Winners revealed in Vault Festival 2020 awards

The winners have been announced today in the annual awards for shows in the Vault Festival 2020 Awards in London.

The festival was originally due to end today but closed a week early because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of a ceremony, the Vault Festival 2020 Awards winners were announced over social media by founders Mat Burtcher and Andy George and head of theatre and performance, Bec Martin-Williams.

The People’s Choice Award went to Stages: A Video Game Musical, written by Chris Czornjy and produced by Adam Lenson Productions. Running at Vault from 3 to 8 March, it featured musical theatre stars Anna Jane Casey and Andrew Langtree alongside Aitch Wylie and Max Alexander-Taylor.

The Innovation Award went to Quietly Fighting Theatre’s site-specific immersive show The Grim, from 4 to 16 February, which turned audience members into freelance “reapers” working for the Office of the Grim Reaper.

The After Dark Award, for outstanding productions in the late-night programme, went to Séayoncé’s Comedy Vault, a comedy, cabaret and drag show presented by Daniel Wye and The Good Witch – described as “a night of queer excellence and spiritual sauciness”.

The Spirit Award, for companies who embrace the festival’s spirit and ethos of creativity, cooperation and kindness, went to Sound Cistem by Plaster Cast Theatre, from 29 January to 6 February, a “queer celebration” and “dance party” challenging the cisgender gaze on the transgender body.

There were also weekly awards for Show of the Week and the Origins Award for outstanding new work. See below for a full list of all the winners and nominees.

More than 2,700 artists presented 519 different productions to over 73,000 audience members over the seven weeks of the festival from 28 January to 15 March. This does not include the 97 productions that could not go ahead this week.

This year saw the festival present more work that was led by women, people of colour, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ artists and working-class people.

Burtcher said: “It’s a very difficult and scary time for everyone but we wanted to take a moment to celebrate and acknowledge some of the hard work and great shows that have been a part of Vault Festival 2020.”

Martin-Williams continued that “even though we are so heart-broken to have closed the festival early, we still think that the incredible artists and companies who presented work and brought people together for seven of our eight weeks deserve some recognition and be celebrated for their incredible achievements.”

All the winners and nominees at the Vault Festival 2020 Awards

People’s Choice Award

WINNER: Stages: A Video Game Musical (ALP) She Is A Place Called Home (Esohe Uwadiae) Coming Out Of My Cage (And I’ve Been Doing Just Fine) (Shepard Tone) Giving Up Marty (Motormouse Productions) Life and Death of a Journalist (Jingan Young, Alex Change and Archie Macleod)

Festival Spirit Award

WINNER: Sound Cistem (Plaster Cast Theatre) Pigeons on L’Edge (Two Birds) Coming Out Of My Cage (And I’ve Been Doing Just Fine) (Shepard Tone) Border Control (Hack Theatre) Katie Arnstein: Sticky Door, Sexy Lamp, and Bicycles & Fish (Katie Arnstein) Dig (Fever Dream Theatre)

Innovation Award

WINNER: The Grim (Quietly Fighting Theatre) Sound Cistem (Plaster Cast Theatre) The Last Hours (8ROJO) Republic (Upstart Theatre) Drop Dead Gorgeous (Same Same Collective) Role Play Gourmet (Coaching For Geeks) Don’t Look Back (Airealism) Spree (Myriad & Co Theatre) Dig (Fever Dream Theatre) WORK.text (Nathan Ellis)

After Dark Award

WINNER: Séayoncé’s Comedy Vault (The Good Witch) Lucy Hopkins: Ceremony of Golden Truth (Lucy Hopkins) Invisible Museum (Tropical Company) Blow My Wig! (Blow My Wig! X LaMont) Moonlight Hustle (Rogue Productions) Kate Butch: Wuthering Shites (Kate Butch)

Week One: Show of the Week

WINNER: Sold (Kuumba Nia Arts and Unlock the Chains Collective) Push (Popelei) Invisible Museum (Tropical Company)

Week One: Origins Award

WINNER: Santi and Naz (The Thelmas) The Wild Unfeeling World (Casey Jay Andrews and Lion House Theatre) Something Awful (Flux Theatre)

Week Two: Show of the Week

WINNER: Patricia Gets Ready (for a date with the man that used to hit her) (Martha Watson Allpress) Séayoncé’s Comedy Vault (The Good Witch) Gobby (Jodie Irvine)

Week Two: Origins Award

WINNER: In My Lungs the Ocean Swells (No More Superheroes) When the Sea Swallows Us Whole (BTS Productions) NAKED (Paige-Marie Baker-Carroll and Luke Vincent)

Week Three: Show of the Week

WINNER: Splintered (Lagahoo Productions) Ask Me Anything (The Paper Birds) Hypnagogue (Twice Shy Theatre)

Week Three: Origins Award

WINNER: (Ellander Productions and 45 North) Sticky Door (Katie Arnstein) Drop Dead Gorgeous (Same Same Collective)

Week Four: Show of the Week

WINNER: Dual (Peyvand Sadeghian) Madame Ovary (WildChild Productions) Nearly Human (Perhaps Contraption)

Week Four: Origins Award

WINNER: Paper Straws (PearShaped) Heroes (Lilac Yosiphon and Isabel Dixon) Omelette (Long Distance)

Week Five: Play of the Week

WINNER: Wigs Snatched Perceptions Destroyed (Erinn Dhesi) Beige (Magna) Zoo (Lily Bevan and Anteater)

Week Five: Origins Award

WINNER: Dumbledore Is So Gay (Robert Holtom & Tom Wright) Orange in the Subway (Orange-You-Glad & Burt Dingles Unconscious Productions) Blow: A Deaf Girl’s Fight (Tramp)

Week Six: Show of the Week

WINNER: Ride (Bottle Cap Theatre) Luna: A Play About the Moon (Rousabout Theatre) Don’t Look Back (Airealism) 

Week Six: Origins Award

WINNER: V&V (Sprezzatura Productions) Chyna (Weave Stories) She is a Place Called Home (Esohe Uwadiae)

Week Seven: Show of the Week

WINNER: Freedom Hi (Papergang Theatre) Bin Juice (Catherine Kolubayev and Kitty Wordsworth) Sugar Coat (Emma Blackman Productions)

Week Seven: Origins Award

WINNER: The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria: Part the First (Out of the Forest Theatre) Border Control (Hack Theatre) 39 Degrees (RedBellyBlack Theatre)