winning THIS IS NOT CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT) is back with new mind melt, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.

Did we miss a must see at VAULT Festival 2023? Comment below and we’ll see what we can do…