An Interview with Adèle Reeves of A Pinch of VAULT

Packing a punch in terms of theatre, cabaret and comedy, A Pinch of VAULT 2024 is bringing affordable innovative entertainment to everyday Londoners from February to March. To see what all the buzz is about we caught up with Adèle Reeves, the festival's Producer, Programmer & Co-Head of Theatre...

By George Maguire | Updated Feb 13 2024

Hey Adèle, have you always been interested in culture and performances? Could you share some early fascinations?

Yes absolutely! The first time I really remember theatre getting its hooks in me was when I was a young teen in rural West Scotland where I grew up. The National Theatre of Scotland and public art collective NVA pitched up in a local forest and built a temporary performance space that was embedded into the natural surroundings of Kilmartin Glen. The performance and setting wove a story of local myth and history in a way that completely blew my understanding of what ‘theatre’ was, and where it could be. From then I was hooked on the idea of performance in found and unusual spaces, and the extra layer of wonder this adds.

I took this passion with me when I eventually moved into programming for fringe spaces like those at VAULT Festival, where many of the venues were built right into the fabric of the tunnels. I am always particularly drawn to work that leans into the atmosphere of its surroundings, to add a new performative layer that offers the audience something unexpected.

A Pinch of VAULT had a seriously packed schedule: what is it and what does the programme add to London’s cultural scene?

A Pinch of VAULT 2024 is a festival dedicated to new work-in-progress performances. It is now in its third year, the festival comprises 2 weeks of theatre & performance, followed by 2 weeks of comedy. This year we have decided to deliver an expanded version of the festival to occupy the traditional VAULT Festival spot, before it returns later in the year in its new home, in order to address some of the void of opportunity for early and mid-career artists that is felt in its absence. A Pinch of VAULT 2024 is taking over 4 venues across Waterloo and Bankside, including the festival hub at The Glitch; VAULT’s vibrant café, bar and creative space on Lower Marsh, alongside Sino Thai, Union Theatre, and Alaska Waterloo.

We created A Pinch of VAULT to offer artists a low-risk, low-stakes opportunity to test out work in development in a supportive environment. We want our artists to take risks, try out new challenges, find new ways to work, and fail fruitfully if necessary! It’s also an incredible and affordable opportunity for London audiences to access a huge variety of exciting new work curated under one umbrella. I love that A Pinch of VAULT offers its audiences a chance to discover bold new artists, genres and work that they might not stumble upon otherwise.

With more than 130 shows, does the festival encompass any overarching themes?

The festival covers a real expanse of subjects and forms this year, more than we have ever seen in past iterations. However, there are certainly several themes that particularly stand out for 2024. As ever, we are championing queer-led work, and this year have a particular focus on sapphic narratives such as those in Eggs Aren’t That Easy to Make, Chickpeas and Led by The Wind. We also have a strong contingency of queer migrant narratives, as well as specifically Middle Eastern and African perspectives.

Another theme that has risen to the forefront this year is the mystical and mythical, with a wide range of shows focusing on witchcraft and folklore, such as in Mud in a Pond, Lancashire Witches and Devil Play. The festival also highlights many narratives of illness and disability, and the stories of identity and resilience that come with them.

With 4 venues involved (Waterloo & Bankside at The Glitch, Sino Thai, Union Theatre and Alaska) what do the different spac

This year we are collaborating with new venues Union Theatre and Alaska, which have capacities of 65 and 80 respectively. We chose these to give artists who had requested the challenge of higher capacities for their work-in-progress shows. Also with Union Theatre specifically, the space gives larger cast pieces, movement-based work and musicals the chance to spread out and test their work in a large and versatile stage space. Inversely, we have also kept our partner venue Sino Thai as part of the programme this year, as artists who performed there in 2023 praised the opportunity to perform fresh work in an intimate setting.

As with VAULT Festival, we also wanted to keep A Pinch of VAULT open to as many genres as possible, and we take pride in the fact that the audiences to the festival can see everything from cabaret, physical theatre and musical work through to comedy, sketch and children’s theatre and more. It’s what keeps the festival as vibrant as it is, you never know what you might stumble on! It’s also really wonderful to see the mix of audiences that are attracted to the work in the programme that vary not only from show to show, but from venue to venue also. We are always looking to find new demographics to open up our work to, and we have found that this work-in-progress format has been a really interesting way to achieve this.

Now in your third year, how has the festival evolved or shifted over time? What is its purpose for London & beyond?

Over the past 3 years, the festival has grown exponentially. What started in 2022 as an exciting way to debut our new venue The Glitch, has grown into a festival of over 130 shows! We are hoping that we can keep expanding the scope of the festival, and keep incorporating more venues that offer different performance options to artists and audiences alike.

With the price of theatre tickets in London inaccessible to so many people, we love being able to offer an affordable alternative for audiences - tickets range from £6.50 - £12.50, and this is what we’ll continue to do across our work. We also have a ‘Festival Pass’ option, which gets you 4x tickets and 4x drinks (at The Glitch) plus 10% off all other tickets and drinks for £40, which is really great value! 

The festival will build on its reputation for offering unexpected experiences and bold, brilliant stories - and with all shows under an hour in duration, you can pack a couple in an evening with time to have a drink and hang out with friends in between.

Learn more about A Pinch of VAULT.