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Runaway teenager’s winter tale brings adult Christmas show to Lower Marsh
A 16-year-old runs away from her candle-lit town in a new folk-filled play for adults, staged by VAULT Creative Arts in Waterloo from 25 November.
Key facts
- Plays in Waterloo at 134 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AE, from 25 November until 23 December
- Written and directed by Oli Savage, VAULT's artistic director and chief executive
- Four actor-musicians tell the story of 16-year-old Fia and the town of Wickton, with folk music
- The play is part of a festive season featuring emerging London theatre makers and comedians
VAULT Creative Arts is putting on a new Christmas play for grown-ups at its Lower Marsh Arts Club in Waterloo. The Girl from Wickton opens on 25 November and closes on 23 December. It is billed as a fairy tale for adults.
The show closes the year at the venue, which was renamed only recently. Oli Savage wrote the script and is directing it as well. He is VAULT’s artistic director and chief executive, and the Off West End Awards have previously named him a winner in their innovation category.
What The Girl from Wickton is about
The story follows Fia, a 16-year-old from the town of Wickton. Each year, on the darkest day of winter, the townspeople gather to light their famous candles and drive back the night. For almost everyone in town it is the best moment of the year.
Fia feels differently. She has hardly ever seen the night sky, and recently the darkness between the trees at the edge of town has been pulling at her. When she learns something unexpected about her own part in that year’s festival, she runs off into the forest.
A cast of four actor-musicians will perform the play, turning the theatre into Wickton and the woods beyond, with folk music running through it. Savage said the production was “bigger and more ambitious than anything we’ve ever mounted”.
Christmas at the Lower Marsh Arts Club
The play sits at the centre of a festive season at the venue, which includes work from promising London theatre makers and comedians who are early in their careers. There will also be social and creative events. At the bar, visitors can order mince pies, mulled wine and cocktails made for the season.
The venue’s address is 134 Lower Marsh in Waterloo, postcode SE1 7AE. Tickets and full details are available from the VAULT Creative Arts box office.
Key questions
When is The Girl from Wickton on?
It opens on 25 November and runs until 23 December at the Lower Marsh Arts Club in Waterloo.
Where is the Lower Marsh Arts Club?
The venue is at 134 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7AE.
Is The Girl from Wickton a children's show?
No. It is billed as a fairy tale for adults.
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