This week the Vault Festival in London kicked off and runs all the way through until the 19th March 2023. Over the next month, we have interviews with acts that are performing at the event. Today we find out all about Going Deutsch which is on this weekend.

Going Deutsch

Dates: 4th-5th February
Time: 18:05
Venue: Cage
Tickets: https://vaultfestival.com/events/going-deutsch/

How did you come up with the name of your show that your taking to the Vault?   

I was thinking a lot about the etiquette of dating in the early part of creating this show. And the question came up… If I was dating Germany who would pay? For the date itself? For what had happened in the past to my family? And the opportunity for a pun was irresistible! 

Tell us a little bit about your style of show?

It’s a devised solo comedy theatre show. It’s sort of autobiographical but staged through a slightly surreal lens. There’s a lot of me talking, some singing, some dancing, some reimagining of familiar tropes in popular culture. Like First Dates, but the audience are Fred, and the date is in the EU headquarters.  

What will your set be about?  

I first had the idea for Going Deutsch after Brexit, when I discovered I was eligible to receive a German passport as a descendant of victims of Nazi persecution. At that time when multiple friends were reconnecting with their Irish heritages in order to retain EU citizenship, I was so excited and relieved to have a way to hold onto my own strong European identity.  What I hadn’t anticipated was the range of perspectives others in my family had about taking this passport back and the way they talked about it reminded me of the language around people who return to abusive partners and the idea for Going Deutsch was born. If you ever been spurned by a lover, or a country, you will relate to this show. The show is thoughtful and at times provocative, but the aim is to make the audience laugh. 

What other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the festival? 

So much! The Not-God Complex’s ADHD time travel show is high on my list. As is Lachlan Werner’s ‘Voices of Evil’, as I can say with total confidence it features the silliest, most angelic ventriloquist I have ever seen. But what I love most about Vaults is discovering work and artists I knew nothing about before the festival

 

Have you done the Vault Festival before? What have been some of your favourite shows to date and why? 

I haven’t done Vaults before. I was supposed to do it last year, but it was of course cancelled. Shows that have really stuck with me that I stumbled on at Vaults are Nathaniel Hall’s ‘First Time’, which I still talk about around once a month a think, and ‘Push’ by Popelei.


 

What advice would you give to others who want to perform at Vault next year? 

Have your timeline well worked out so you have space to do everything you need to do. There’s making the show, but all the organising around it also takes time. And then, just go for it! 

What is the best thing about performing at the Vault Festival? 

 It’s a London festival, and there is so much to see in one place. Whenever I go as an audience member, I seek out one show to take a chance on for every ticket I buy to a show I have heard about. This way I have had some brilliant, surprising theatrical experiences. 

What are your three favourite things about London?

The top deck of buses, they are my thinking place.  The cows on Hackney Marshes, going to see them every day in lockdown got me through. And my local 24-hour bagel shop, because of course! 

Favourite one liner you have done in a show and why?  

‘I’m just a girl, standing in front of an EU member state, asking them for citizenship’ 

Who would be your ultimate dream audience member? 

Liz Taylor …it’s a miserable rainy afternoon right now and I just re-watched National Velvet. There aren’t any horses in this show, but maybe she could bring one.  In fact, maybe she could bring the cows from the marshes, I owe them a lot, so a comp is the least I can offer. 

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media? 

I have a website https://www.annaclover.co.uk and im on Instagram @oiclover and twitter @Anna_Clover

 

And Finally in three words – Why should people come and see the show?  

 (Its ) An EU requirement