Plays from Vault (Five)

This is the fifth anthology by Nick Hern Books comprising five of the ‘best’ plays from VAULT Festival, which took place early in 2020, before being untimely cut short by the COVID-19 lockdown.

The VAULT Festival stages some of the best and most diverse new writing in the country and this anthology represents just a tiny indication of this diversity. They are not all as original as each other, but they are all well-written, and whilst sometimes ‘raw’, there is much accomplishment in both their styles and their narratives.

Something Awful by Tatty Hennessy uses a well-trodden premise – teenage girls getting together to tell ghost stories – and mixes in a true-crime story as its inspiration. The play would be easy to stage and there is good dialogue for the female three-hander, however, it isn't particularly original in style or storyline.

Second Home by Charlotte Chimuanya passionately explores the experiences of growing up mixed-race in 21st century Ireland. It is highly original in its writing style – a monologue going through key age-points for the central character Naomi. The style has rhyme sometimes, sometimes not – it feels energetic and vibrant, like a piece of performance poetry as much as a play.

Madam Ovary by Rosa Hesmondhalgh is also a monologue, and again has moments of rhyme, without being tied to this rule. It is also vibrant, and highly engaging, following the writer's own journey through ovarian cancer. It was first staged as a five-star sell-out in Edinburgh, offers humour alongside the serious topic, and ends as a life-affirming shout that would be great to watch and great to act, and is also great to read.

Take Care by Zoe Templeman-Young and Sam McLaughlin shows the variety of the anthology (and the Festival), being a verbatim piece. It is about Pam, a woman struggling to move her mother into a care home closer to her. Again, originally an Edinburgh hit, it exposes the frustrations and truths within the care system in the UK today.

Completing the book is Heroes, by Isobel Dixon, which jumps between time frames in 1991 and 2016. This family-centred drama explores, through its effectively drafted dialogue and multiple characters, what happens when people we look up to do something unforgiveable, and asks whether it is ever too late to start again.

Overall, a great anthology celebrating new writing talent.