VAULT Festival, the UK’s leading independent showcase of live performance, has announced that applications are now open for its 10th anniversary festival, returning to London from Tuesday 25th January – Sunday 20th March 2022.
VAULT Festival 2022 will mark the return of the festival to Waterloo after 2021’s edition was postponed and 2020’s was cut short by the pandemic. VAULT Festival 2020 had been on track to feature 616 productions from over 3,000 artists and to welcome more than 80,000 ticket holders. All 97 artists from the “Lost Week” of 2020’s festival are being invited to perform at VAULT Festival 2022 as part of its ongoing commitment to them.
For 2022, Festival Producers, VAULT Creative Arts, will deliver the safest and fullest version of the festival possible within future government guidelines, as and when they are announced. Applicants are being asked to apply bearing in mind that social distancing within performance spaces is currently still a requirement in England.
The Early Bird Deadline for applications to VAULT Festival 2022 is 8pm on Monday 19th July 2021. The Final Deadline for applications is 8pm on Monday 16th August 2021. Applications received by the Early Bird Deadline will be eligible for a variety of Programming Awards, and programming for the festival will commence from this deadline so applicants are encouraged to apply early.
Since it began in 2012, VAULT Festival has become the fastest growing festival in the UK and is a significant landmark in the cultural calendar of the UK in the development and championing of early & mid-career artists. The festival aims to be the most accessible, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive live performance festival in the UK, whilst showcasing bold and original work from new and established artists across theatre, comedy, immersive experiences, cabaret, and late night entertainment.
VAULT Festival welcomes applications from artists of all backgrounds and experiences and is open to both UK-based and international creatives. As usual, there is no application fee to apply to the festival, and no set artistic criteria – applicants are encouraged to propose daring, challenging and entertaining work across a range of genres and live performance types. New for 2022, the application call out is also seeking “hybrid” work that uses digital technologies to push the boundaries of live performance.
Applicants can choose from a range of bespoke pop-up venues including atmospheric tunnels, studio theatres, and site-specific spaces. Capacities range from intimate single figure immersive spaces, up to larger-scale 180 seaters, catering for most budgets and sizes of production. Audio and video applications are welcome in order to make the application process as accessible as possible.
VAULT Festival & VAULT Creative Arts’ Director & Co-Founder Andy George commented,
“Over the years VAULT Festival has featured thousands of brilliant performances and showcased the work of so many wonderful early, mid-career & established artists, providing a safe space and a platform for the voices & stories of underrepresented artists to be heard. The past year has been a long and challenging journey for so many in the creative industries, especially independent freelance artists, and we hope that this call-out can provide hope for the future, as well as an exciting opportunity. We hope this can be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
VAULT Festival will be running a number of Q&As, drop-ins, and clinics for artists wishing to apply. Details will be announced shortly on the Festival’s website and social media channels.
More information for artists wishing to apply to VAULT Festival 2022 can be found in the Application Guide available at www.vaultfestival.com
