Mayfest
mayk
mayfestbristol.co.uk
mayfest 17 - 27 MAY BRISTOL
Adventurous theatre for playful people “Few festivals sizzle quite so deliciously as Mayfest, which always succeeds in feeling both very local and completely universal.” The Guardian
2012
Welcome to
MAYFEST 2012
It’s good to be back. The work in this year’s festival speaks, sometimes loudly, and sometimes very quietly, about the world in 2012. It’s a snapshot of the way we live now. Not in a grand, State of the Nation way, but in a more esoteric, leftfield way. There are softly spoken personal stories; raw, urgent politics; new versions of ancient tales; calls to action; moments to stop and think, and good old-fashioned entertainment. We hope you’re as excited as we are about this year’s programme. Jump in, have a look around and let us know what you think. Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin Artistic Directors matthewandkate@mayk.org.uk mayk.org.uk
The Mayfest Team Artistic Directors: Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin Project Manager: Kerrie Avery Production Manager: Chris Swain
Marketing Coordinator: Richard Aslan Assistant Project Manager: Becky Hall Bristol University Placement: Emily Tate
Like mayfestbristol on Facebook or follow @mayfestbristol on Twitter for the latest news, updates and reviews. Mayfest is produced by MAYK in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic and in association with arts organisations across the city. It is funded by Arts Council England and Bristol City Council. Sponsored by Triodos Bank. MAYK benefits from Bristol City Council’s Capacity Project.
Mayfest Cafe Fri 18 - Sun 27, 11am - 6pm
Open throughout the day during the festival for tea, cake and chats, the Mayfest Café was a new addition to our menu of social spaces in 2011, and an excellent hub it was too - so we thought we’d do it again. Conveniently located in the city centre, here is where you’ll find info on what’s going on, people to talk to and the odd thing to eat. Mayfest Café is made possible through Bristol City Council’s Capacity Project.
The Parlour, 31 College Green, BS1 5TB
The MAYFEST 2012 Opening Party Thu 17, 9pm till late Come and help us cut the ribbon on another festival at one of our notorious opening parties. This year, we’re unlocking the cage of the Blind Tiger and letting him prowl around at Bristol Old Vic. Come and join us for some prohibition-era fun complete with live music and one or two surprises. Updates @ mayfestbristol on Twitter and on our website. Bristol Old Vic, King Street, BS1 4ED Tickets are FREE. First come, first served.
Diary THU 17
FRI 18
SAT 19
SUN 20
ARNOLFINI AUDITORIUM ARNOLFINI DARK STUDIO
BRISTOL OLD VIC STUDIO
BRISTOL OLD VIC BASEMENT
The Furies: 9.30pm
The Blind Tiger: various, see p. 7
SEE WEBSITE
COUNTY SPORTS CLUB
SEE WEBSITE
SEE WEBSITE
THE BREWERY THEATRE
VARIOUS/BIG TOP
TOBACCO FACTORY THEATRE
TRENCHARD STREET CAR PARK
TRINITY CENTRE
VARIOUS LOCATIONS
YOUR HOUSE
WARDROBE THEATRE
SEE WEBSITE
John Moran: The Con Artist: 9pm
Magna Mysteria
Made In Heaven: 7.30pm
Motor Vehicle Sundown: Various, see p. 10
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart: 7.30pm
Made Up
Avon Calling: Various, see p. 11
MON 21
MAYFESTBRISTOL.CO.UK TUE 22
WED 23
THU 24
FRI 25
SAT 26
SUN 27
Episode: 2pm and 7.30pm
Legs 11: 7.30pm
Exposure: 5.30pm - 9pm
7 Day Drunk: 7.30pm
Autobiographer: 7.30pm
The Articulate Hand: 5pm
The Blind Tiger: Various, see p.7
Open House: Various, see p. 10
Goose Party: 9pm
Goose Party: 9pm
Garage Band: Various, see p. 19
Maybe If You Choreograph Me... Various, see p. 19
Hitch: 7:45pm, Crunch: 9.15pm.
Small Talk: 9pm
Magna Mysteria
Showdown, 9pm
Minsk: 7.30pm
Motor Vehicle Sundown: Various, see p. 10
Final event Sun 10 Jun
Made Up
Off The Peg: 7pm
Guild of Cheesemakers: Various, see p. 15
WORLD PREMIERE
Magna Mysteria Mercurial Wrestler Showdown: Sat 26, 9pm
VENUE
TICKETS BOOKING
RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE
Across the city, showdown at The Big Top at Creative Commons, Temple Quay £15/£12 magnamysteria.com, or in person at Bristol Old Vic 1hr 20mins 12+
Magna Mysteria is funded by Arts Council England, Bristol City Council Neighbourhood Arts and Bristol Ferment and developed with support from Pervasive Media Studio, Theatre Bristol and Mayfest.
This isn’t a game. You are not here to play a game. All we ask is that you hold in your mind one simple idea: YOU ARE A MAGICIAN The Morrelini Sisters invite you to join their carnival troupe on a journey of intrigue in Magna Mysteria; an interactive series of magical events, culminating in the most spectacular showdown Bristol has ever seen. Enter a world of wondrous trickery, stupendous illusion and ultimate secrecy. Cynics, show your faces, you will not believe your eyes. There are many paths, and not everyone will experience Magna Mysteria in the same way. Collect your invitation to the magic show and let the world unravel around you. Characters will tell conflicting tales, immortals will tweet. Who or what will you believe? Let your imagination revel in the inconceivable as you voyage with us through the legends of a forgotten time. Magna Mysteria; pick your card. Mercurial Wrestler are resident theatre artists at Pervasive Media Studio, Watershed, Bristol. They create a unique form of immersive audience-led performance, with an ambition to make the impossible possible.
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The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart National Theatre of Scotland Created by David Greig Directed by Wils Wilson Thu 17 - Sun 20, 7.30pm Presented in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic. VENUE TICKETS BOOKING
RUNNING TIME WEBSITE AGE GUIDANCE
The Trinity Centre, Trinity Road, Bristol, BS2 0NW £13/£11 Bristol Old Vic, 0117 987 7877 or via bristolticketshop.co.uk. Door sales also available. 1hr 50mins nationaltheatrescotland.com 14+
Pull up a chair and wet your whistle for an evening of anarchic theatre, live music and strange goings-on.… One wintry morning, Prudencia Hart, an uptight academic, sets off to attend a conference in Kelso in the Scottish Borders. As the snow begins to fall, little does she know who or what awaits her. Inspired by the border ballads - and delivered in a riotous romp of rhyming couplets, devilish encounters and wild karaoke - Prudencia’s dream-like journey of self-discovery unfolds among and around the audience. With a rollicking text by David Greig, barnstorming live music, and a ‘terrific, inventive sense of fun.’ (THE SCOTSMAN), The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is the lock-in to end all lock-ins. National Theatre of Scotland cannot be held responsible in the event of any member of the audience losing their head, their heart or their very self during the course of the performance.
BSL interpreted performance on Sun 20.
THE TIMES
“You shouldn’t miss this show for the world… rambunctiously life-affirming and touchingly beautiful.”
THE HERALD
“More vibrantly alive than any piece of theatre I’ve seen in Scotland for years.”
THE SCOTSMAN
THE GUARDIAN
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart won a Herald Angel award at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland, 2010-2011 Award for Best Music and Sound. mayfestbristol.co.uk
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Off The Peg A week of brand new performance at the Wardrobe Theatre. Mon 21 - Fri 25, 7pm
For the first time, Mayfest and The Wardrobe Theatre have joined forces to bring you Off The Peg, a week of debut performances from inspiring new theatre voices, hosted in a vibrant new venue above the White Bear pub. Visit thewardrobetheatre.com for full listings.
The Blind Tiger Fri 18-Sat 19, 8pm-9.30pm & 10.30pm til late Sun 20 9pm til late Tue 22 - Sat 26, 9pm til late
Come inside. We’ve been expecting you. In the bowels of Bristol Old Vic, our favourite wild cat is stretching its haunches and licking its lips in anticipation of another bout of nocturnal theatrical debauchery. The Blind Tiger, Mayfest 2012’s festival hangout promises music, entertainment and well, just about anything really.
Welcome to our lair. Take a seat, order a drink and see what happens. If you would like to perform at the Blind Tiger you can sign up for a slot in our café on the day.
VENUE TICKETS AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
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Bristol Old Vic Basement Pay What You Can (No advance booking) Recommended 14+ mayfestbristol.co.uk
mayfestbristol.co.uk
“The Wardrobe Theatre is fast developing a reputation of being home to some of Bristol’s best underground events.” GUIDE2BRISTOL
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Wardrobe Theatre, The White Bear, 133 St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, BS2 8BS £5 tickets@thewardrobetheatre.com 1hr approx thewardrobetheatre.com
The Furies
WORLD PREMIERE
Made In Heaven
Kindle Theatre
Mark Bruce Company
Fri 18 - Sat 19, 9.30pm
Fri 18 - Sun 20, 7.30pm
“The power of these rock-chick Furies is in the way they use their voices and bodies as weapons... They are a force of nature.” THE GUARDIAN Birmingham’s Kindle Theatre plunder the city’s native heavy metal sound to create a ballsy gig for you to get sweaty to. Told through the eyes of Clytemnestra’s band of Furies, this is the ultimate tale of envy, rage and revenge. The Furies smashes together rock, metal and soul in a drastic retelling of the ancient myth of Clytemnestra. Witness a woman’s loss, betrayal and bloody revenge in a heart-stopping cacophony of original music, voicescapes and stark imagery. Commissioned by mac Birmingham from an idea developed at China Plate’s The Darkroom. Winner of ACT Festival European Touring Price, BE Festival 2011. Supported by Arts Council England and The Sir Barry Jackson Trust.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
Bristol Old Vic Studio £10/£7 0117 987 7877 or bristolticketshop.co.uk 1hr 13+ kindletheatre.co.uk
Please note that this performance is standing only.
“A compelling evening of dance theatre.” THE GUARDIAN (On Sea of Bones) Following the critically acclaimed Love and War (Mayfest 2010) and Sea of Bones, Mark Bruce Company in association with The Tobacco Factory Theatre present its new, savagely beautiful dance theatre production Made in Heaven. Merging ancient themes with the dystopia of contemporary life, Mark Bruce creates a surreal world ruled by a blinded cop and a malicious virgin, where a prairie girl dreams of other lives and a chain-gang dances on the edge of an inferno. With music ranging from Debussy and Leadbelly to Queens of the Stone Age and The Black Keys, this dark, sometimes comic piece interrogates the very idea of heaven. Mark Bruce has choreographed, directed and danced internationally for over twenty years. His work includes collaborations with Bern Ballet, Rosas, PJ Harvey, Igloo, Probe, Introdans, DJazzex and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
Tobacco Factory Theatre £13/£11 0117 902 0344 1hr 10mins 13+ markbrucecompany.com
mayfestbristol.co.uk
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Motor Vehicle Sundown Andy Field Fri 18 - Thu 24, 3pm - 9pm
“...a landscape shaped by the age of the car, that may one day look as archaic as the ruins of ancient Babylon.”
THE SCOTSMAN
Take a seat in the last motor vehicle left on earth. A once in a lifetime opportunity to really feel what it must have been to drive a car. Imagine the gargle of the engine. Imagine yourself drifting back in time. You are James Dean, you are Ayrton Senna, you are Popeye Doyle.
WORLD PREMIERE
John Moran: The Con artist Fri 18 - Sun 20, 9pm
“I am convinced that there is no more important composer working today than John Moran.”
Andy Field is an artist and Co-Director of Forest Fringe, who brought their Microfest to Mayfest in 2010.
PHILIP GLASS
VENUE
Inimitable New York composer and performer John Moran returns to Mayfest with the world premiere of a new solo piece. John Moran: The Con Artist seamlessly combines movement, sound and a musical approach to realism. Moran became a protégé of Philip Glass upon his arrival in New York in the early 90s, and his works have featured performers such as Uma Thurman, Iggy Pop and Allen Ginsberg. He has been touring internationally since 2007, often alongside Japanese performer Saori Tsukada.
TICKETS BOOKING
Moran’s unique blend of music and movement thrilled and confounded audiences in Mayfest 2009 and 2010. He is a rare and exhilarating talent and we’re extremely excited to be welcoming him back to delight audiences once more with the premiere of this new piece.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME
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Motor Vehicle Sundown is an audio piece for two in a parked car in the middle of a busy city. It is a journey through the history of our relationship to this most mythologised of objects and the dream of America with which it is so intimately bound up. You will navigate your way through rolling fields and along endless highways, gazing out of the windows at a world of your own invention.
The Brewery Theatre £10/£7 0117 902 0344 1hr
mayfestbristol.co.uk
RUNNING TIME
Trenchard Street Car Park, BS1 5AN £5 Bristol Old Vic 0117 987 7877. Tickets available on site subject to availability. 30 mins
Limited capacity. Early booking advised.
Avon Calling
Open House
The Other Way Works
Chris Goode & Company
Fri 18 - Sun 20
Mon 21 - Fri 25, 11am - 10pm (Mon); 10am - 10pm (Tue); 10am - 6pm (Wed - Fri); Sharings Wed, Thu, Fri, 7.30pm
“An entertaining and poignant show about the truth behind the painted smile.” THE GUARDIAN Ding, dong. “Avon Calling!”
“One of the most exciting talents working in Britain today.” THE GUARDIAN
Join the Avon Lady in the cosy surroundings of your own living room for an intimate Avon Party with a twist. Invite your friends round to share in a celebration of beauty in all its forms, and uncover the secrets that lurk beneath your visitor’s perfectly polished exterior. Avon Calling is performed for up to ten audience members. Tickets should be booked per household by the householder. You will need one room, where all your invited audience members can sit comfortably, for this rather special evening of theatre round at your place! The Other Way Works’ thrilling interactive piece Black Tonic was a sell-out hit at Mayfest 2009.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Your Own House £120 (up to ten people) Bristol Old Vic 0117 987 7877. 1hr 30mins theotherwayworks. co.uk
Advance booking essential.
Starting absolutely from scratch, for one week, Chris and a small group of fellow theatre makers will be working flat-out to develop a new piece: and right from the start, you can be part of the process. The doors will be completely open so anyone who’s interested can contribute to the conversation. Bring stimulating materials to share, ask questions, set challenges…or simply come and enjoy the gentle chaos of a creative process that could go in any direction. From Wednesday onwards, there’ll be an evening showing of whatever has emerged so far, and on Friday night the finished piece will be unveiled — maybe including some material that you helped to make!
VENUE TICKETS
See mayfestbristol.co.uk FREE. Friday sharing, Pay What You Can.
Theatre Jukebox Presents
Mass Observation Stand+Stare Tue 22 - Sat 26 Theatre Jukebox is an arcade-style cabinet that plays stories instead of records and allows you to choose the chapters you want. Take a seat at the jukebox, slip on some headphones, choose a photograph and delve into a treasure trove of memory. Theatre Jukebox uses material and inspiration from the Mass Observation Archive, which has documented everyday life in Britain from 1937 to the early 1950s, and continuously since 1981. Funded by Arts Council England with support from Mass Observation Archive, Future Everything, Pervasive Media Studio and the Ross Charitable Trust.
VENUE TICKETS RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Mayfest Café & Bristol Old Vic Free 15mins standandstare.com
“What makes it heart-rending is the knowledge that the events described are true.”
Fuel and Belarus Free Theatre Present
Minsk, 2011: A Reply to Kathy Acker Devised by Belarus Free Theatre Adapted and directed by Vladimir Shcherban Mon 21 - Sat 26, 7.30pm VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
Tobacco Factory Theatre £13/£11 0117 902 0344 1hr 20mins 16+ fueltheatre.com
Originally presented at Pleasance. Developed in residence at the Dartington Space with the support of the Dartington Hall Trust. Funded by Arts Council England.
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THE TELEGRAPH
“This remarkable company shares its experiences with such wit, intelligence and theatrical imagination.”
THE SCOTSMAN
Welcome to Minsk – the sexiest city in the world! Strip clubs, underground raves and gay pride parades pulse beneath the surface of a city where sexuality is twisted by oppression. If scars are sexy then Minsk must be the sexiest city in the world. A love letter to a home that exiles those willing to fight for it, Minsk, 2011 celebrates and mourns a land that has lost its way. This is a rare opportunity to experience a provocative and heartbreaking show from a revolutionary company. Belarus Free Theatre was founded in 2OO5 in Europe’s last surviving dictatorship; the company is one of the most outspoken critics of Belarus’s repressive regime. Many company members have served time in prison, lost their jobs, gone into hiding or been exiled. Despite this, the company continues to develop award-winning work with the support of artists around the world. Fringe First winner 2011 In Russian with English surtitles.
Melanie Wilson & Fuel
Autobiographer
Legs 11
By Melanie Wilson
Tom Marshman
Tue 22 - Thu 24, 7.30pm
Tue 22 - Wed 23, 7.30pm
“Wilson’s tools are not just the word or the “A lively, fun and engaging piece of theatre.” physical, but also her own intensity, light and BRISTOL CULTURE dark, and an extraordinary soundscape that transports us into a dislocating otherness.” Tom Marshman is mingling with fashionistas. But will his THE GUARDIAN (On Iris Brunette)
winning smile pull him through?
Combining a lyrical text, immersive staging and an enigmatic and compelling performance style, Autobiographer draws us in to the unravelling mind of its central character, Flora. Voiced by multiple performers, Flora reveals an evocative portrait of a life refracted through the lens of dementia, layered from fragments of stories and pulses of memory. This tender, poetic and thrilling performance features a cast of four, and a bold and electrifying score of voice and sound.
Like most men, Tom has an ambiguous relationship with his legs. So imagine his surprise when he was shortlisted for the Pretty Polly competition looking for the best legs in the country. Tom has suffered from varicose veins for a number of years but a newly found confidence encouraged Tom to delve into a world of celebrity, stockings, photoshoots, beauty pageants and gender misadventures.
Funded by Arts Council England and a Wellcome Trust Arts Award. Developed
In this intimate performance, Tom tells a brave story of misfits and transformation, hospital visits and rejuvenation.
as part of Fuel at the Roundhouse and Jerwood residencies at Cove Park, which are supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation. Development
Supported by Chisenhale Dance Space and developed at BAC and Bristol Old
supported by ARC Stockton on Tees. Developed at MAKE 2010, an artist
Vic Ferment. Winner of the first Embrace Arts disabled artist’s commission
development programme supported by Absolut Fringe, Cork Midsummer
for Hatch, 2011. Developed in residence at the Dartington Space with the
Festival, Project & Theatre Forum. Rehearsal space in kind provided by
support of Dartington Hall Trust. Funded by the National Lottery through Arts
Shoreditch Town Hall.
Council England.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Bristol Old Vic Studio £10/£7 0117 987 7877 1hr melaniewilson.org.uk
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Arnolfini £10/£7 0117 917 2300/01 1hr tommarshman.com
Limited capacity. Early booking advised.
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Hitch
Crunch
Exposure
Kieran Hurley
Gary McNair
Jo Bannon
Tue 22 - Thu 24, 7.45pm
Tue 22 - Thu 24, 9.15pm
Tue 22 - Thu 24, 5.30pm - 9pm
“The best performance I have ever seen.” CHRIS GOODE, THE OBSERVER
“A very smart hour worth “Moving, provocative and something more than money: brave.” your time.” Audience member
On the 8th of July 2009, the leaders of the eight most powerful countries in the world met for three days in the earthquakeravaged town of L’Aquila in Italy to make plans for the future of our society and our planet. On 27th June, Kieran Hurley hitched a lift from Glasgow, alone, to be there too. Hitch is an intimate piece of contemporary storytelling about the real experience of this journey. It asks questions about the meaning and purpose of political protest, the limits of personal power and the possibility of change.
THE GUARDIAN
Gary’s got a good feeling about you. He believes that you’ve got it in you to be a winner. He believes that you’ve got what it takes to complete his five-step programme. He believes that you can be liberated from the tyranny of money forever.
Exposure is the first work in an enquiry into looking; an investigation into how we look, how we are looked at and if we can ever really be seen. This intimate one-on-one performance is a tender and tentative look into autobiography, asking how fully we can reveal ourselves - to ourselves, to another, with another.
Is it a lecture? Is it a test? Is he really serious?
Rules and Regs and South Hill Park. Further
Exposure was made with the support of development is supported by Bristol Ferment
Crunch is a solo performance by Gary McNair.
at the Dartington Space with the support of the Dartington Hall Trust, RWA, Arnolfini, The Basement, Inbetween Time Productions, BAC.
Humorous, honest, thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful, Hitch is a story of global leaders, compassionate strangers, a young man…and his thumb. Music by Over The Wall.
Crunch was developed with the National Theatre
Funded by Arts Council England.
of Scotland and originally commissioned at Òran Mór for a Play, a Pie and a Pint. Produced by Trigger.
Developed in association with The Arches, Forest Fringe, and PLaY. Produced by Trigger.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE SPECIAL OFFER
The Brewery Theatre £10/£7 0117 902 0344 1hr triggerstuff.co.uk See Hitch and Crunch for £15/£12
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE SPECIAL OFFER
The Brewery Theatre £10/£7 0117 902 0344 50mins triggerstuff.co.uk See Hitch and Crunch for £15/£12
There will be BSL interpreted performances of Hitch and Crunch on Wed 23 May.
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VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Arnolfini Dark Studio £5 0117 917 2300/01 12mins jobannon.co.uk
Limited Capacity. Early booking advised.
WORLD PREMIERE
Made Up Molly Naylor and Byron Vincent This time last year we embarked on our first co-commission with Theatre Bristol, which resulted in Search Party’s Semaphore Soap Opera, Save Me. This was a wonderful beginning to a commissioning partnership sparked by a desire to support exciting new projects that take place outside of theatre spaces and make playful interventions in to everyday lives. In that vein we are delighted to bring you Made Up, a unique participatory story-telling project created by Molly Naylor and Byron Vincent. Throughout March and early April, Molly and Byron asked the people of Bristol to give them ideas for made-to-order stories. The invitation was open – these could be stories about people’s friends, colleagues and families; motivational bedtime stories for the day before a big job interview, or a celebration of a silver wedding anniversary told at a park bench, the site of a first kiss. Throughout Mayfest they will be writing, delivering and performing these bespoke stories for the chosen participants at a series of locations across the city. By the time you read this it may be that you have already proposed a story but either way you can follow the project as it unfolds at www.madeupbristol.co.uk and on our Made Up maps in the Mayfest Café and Bristol Old Vic foyer. A celebration event will take place on Sunday 10th June, 2-6pm at Bristol Old Vic where you can join us for tea, cake and a selection of the stories made up for the people of Bristol, woven together with details of their telling. Commissioned by Mayfest and Theatre Bristol. mayfestbristol.co.uk
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The Guild Of Cheesemakers Stand+Stare and Emma Callander Fri 25, 7.30pm and Sat 26, 3pm and 7.30pm A cheese and wine tasting with a fictional narrative.
“A sort of multisensory cabaret with a pleasingly chewy pay-off.” VENUE MAGAZINE The Guild of Cheesemakers invite you to join them at a secret location for their Annual Ceremonial Tasting. You will taste a selection of artisan cheeses, fine wines and breads in the company of esteemed experts. Over the course of the evening, the gustatory effects will enhance your experience as you gradually learn more about a mysterious, supernatural cheese, known only as 198. The Guild of Cheesemakers was a sell-out hit at Mayfest 2011 and has since been developed with support from Arts Council England and Parabola Arts Centre.
Goose Party Little Bulb Theatre Fri 25 and Sun 27, 9pm, Doors at 8pm
“Boundlessly enthusiastic, insanely optimistic and inexpressibly charming.” THE GUARDIAN We welcome back the excellent Little Bulb to Mayfest for the fourth year running. Get your dancing shoes on. Treat your sweet senses and dancing legs to the party’s sonic antipasti of sassy pseudo-fiesta funk, water story power folk, electronica gender anthems, dirty aggro railway blues, plus a bit of the strummy soft stuff for the lovers or the lonely, in a high octane evening of madcap musical wildness, wilderness and general gooseyness as we all endeavour to find out Who. We. Are.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
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County Sports Club, Colston Street, BS1 5AE £10/£7 Bristol Old Vic 0117 987 7877 and via bristolticketshop.co.uk 2hrs approx 16+ littlebulbtheatre.com
mayfestbristol.co.uk
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
Secret location £20 (includes cheese, wine and bread) Tobacco Factory 0117 902 0344 1hr 45mins standandstare.com
Limited capacity. Early booking advised.
The Articulate Hand
7 Day Drunk
Andrew Dawson
Bryony Kimmings
Sat 26 - Sun 27, 5pm
Fri 25 - Sat 26, 7.30pm
“Simply outstanding.” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
“A riotous ride.” EVENING STANDARD
“Astonishing, almost unbearably moving.” NEW YORK TIMES
“Delivered with self-aware wit and a whole lot of glitter. Get it down you!” TIME OUT CRITICS’ CHOICE
Through movement, we uncover the grace, beauty and psychological consequences of impairments of the hand. In a collaboration between neuroscientist and author, Johnathan Cole, and performance artist Andrew Dawson, The Articulate Hand explores the experience of impairment by uniting the insight of the scientist with the empathy of the artist. The basis of this examination is through a variety of extraordinary encounters with people with hand impairment, including stroke, arthritis, spinal cord injury and the remarkable case of losing all sense of touch. Only through loss do we reveal the significance of our hands. Not only are hands tools with which we manipulate the physical world, through gesture they are aesthetically rich messengers, from our inner selves. They are the eyes of the skin.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING WEBSITE
Bristol Old Vic Studio £10/£7 0117 987 7877 thearticulatehand.com
Bryony Kimmings is NOT an alcoholic but she has always had a rocky relationship with booze. It’s intrinsically linked to her confidence as an artist as well as to blame for her most genius and most hideous creations. From the Total Theatre awardwinning creator of Sex Idiot (Mayfest 2011) comes a hilarious and moving one-woman show investigating the historical links between artists and mind-enhancing drugs. 2 parts song and dance routine, 1 part breakdown, Bryony cracks open her creative psyche with the help of a film-maker, a team of scientists, carers and an American IT expert. Created solely from material made during a seven-day experiment, in which Bryony was kept in various states of drunkenness. Performed sober.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
Bristol Old Vic Studio £10/£7 0117 987 7877 1hr 16+ bryonykimmings.com
BSL performance: Sat 26. mayfestbristol.co.uk
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Episode FRAUKE REQUARDT Sat 26, 2pm and 7.30pm After wowing audiences at Mayfest 2010 with Electric Hotel, Frauke Requardt brings us Episode. This finely tuned choreography draws upon our desire for safety and clarity and takes the audience on an unusual and darkly atmospheric journey, exploring the highs and lows of humanity. Requardt brings together three exceptional dancers, Valentina Formenti, Inn Pang Ooi and Eva Recacha Garcia, together with a team of collaborators that are amongst the most risk-taking currently working in theatre. Hannah Clark’s intriguingly fantastical designs are matched by uncanny lighting from Chahine Yavroyan, featuring live piano by Niko Meinhold, an immersive, eerie soundtrack by the Ringham brothers, and Andrew Plummer’s deep, deep voice.
“Episode is simultaneously one of the most controlled and most violently bizarre dance events I’ve reviewed in a long time.” THE GUARDIAN
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING WEBSITE
Arnolfini £13/£11 0117 917 2300/01 requardt.com
Commissioned by The Place with support from Arts Council England, European Dancehouse Network through moduldance, Dance Ireland, Ireland, Danshuis StationZuid, The Netherlands, Moving East, London and Greenwich Dance, Coln Trust, The Jerwood Charitable Trust. Frauke Requardt is a Work Place Artist and Associate Artist at Greenwich Dance.
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WORLD PREMIERE
Garage Band Richard Allen Thu 24 - Sun 27, 8pm Thu; 4pm and 8pm Fri; 2pm and 6pm Sat and Sun
“Weird and wonderful…it will make you laugh at the same time as shaking your head in disbelief.” THREE WEEKS on The Lightning Conductor
Maybe If You Small Talk Probe / Antonia Grove / Choreograph Me, Wendy Houstoun You Will Feel Better Fri 25 - Sat 26, 9pm Tania El Khoury Fri 25 - Sun 27, 5.15pm, 6pm, 6.45pm
BALLET.CO.UK on May
“With its built-in unpredictability this special piece is loaded with provocative political implications and just a trace of lost romance.” THE LIST
Performed in a garage somewhere in the suburbs of Bristol, Garage Band is part DIY concert and part memory play, for an audience assembled on a driveway. Inspired by Tom McCarthy’s novel Remainder, it follows the attempts of a singer to reconnect with his memory following a mysterious accident that involved something falling from the sky. Recalling tiny details of objects and events from his teenage years, he sets about reconstructing the garage band of his youth. Featuring live music, object animation and a smoking BBQ, join us for a beer and a burger in this unique suburban concert.
Maybe If You Choreograph Me, You Will Feel Better is a relationship between one male audience member and one female performer. The audience member stares from a window and hears a female voice. She tells him to look out into the street. Somewhere, among the passers by, he finds a woman who will obey his every move. Winner of the Total Theatre Award for Innovation, 2011 Winner of the Arches Brick Award, 2011 Commissioned and developed at BAC with music and sound by Laura Whitticase.
Developed in association with MAYK.
VENUE VENUE TICKETS BOOKING WEBSITE
See mayfestbristol.co.uk £10/£7 Bristol Old Vic 0117 987 7877 richobject.wordpress.com
Limited capacity. Early booking advised. This is an outdoor show, please dress for the weather.
“So sexy it should have come with a health warning.”
TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME WEBSITE
See mayfestbristol.co.uk £5 0117 917 2300/01 30mins taniaelkhoury.com
Very limited capacity. Advance booking only. Please note this performance is for male audience members only.
Small Talk is a screen test for a B movie actress. Stand-up singing, sit down talking, monosyllabic dancing and fast talking movement come together in this virtuosic display of disguise and derangement performed by “dance goddess” (THE TIMES) Antonia Grove and created by Wendy Houstoun.
VENUE TICKETS BOOKING RUNNING TIME AGE GUIDANCE WEBSITE
The Brewery Theatre £10/£7 0117 902 0344 1hr 12+ probeproject.com
VENUES AND BOOKING Bristol Old Vic
Arnolfini
0117 987 7877 bristololdvic.org.uk King Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED
0117 917 2300/01 arnolfini.org.uk 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
Mon – Fri, 10am – 6.30pm Sat, 12pm – 6.30pm A 50p transaction fee applies to all credit/debit card bookings and £2 for online bookings.
Daily (telephone), 9.30am – 6pm Tue – Sun (in person), 11am – 6pm 75p per ticket for online booking. For tickets £10 and above the charge rises to £1.50 per ticket.
Tobacco Factory Theatre
Bristol Ticket Shop
0117 902 0344 tobaccofactorytheatre.com Raleigh Road, Bristol, BS3 1TF
0870 44 44 400 bristolticketshop.co.uk 26 Union Street, Bristol BS1 2DP
Mon – Sat, 10am – 6.30pm Card handling fee of 50p for 1 ticket or £1 for 2 or more tickets applies for all card transactions. £2.50 fee per transaction for online bookings.
Mon – Sat, 10am – 6pm Thu , 10am – 7pm
County Sports Club
The Trinity Centre Trinity Road, Bristol BS2 0NW 3ca.org.uk
Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AE Book via Bristol Old Vic or Bristol Ticket Shop. Tickets on door subject to availability.
Wardrobe Theatre
Book via Bristol Old Vic or Bristol Ticket Shop. Tickets on door subject to availability.
Trenchard Street Car Park Trenchard Street, BS1 5AN
The White Bear, 133 St Michael’s Hill, Bristol, BS2 8BS Book by email info@thewardrobetheatre.com
The Parlour 31 College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TB
THANK YOU TO... Emma Stenning, Tom Morris and all at Bristol Old Vic; Ali Robertson and all at the Tobacco Factory Theatre; Tom Trevor, Mel Scaffold and all at Arnolfini; all at Theatre Bristol; Steve Wright, Dave Higgitt and Tom Wainwright at Venue Magazine; Liesel Corp and Harriet de Winton; all at The Parlour; Megan Farrow; Galliford Try; Fuel Theatre; Claire Teasdale, Peter Holt and Simon Cook at Bristol City Council, the Festivals Forum; Capacity Project: Ruth Essex; Trigger; Dartington Hall; Cove Park; Seth Honnor; Barney Heywood; Benji Croce; Festival Crew: Abigail Hill, Emma Louise Crofts, Nic Burke, Nikki Claire Grant and Stephanie Kempson; Trenchard Street Carpark; Dick Penny; Rosie Giarratana; Phil Hindson; Residence; all at The Wardrobe Theatre; Rhiannon and all at Trinity Centre; County Sports Club; Jayne Clarke, Tridos Bank; Synth Media; Keren Kossow and Louise Jardine at The Place; and to all our friends and collaborators, you know who you are. Design Credit: Synth Media, synthmedia.co.uk
Photo Credits: MADE UP - Rose Robbins THE FURIES - Alex Brenner, Bianca Harvey & James Smith, MADE IN HEAVEN - Stephen Berkeley White, MOTOR VEHICLE SUNDOWN - Kevin Dooley, AUTOBIOGRAPHER - Monika Chmeliarz, CRUNCH - Dave Arthur, LEGS 11 - Dennis Marshman & Owen Bryant, EXPOSURE - Stuart Rodda, copyright 2011 Rules & Regs, SMALL TALK - Matthew Andrews, GOOSE PARTY - India Roper Evans, AVON CALLING - Chris Keenan, EPISODE - Chris Nash
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Your Visit Getting here Bristol is well served by public transport routes. Cross Country and First Great Western trains operate services into Bristol Temple Meads from all over the UK. National Express serves Bristol Bus Station and Megabus run coaches to and from Colston Street in the city centre. Bristol Airport is just 8 miles south of the city and there are regular bus links by Bristol International Flyer to the city that take around 30 mins.
Getting around Bristol is a compact city so all venues are easily accessible either on foot or by public transport. Bristol Old Vic, Arnolfini, Mayfest Café are all less than five minutes walk apart. From the centre to the Tobacco Factory and Brewery It’s about a twenty minute walk from the city centre to Southville along Coronation Road. During the day the Number 25 bus runs from the harbourside directly to the Tobacco Factory. There are also bike racks outside both the Tobacco Factory Theatre and Brewery Theatres. From the centre to the Trinity Centre If you’re seeing The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at Trinity, you can walk there from Cabot Circus in the centre along Old Market in about fifteen minutes. Number 40 and 41 buses leave from the harbourside up to Trinity very regularly. There is also car parking available at Trinity Centre. From The Wardrobe to the centre If you’re seeing early evening shows at The Wardrobe and heading into town afterwards, the best way is to walk straight down St Michael’s Hill and then down Colston Street to the harbourside. This is an excellent journey to make on a bike! Check out our mobile site at www.mayfestbristol.co.uk for more information on getting to Mayfest venues.
Getting more involved Keep your eyes peeled for updates on Twitter, Facebook and our website – and of course, if you frequent the Blind Tiger and the Mayfest Café at the Parlour, you may well hear the latest even before we do!
ARTISTS BREAKFASTS If you’re an artist making or aspiring to make professional theatre, do come along to our Artists Breakfasts for coffee, croissants and lively discussion on Saturday 19 and Wednesday 23 May, co-hosted with Theatre Bristol. Full details on our website. To reserve a place in advance, email mayfest@theatrebristol.net
We also highly recommend... Bristol Festival of Photography – 1 - 31 May, bfop.org A biennial event celebrating photography including talks, curated exhibitions and other events. The Hotel by Rolling Stage - 24 - 27 May, rollingstage.co.uk Splitting the delicate veil between the real and surreal with a fresh take on interactive theatre and guided tour performance.
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www.triodos.co.uk/hearthead
Home to Banksy and a different type of Bank Follow your heart Use your head Triodos Bank NV (incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands with limited liability, registered in England and Wales BR3012). Authorised by the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the conduct of UK business. Registered office: Triodos Bank, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AS.
mayfestbristol.co.uk
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@mayfestbristol
mayk
mayfestbristol Mayfest is produced by MAYK, in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic and venues across the city. Funded by Arts Council England and Bristol City Council.
TOBACCO FACTORY THEATRE
AR NOL FINI Image: Magna Mysteria