Juliet Stevenson to perform rehearsed reading at VAULT Festival 2019

2018 WhatsOnStage Award-winner Juliet Stevenson will perform in a rehearsed reading of a new play at the upcoming VAULT Festival.

Entitled Nikolaos the Wonderworker, the supernatural piece is about witchcraft, fizzy pop and Santa Claus. It is penned by David Aula (The Extinction Event) and will feature poetry, live-streaming and magic tricks. The reading will occur on 1 and 2 February at 7.35pm.

Stevenson won the WhatsOnStage Award for her portrayal of Gertrude in Hamlet, and her other credits include the West End production of Mary Stuart and The Odyssey.

The festival, which is based under Waterloo Station, opens next week and has also announced its lineup for the dedicated immersive space Unit 9. Theatre company Darkfield will present two past Edinburgh Fringe hits, Flight and Séance, while Fight Night will bring a live fight to central London. Greyscale will explore the nature of dating in the wake of the #MeToo movement and the reaction to revelations about comedian Aziz Ansari. Immersive specialists Dank Parish will present The Church of the Sturdy Virgin, about death and final rites.

Also announced are the festival's "Twilights", a series of events taking place at 10pm on Thursdays and Fridays. These events will see a number of acts including the VAULT Comedy Showcase, musical comedy Cabaret Sauvignon and a Single VAULT Whiskey, queer collective The LOL Word's Prom Night Special, the Invisible Cabaret, Foxdog Studios with an audience-controlled root chef, The Embers Collective and gong-healing hypnotherapy session Hypnagogue.