A relatively new room in Melbourne, The Vault is already building up a loyal following amongst punters. This is not surprising. A combination of factors has added up to its early success.
The Vault occurs in one of the most unique comedy venues in Melbourne. Walking into The Vault reminds me of the old photos of The Beatles in their very early career playing in their regular Liverpool haunt The Cavern. Downstairs from the main bar the stone walls and intimate feel of The Vault echo the mystique that goes with that image. Situated near the corner of Smith and Gertrude Streets in Collingwood, The Vault is also centrally located enough to become a venue to which most punters are quite happy to commute.
The Vault is run by Colin Cameron who does the job efficiently and energetically. Already The Vault has seen such comedians as Charlie Pickering, Corrine Grant, Justin Hamilton and Michael Chamberlin grace its stage. There is a lovely combination of experienced and less experienced comedians here, bolstered by a relatively new aspect to the evening’s makeup, the three minute challenge.
The three minute challenge is a fabulous addition to the line up, giving predominantly less experienced comedians an opportunity to take up a challenge which consists of turning up on the night, putting their names into a draw, and the two comedians selected being given a newspaper clipping and an hour to come up with three minutes of material on their subject. This is an interesting experiment not only for the comedians themselves but for the punters who get to see the creative process at work. For hard core punters this aspect of the night also promises a guarantee that they will see new (brand new) material, which is always an exciting prospect for someone like myself.
The intimacy of the surroundings gives the audience the opportunity to feel part of the action, and the aura of the room creates the impression that you’re in on some really cool, exclusive thing. Added to this is the relaxed demeanour of the bar staff and the honour system of dropping a gold coin into a basket by way of admission (there are no queue’s or door bitches here!).
Having been to this room only a couple of times I am already left with the feeling that Colin Cameron has a real vision for this venue. I sincerely hope that his vision continues to grow and continues to add value to the landscape of the Melbourne comedy scene. I hope also that the Melbourne comedy community gets behind him and supports The Vault. I really think that in the wash up we’ll be happy we did.
The Vault , Tuesdays, 80 Smith St Collingwood near the corner of Gertrude St, doors open 8pm, show starts 8:30pm sharp, entry by gold coin donation