Mayfest
mayk
mayfestbristol.co.uk twitter.com/mayfestbristol mayfestbristolblog.blogspot.com
Adventurous theatre for playful people 5 – 15 May 2011
“A pulse-racing programme of work that offers fledgling local companies cheek by jowl with artists of international reputation” The Guardian on Mayfest 2010
As we were toasting the start of last year’s Mayfest, the nation was ushering in a new government. Since we last saw you, there have been momentous shifts in the UK’s cultural landscape. So, as once again we smash the proverbial bottle of champagne on the bow of the good ship Mayfest, the importance of festivals is felt more keenly than ever – in a time of flux and vulnerability they are an opportunity for people to come together as a temporary community, to celebrate, be challenged, provoked and moved. We hope that this year’s Mayfest programme will do just that.
Welcome to Mayfest 2011 From magical encounters in small rooms, to a semaphore soap opera
for the city, Mayfest champions difference, playfulness and new perspectives.
This year we launch a new producing organisation, MAYK, which is the consolidation of our partnership as Artistic Directors of Mayfest and the vehicle for what will be a rolling programme of celebratory theatrical events that extend outside this heady two weeks in Spring and across the calendar year. You can find out more about MAYK by visiting our temporary home mayk.posterous.com
2
mayfestbristol.co.uk
As ever we are hugely grateful to our producing partner Bristol Old Vic, who generously invest in the festival in many different ways, and provide the space for us to be brave and ambitious. We are also thankful to Arts Council England for their continuous support, to Bristol City
Council, Arnolfini, Tobacco Factory, Theatre Bristol, Watershed and our various partners across the city. Mayfest is a festival for Bristol, a city which we love, and which continually surprises us. We hope you enjoy it. Kate and Matthew
The Mayfest Team
Artistic Directors: Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin Project Manager: Kerrie Avery Production Manager: Chris Swain Producing Intern: Holly McGrane Bristol University Placement: George Monro Mayfest Blogger: Matt Whittle
Thanks to:
Emma Stenning, Tom Morris and all at Bristol Old Vic; Ali Robertson and all at the Tobacco Factory Theatre; Tom Trevor, Sarah Warden, Jane Connarty and all at Arnolfini; Jan Winter and all at Circomedia; Katie Keeler, Tanuja Amarasuriya, Mike Martins and Olivia Winteringham at Theatre Bristol; Annie Warburton; Steve Wright and Joe Spurgeon at Venue Magazine; Clare Reddington, Victoria Tillotson, Dick Penny and all at Watershed; Phillipa Haynes, Claire Teasdale and Ruth Essex at Bristol City Council; Phil Hindson at Arts Council England; Anna Searle and all at Spike Island; Hannah Sullivan; Mark Slater; Liesel Corp; Jo Cuthbert; Lina B Frank and all at Interval and The Cube; The Mercure Holland House Hotel; Residence; The Parlour; Tom Wainwright; Mr. Arthur Tibbs; Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; InHouse Media; Kate and Louise at Fuel; all our volunteers and ushers, all our WeFund donors, and anyone who has made this possible. You know who you are.
How to Book
Look out for the symbols throughout the brochure which show you where to book your tickets. Bristol Old Vic 0117 987 7877 bristololdvic.org.uk
Tobacco Factory 0117 902 0344 tobaccofactorytheatre.com Arnolfini 0117 917 2300/01 arnolfini.org.uk
For full booking details, see p. 22/23.
The Mayfest 2011 Opening Party Thurs 5th, 7pm til late Bristol Old Vic Free. Entry on a first-come first-served basis. While the Theatre Royal and Paintshop at Bristol Old Vic is out of bounds for its makeover, we’re taking over everywhere we can get our hands on for one of our (dare we say it) legendary opening parties. Expect music, singing, a robot disco, and the usual high jinx – all completely free.
The Blind Tiger
Welcome to the Blind Tiger. Come in, have a seat, our barman will bring you a drink. Anything can happen in here, and it probably will. Hidden in the murky depths is The Blind Tiger, our very own festival speakeasy, where we’ll while away the dark hours with music, cabaret and liquor. Our tiger is a seedy beast who prohibits the po-faced. Musicians and performers: slots will be available for sign up on the night. Mayfesters: Just turn up and see. Keep an eye on twitter.com/mayfestbristol and our mayfestbristolblog.blogspot.com for details.
The Mayfest Café
The Parlour, 31 College Green The Mayfest Café will be open throughout the day during the festival at this year’s Mayfest HQ at The Parlour on College Green and you’re all welcome. Pop in for a cup of tea, a slice of cake and some much-needed R&R. In here you’ll be able to find up-to-theminute information on events, reviews, gossip and meet the Mayfest team and our artists. We’ll also be selling tickets and running impromptu competitions. We’ll pop the kettle on. Ours is white no sugar, thanks. The Mayfest Café is made possible through Bristol City Council’s Capacity Project.
mayfestbristol.co.uk
Illustration: Lucy Smith. Fireworks photo: flickr.com/photos/loubert37
Fri 6th – Sun 8th, Wed 11th – Fri 13th, from 9.30pm Bristol Old Vic Basement Tickets: Pay what you can, door sales only
3
Flogging a Dead Horse GAVIN GLOVER & FAULTY OPTIC
Thurs 5th, 8pm, Tobacco Factory Theatre Tickets: £10/£7 Amongst the ink blots, intercoms, coffee rings and pizza, there’s a little doorway down to the deepest, darkest ocean, where the seabed sludge has a similar chemistry to the chemistry of the human brain. Flogging a Dead Horse is a show which ponders those moments when the people around you are present, but just not quite there.
DOUBLE BILL
Foley
JO BANNON
For over twenty years, Faulty Optic have been inspiring new audiences with their radical
Astronaut SLEEPDOGS
Fri 6th – Sun 8th, 7pm, The Brewery Tickets: £8/£6
Foley photo: Carl Newland
We saw Bristol-based artist Jo Bannon perform Foley at last year’s Inbetween Time Festival, and immediately fell in love with it. Part-Blue Peter demonstration, partthriller, this new work begins with a fascination with foley; the archaic, tender and hand-made technique of creating sound effects for film. Using our collective cinematic language, Jo explores this very particular art form, where the chase scene, the sex scene and the bit where the door is kicked off can all be conjured with party poppers, bits of wood, and lots of vegetables. jobannon.co.uk
4
Developed with the support of Residence, Testing Grounds, South Hill Park and Arnolfini. Dramaturgical support from Lucy Cassidy.
Foley double-bills with Astronaut by Sleepdogs, the collaboration between Tim X Atack and Tanuja Amarasuriya. This excellent Bristol-based partnership have been consistently thrilling audiences with their irrepressibly stylish, sensory and off-kilter worlds, and Astronaut is no exception. It’s a beautiful miniature for human being and Dictaphone; a simple story that journeys far away into the vast, dark, emptiness of outer space. sleepdogs.org An Arnolfini We Live Here commission.
If you like these, check out: ...I Guess if The Stage Exploded / Like You Were Before
mayfestbristol.co.uk
reinvention of puppetry. Their shows, which mix puppetry with animation, film and music, transport you to a dislocated reality, laced with dark, dark humour. Following performances at London’s International Mime Festival earlier this year, we’re delighted that they’re opening Mayfest 2011 at the Tobacco Factory Theatre. faultyoptic.co.uk If you like this, check out: Tales of a Sea Journey
Operation Greenfield
“Recklessly talented ...insanely brave” The Guardian ####
LITTLE BULB THEATRE Fri 6th – Sun 8th, 8pm Bristol Old Vic Studio Tickets: £10/£7
We were amongst many basking in the glory of Operation Greenfield at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, amidst glowing reviews, standing ovations and a buzz like no other show at the festival. Little Bulb have an infectious energy and disarming skill which it’s hard not to be won over by, and we’re delighted that they’re back at Mayfest for the third year running. Somewhere in middle England four unlikely teenagers are preparing for judgement day with ladders, Elvis and Forest Fruits squash – Stokely’s annual talent competition is nigh. With a stage full of instruments and an eclectic mix of recorded music, Little Bulb Theatre capture the confusing, awkward and
beautifully naïve time of adolescence. The time when the once simple beliefs you held dear need re-adjusting to face the complexities of adulthood. A bizarre and visually fantastical exploration of music, faith and friendship. littlebulbtheatre.com Herald Angel Award Produced by Farnham Maltings. winners 2010. If you like this, check out: Epic / The Summer House
mayfestbristol.co.uk
5
Tales From a Sea Journey NIE
Fri 6th – Sun 8th, 8pm Tobacco Factory Theatre Tickets: £10/£7 The award-winning New International Encounter (NIE) return to Mayfest with their trademark mix of storytelling, physical theatre and live music, after moving and exhilarating audiences with last year’s Everything Falls Apart. In November 2009, eight performers from NIE embarked on a 3500 mile voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from France to Guadaloupe aboard a cargo ship. With the help of Icelandic novelist, poet and Björk lyricist Sjón (winner of the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize in 2005), NIE have crafted an epic piece of theatre inspired by this journey halfway across the world. Tales From a Sea Journey mixes seafaring myths, haunting shanties and vivid stories from the deep in a brand new show that explores the magnificent pull and power of the sea. Intertwined with experiences of their voyage, NIE invite you to sail alongside a Second World War navel officer in the Indian Ocean and discover the story of Ella, the first ever Norwegian trawler-woman. nietheatre.com Supported by Arts Council England, Spenn, The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Arts Council Norway. Co-produced with Dramatikkens Hus.
If you like this, check out: Nobody and Beyond / Epic
“Exquisite, highly physical acting and wonderful integrated live music” Daily Telegraph on The End of Everything Ever
The Guild of Cheesemakers
STAND +STARE COLLECTIVE
Fri 6th & Sat 7th, 7.30pm, Sat 7th, 2pm, Secret location Tickets: £20 Stand+Stare with Bristol’s finest cheesemakers, Trethowan’s Dairy, invite you to become esteemed members of The Guild. Join them at a secret Bristol location for a very important meeting. You will taste artisan cheeses, fine wines and bread and, over the course of the evening, uncover the mystery of the inscrutable 198. Rumours abound about this particular cheese. Some say it comes from space, some profess it is an elixir of youth and others simply think it’s a rather good vintage. Twenty quid may sound dear, but the ticket price reflects what you get: cheese, wine, expert knowledge and a show all rolled into one. standandstare.com Age guidance: 18+
DOUBLE BILL CO-PRESENTED WITH ARNOLFINI
Like You Were Before DEBORAH PEARSON
I Guess If the Stage Exploded… SYLVIA RIMAT
Sat 7th & Sun 8th, 5.30pm Sat 7th & Sun 8th, 7pm Tickets: £12/£10 or £8/£6 for single performance Bristol-based performance maker Like You Were Before uses a video Sylvia Rimat takes as her starting from the last day Deborah lived in point the aspirational and possibly Canada five years ago to explore the impossible goal of creating a show gap between the person she was in which will never be forgotten by its 2005 before she left her native audience members – not a Canada, and the person she single one. is now. We watch as she attempts I Guess If The Stage (unsuccessfully) to “A beautiful, accomplished, Exploded… draws on re-insert herself bittersweet and philosophical presence and sight, into the frame, work on love, loss and and on our urge to be creating a show memory.” The List #### special and forever that laments the on Like You Were Before commemorated. Sylvia fact that time Rimat makes keeps going. This is performance which is a show about moving strangely disquieting, witty forward, backwards. and moving. Like You Were Before was a must-see Will you remember this always? show at last year’s Edinburgh There’s only one way to find out… Fringe, winning a Herald Angel sylviarimat.blogspot.com Award and being shortlisted for the Total Theatre Award for Innovation. Commissioned by Spill Festival 2011 at the deborahpearson.com
The Ice Book
Barbican London. Supported by Arts Council England. Outside eye: Rhiannon Chaloner.
DAVY & KRISTIN MCGUIRE
Sat 7th & Sun 8th, Fri 13th – Sun 15th Keep an eye on mayfestbristol.co.uk for location and times Tickets: £5 The Ice Book is a miniature theatre show made of paper and light. An exquisite experience of fragile paper cutouts and video projections that sweep you right into the heart of a fantasy world. It is an intimate and immersive experience of animation, book art and performance. The Icebook trailer has been watched online over 300,000 times, been broadcast on the international TV Stations and received overwhelming
global attention from magazine publishers, theatre producers and film-makers. Now the live show will be coming to Bristol. Davy and Kristin collaborate on projects ranging from music videos, commercials, animation films and installations to live theatre shows, dance performances and everything in between. theicebook.com
“A charming, fragile show” The Guardian on The Ice Book
Prayers
‘Nobody’&‘Beyond’ Music Circus
Mon 9th – Tues 31st Free online project
Tues 10th, 8pm Circomedia Tickets: £10/£7
DORA GARCÍA
This year we are collaborating with Arnolfini on an extraordinary free online project, created by the Spanish artist Dora García, in collaboration with the people of Bristol. On Saturday 7th May, ten performers will be placed in different parts of the city at different hours of the day with the challenge of describing everything they see and hear. These descriptions, recited like prayers, will delve into the people, attitudes, architecture, habits, sounds, smells and impressions of Bristol. All ten audio recordings will then be available to download, to listen, reproduce and combine online from Monday 9th May at doragarcia.org/rezos/bristol Dora García is representing Spain at the 2011 Venice Biennale. Co-presented by Arnolfini and Mayfest.
If you like this, check out: Save Me 8
mayfestbristol.co.uk
PETRUSOVA & SHACKLOCK
ELEKTROSTATIC & MAYFEST
Festival favourite Circomedia is the beautiful setting for this new piece by award-winning choreographers and dancers Lucie Petrusova (formerly of T.R.A.S.H) and Karla Shacklock (formerly of Precarious).
In our first collaboration with Colston Hall’s Elektrostatic series, composer and performer Peter Swaffer-Reynolds (composer for No Fit State Circus) co-curates an evening of unique music performance influenced by circus and theatre. Physical performers are joined by players from the Bristol Ensemble, transforming the Colston Hall foyer space into a mini circus with contemporary rope and trapeze artists performing with live music. colstonhall.org
Whilst in residence in various theatres in the UK and the Netherlands earlier this year, Lucie and Karla have brought together an extraordinary cross-discipline ensemble, intent on pushing at the norms of physical performance. The result is ‘Nobody’ and ‘Beyond’ an explosive double bill which fuses dance, costume design and live composition in a visceral sculptural landscape. Produced by L’avventura in Tilburg and Productiehuis Brabant in Den Bosch and supported by Arts Council England.
If you like this, check out: 30 Cecil Street / Bodies in Urban Spaces
Mon 9th, 8pm Colston Hall Tickets: £10/£7
Something or Nothing GUY DARTNELL
Tue 10th – Wed 11th, 8pm Bristol Old Vic Studio Tickets: £10/£7 A show about mistaken identity – not just of an individual, but of the human race en masse. Humourous, frank, vulnerable and witty, the inimitable Dartnell mixes video and chalk images with performance, storytelling and stand up, to explore a possible error in our perception – that we believe ourselves to be something, when we might actually be nothing. Guy Dartnell is an international awardwinner and Lone Twin Theatre, Improbable and Dance 4 associate. Guy appeared in Lone Twin’s fabulous The Festival at last year’s “A daringly inventive piece Mayfest. This is his new solo piece. of theatre that arrives on the guydartnell.org.uk fringe like a blast of fresh air” Time Out on Commissioned by Axis Arts Centre, Exeter Guy Dartnell’s Phoenix, Mayfest Bristol and Oval House Theatre Would Say Something and supported by Bristol Old Vic’s Ferment, Arts Council England and Numatic. 2007 scratch phase supported by Lilian Baylis Theatre, Colchester Arts Centre, Lakeside Arts Centre and Merlin Theatre Frome.
If you like this, try: Astronaut
It’s Like He’s Knocking LEO KAY
Tues 10th – Sat 14th, 7.30pm The Parlour Tickets: £10/£7 Drink a toast to loved ones, bet on some cards and close your eyes to remember your past.
We welcome Leo Kay to Mayfest for the first time with this tender and moving performance. Storytelling, dance theatre and Afro-Brazilian percussion combine in the intimacy of a bed-sit. A collage of moments from the lives of three generations of men, It’s Like He’s Knocking explores ritual, ancestry, and the magic of coincidence. As Leo’s story unfolds so in turn does your own. This is a little gem of a show that lingers long after you walk away. madrugada.info Small capacity. Book early to avoid disappointment. Presented in collaboration with Interval.
If you like this, check out: Like You Were Before
mayfestbristol.co.uk
9
FOSTER & DÉCHERY Wed 11th – Thurs 12th, 8pm Tobacco Factory Theatre Tickets: £10/£7
A playful and experimental journey through the past hundred years, Epic combines personal stories, video interaction, fanciful reenactments of key 20th century events, and a cameo from Bertolt Brecht.
Four performers track down the history of their own families, digging up the secrets of the Northern mines, a French family caught between colonialism in Cameroon and Paris in May 1968, and a grandfather on a torpedoed boat at the close of the Second World War.
Foster & Déchery make thrilling, accessible, pareddown theatre that harnesses the power of the autobiographical to connect us to issues of the moment. This hotly-tipped new piece also features Bristol’s very own Ed Rapley. epictheshow.com Produced by Foster & Déchery in association with the Corn Exchange, Newbury.
If you like this, check out: Tales From a Sea Journey / Operation Greenfield
Photo: Manuel Vason
Epic
With Epic we will go on a quest for history; the big one, written about in books. The one with world wars in it, with memorable dates and names you learn at school, but also the personal one, the human one, the one you can relate to.
30 Cecil Street
Stationary Excess
Doris Day Can F**k Off
Wed 11th – Thurs 12th, 7pm The Cube Cinema Tickets: £7/£5
Wed 11th – Sat 14th, 7pm The Brewery Tickets: £8/£6
Thurs 12th – Fri 13th, 8.30pm The Brewery Tickets: £8/£6
DAN CANHAM
In 2009 Dan Canham (Kneehigh, DV8, Punchdrunk) made a film in a dilapidated theatre in Limerick. Using that film as source material, this brand new piece of dancetheatre sees a lone figure stream through fragments of memories in a series of poignant and evocative dances. With an original soundtrack made up of interviews and found sounds, this poetic and moving piece looks at the life of a oncemighty building. Dan first showed 30 Cecil Street in January’s Ferment festival at Bristol Old Vic where it was met with much acclaim. We are delighted to be presenting the show in the evocative Cube Cinema. stillhouse.co.uk
Made with support from Arts Council England, Escalator Performing Arts, Bristol Ferment & BAC. Door sales cash only.
If you like this, check out: Nobody & Beyond / May / Ousia
MADE IN CHINA
Made in China make their Mayfest debut with Stationary Excess, a fullthrottle, champagne-fuelled electric shock to the system. Imprisoned on an exercise bicycle, a lone woman tells the story of an extraordinary man. Exposing the pain, absurdity and hilarity of being alone, Stationary Excess is a bizarre and intimate experience that will reach out to anyone who has ever loved, lost and pedalled too fast. Made In China is the collaborative work of Jessica Latowicki and Tim Cowbury. They make visceral shows at the junction of playwrighting and live art. Stationary Excess was one of our Edinburgh 2010 highlights. Clever and poignant, we’re pleased you get to see it to. madeinchinatheatre.com If you like this, check out: Foley
GREG MCLAREN
Greg McLaren wanted to do a oneman opera, and he wanted to set himself a challenge. So he thought that he would sing his way through a week, replacing all speech with song, on the street, in meetings, on the phone, up a tree, etc. But actually it went on for a lot longer than that. The result is a strangely moving journey, constantly evolving, slipping from one reality to another. There is music that seems to seep out from language, humour of course, loud bits, quiet bits, and the thrill of an attempt. Festival-goers last year will remember Greg from his mind-bending caravan game-show Famous Last Words. We welcome him back to Mayfest with possibly the year’s best-titled show. gregmclaren.com | twitter.com/ddfo Developed at PILOT, Bristol Old Vic, Cambridge Junction & Mac Arts. Supported by Arts Council England.
If you like this, check out: Sex Idiot / Sam Halmarack & The Miserablites
mayfestbristol.co.uk
11
Fortnight
PROTO-TYPE THEATER Mon 2nd – Sun 15th May Tickets: £15
Something poetic, beautiful and strange is coming to Bristol. It will encourage you to peel back the layers of where you live. To look for secrets Surprises To meet someone new. Or hide in a crowd. On 2nd May, Fortnight comes to Bristol. And you are invited... Accept the invitation and over the course of two weeks you will receive secret invites, poetic nudges and mysterious communications that will ask you to look again and look anew at the way you navigate the journeys through your home; through your city. A test version of Proto-Type’s Fortnight was one of six projects commissioned by Theatre Sandbox in 2010 to explore how theatre artists can use pervasive technology. We are delighted to be working with Watershed to bring the full version of Fortnight to Bristol. Here’s how it works: # Call 0117 987 7877 and purchase a ticket for £15. # Add info@fortnightproject.com to your address book to prevent any important emails ending up in your spam. # Keep an eye on your email. You will be sent a registration email. You need to register before midnight on 27 April in order to participate. # Put a star in your diary by 2nd May when magical things will start happening for you. Put a small star by 8th, 11th and 14th May when there just might be something you want to be free to do. To participate you must live in Bristol postcodes BS1-15 and be in Bristol from 2nd – 15th May 2011. Sorry anyone in BS16 plus! Fortnight is a Nuffield New Works Commission from Nuffield Theatre Lancaster. Commissioned by Mayfest and Watershed. Fortnight was a 2010 Theatre Sandbox Commission in partnership with the Bristol Old Vic and has been co-commissioned by Contact Theatre and Greenroom Manchester. Fortnight has received support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
12
mayfestbristol.co.uk
Ousia D J
ARREN OHNSTON/ARRAY
Thur 12th – Sat 14th, 7pm/8.30pm/10pm Arnolfini Tickets: £10
Acclaimed choreographer Darren Johnston makes his startling Bristol debut with a specially reworked version of his celebrated 2009 piece Ousia. A solo dancer in a stark white room delves deep into her own solitary existence. Through the hazy, strobe-filled space, her ritualistic patterns conjure up a clone-like avatar. Ousia creates a hauntingly beautiful world of exploration, escapism and denial quite unlike anything else. Johnston has gained notoriety for his distinctly immersive performances, a heady mix of dance, installation and theatre that have seen him work with Aphex Twin/Chris Cunningham, Squarepusher and Warp Records. Please note this performance contains strobe lighting. Co-presented by Arnolfini and Mayfest.
“As much installation as dance… a striking mix of optical illusion, movement and architecture.” Independent
The Summer House FUEL PRESENTS
A comedy thriller
DEVISED BY WILL ADAMSDALE, NEIL HAIGH, MATTHEW STEER & JOHN WRIGHT DIRECTED BY JOHN WRIGHT Thur 12th – Sat 14th, 7.30pm Bristol Old Vic Studio Tickets: £10/£7
Three men arrive by car at a remote house in the countryside. Who are they? Where are they? Are those stuffed beavers on the wall? Then the Vikings arrive. This is a play about men and all their crap, about myths and what they’re for and about the weather and how it blows all the other stuff away anyway. We saw the work-in-progress of The Summer House as part of Bristol Ferment and thought it was extremely funny. We think it might make you laugh too.
Photo: Ed Collier
Commissioned by Corn Exchange Newbury. Developed as part of Fuel at the Roundhouse and the Jerwood Residencies at Cove Park. Funded by Arts Council England. Production time in kind provided by artsdepot.
Sex Idiot
BRYONY KIMMINGS
Sat 14th – Sun 15th, 9.30pm Bristol Old Vic Basement Tickets: £8/£6 Last year, following her very first STI test, 29 year-old Bryony discovered she had a common sexual disease. Not one for looking back, she was faced with the arduous task of retracing her sexual footsteps. Join Bryony on a tour through her true-life sexual misadventures and selfrealisations, told through vignettes of performance, dance, song, and spoken word all gaffer taped to some rough chat and acts of slight danger! A funny, honest and unapologetic account of female sexuality in the 21st century for anyone whose had a one-night stand and liked it, broken hearts in the search for true love and ultimately realised no (wo)man is an island. We saw Sex Idiot in Edinburgh last year and haven’t quite been the same since. 2010 Total Theatre Award Winner – Emerging Company.
Supported by The Junction, ESCALATOR and Arts Council England, East. Age guidance: 18+ Contains strong language, nudity and alcohol.
“Cancel everything, lose ticket deposits, trains home, miss partners’ birthdays and see this show. It’s absolutely wonderful.” Fringe Review
Sam Halmarack & The Miserablites Thur 12th – Sat 14th, 9pm Arnolfini Dark Studio Tickets: £10/£7
Sam Halmarack & The Miserablites are the bombastic pioneers of interactive stadium pop. Get ready for handclapping anthems and electro music to move and inspire. With songs, stories and a little help from you we will all come together to offer a unique take on what it means to be redeemed by music. A lightning-fast journey from the depths of failure to collective euphoria in the space of just a few songs. The Miserablites return to Bristol after some riotously successful shows last year. Singing is believing. Join in the feeling. “Absolutely fantastic… utterly, utterly brilliant… crazy funny” Audience feedback from Bristol Ferment. Supported by and developed in partnership with Bristol Ferment. mayfestbristol.co.uk
15
Save Me S P EARCH ARTY
Thur 5th – Sun 15th, 11am – 1pm Harbourside Free
An intimate conversation between two people, stretched across the city, situated up to 500m apart. For two hours a day for the duration of Mayfest, Search Party will create a live semaphore soap opera for Bristol. Using giant flags instead of spoken words, this rolling and improvised narrative will communicate playfully across the city’s landscape, exposing stories that are hidden and encoded, that simmer beneath the surface. Search Party decipher their intimate exchange of secrets, half-truths, veiled threats and warnings;
documenting the conversation as it unveils and revealing what is too often left unsaid. As passers by you will be called upon to help translate the messages and draft responses as you dip in and out of this unique soap opera; unravelling a narrative as you go about your daily lives. Find them. They need you. Bristol-based company Search Party have toured internationally with their inspired site-specific performance Search Party vs. We’re delighted to be co-comissioning this new work with Theatre Bristol. searchpartyperformance.org.uk Save Me is commissioned by Mayfest and Theatre Bristol, with development supported by Home Live Art and Rules & Regs. Dramaturg: Ben Francombe.
May P ROBE
Fri 13th – Sat 14th, 8pm Tobacco Factory Theatre Tickets: £10/£7 May is a woman living on the edge. Douglas is a man living in his head. When their worlds collide, only the truth can save them. This latest production from the awardwinning Probe is a daring new piece of dance theatre directed by Pete Shenton (New Art Club) and written by Tim Crouch (Royal Court, National Theatre). Best known for their iconic dance performances (Have We Met Somewhere Before? and Magpie) Artistic Director Antonia Grove is joined on stage by Lost Dog’s Ben Duke and performer/musician Scott Smith in this darkly funny modern day romance told through a blistering concoction of dance, words and song. May is supported by The Point, Eastleigh, the Nightingale Theatre, Brighton Dome and Merlin Theatre, Frome.
“...a brilliant and imaginative production showing us all the future of British dance is in safe hands.” The Stage
“Recommended, especially for anyone interested in boundaryblurring dance-theatre pinned to new writing” The Times
mayfestbristol.co.uk
17
IGOR CORVETTE & BETTY BRUISER PRESENT
Igor Corvette’s Dirty Little Secret
Fri 6th May, 8pm, £7/£5 Hamilton House event space, Stokes Croft, Bristol. BS1 3QY A lascivious and lethal cocktail of deviant decadence in a mix of live art, cabaret and performance. Featuring the likes of leatherbound she-wolves, sultry chanteuses, a dame Barbara Cartland tribute and performance from Liz Clarke, Tom Marshman, Paul Hurley and much, much more. lizclarke.org
DOUG FRANCISCO PRESENTS
ROLLING STAGE PRESENTS
Tues 10th – Thurs 12th, 8pm Bridewell Island Tickets: £8.75/£5.50
Fri 13th May, 8pm – 3am Bridewell Island Tickets: £6/£7 Early Bird, £8 Adv. More on the door.
The Invisible Journey
The chameleon-like Ring Master of The Invisible Circus presents a multiphrenic one-man cabaret of characters from his adventures around the world, from Portuguese jails to the Moroccan mountains. The Invisible Journey is a solo carnival of storytelling, physical comedy and song, as he parodies without prejudice, invoking the dreams, memories and nightmares of his own European parade.
The Electric Garden
Party into the small hours with Rolling Stage’s The Electric Garden, a rip-roaring line-up of live art from across Europe, contemporary cabaret, live music, live electro beats, DJs, interactive theatre and intimate side shows. Come and get lost in The Electric Garden! For the full line-up check out: rollingstage.co.uk Dress code: Electric shock therapy!
Coming to Bristol later in May…
Bodies in Urban Spaces
21st and 22nd May Bristol city centre, times and start position TBC Limited capacity, to reserve a space please contact Bristol Old Vic Box Office on 0117 987 7877
Bodies in Urban Spaces is a moving, performing trail which leads you through unseen and re-discovered spaces, encouraging you to reflect on your urban surroundings. As bodies are temporarily squeezed, arranged, balanced and rearranged along the route, the rules and restrictions of our urban environment are explored
and perceived in a unique way – on the run!
Bodies in Urban Spaces has been around the world, from Helsinki to Texas, and now comes to Bristol. Conceived by Austrian Choreographer Willi Dorner, Bodies in Urban Spaces is commissioned by Bristol City Council.
Join in Ambling merrily alongside our performance programme will also be the usual scattering of talks, workshops, parties, meals and other interventions to add seasoning to your festival experience. Curated in collaboration with Theatre Bristol this medley of participatory events is designed for you, whoever you are, to make connections, have conversations, offer provocations – whatever you want to do. Some of these will be informal gatherings around performances, some will be more specifically targeted workshops for Bristol’s theatre artists. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on our twitter and blog site, and of course if you find yourself frequenting The Blind Tiger and the Mayfest Cafe at The Parlour then you may well hear the latest even before we do.
Artists’ talk and work-in-progress
We Are Forests by Duncan Speakman and Émilie Grenier Wed 11th, 6.30pm (optional performance at 5.30pm) Watershed In a social environment full of micro-blogging and continuous status updates communicated through text and image, what happens to the emotional weight of the human voice? This event introduces We Are Forests, a new participatory sound work by Speakman and Grenier that uses everyday mobile technologies to ask: what would you whisper into a stranger’s ear? Grenier and Speakman developed We Are Forests through a shared residency at Nimk, Pervasive Media Studio, Kitchen Budapest and 5daysoff. Their talk describes the project and the experience of working across multiple European locations. Before the talk there will be an optional work-in-progress performance. pmstudio.co.uk/project/cross-european-residency weareforests.com
Artist Breakfasts
Our Artist Breakfast, strand returns. If you’re an artist who makes, or aspires to make professional theatre, join us for coffee, croissants and lively discussion… To reserve a place, email mayfest@theatrebristol.net Can artists change the world? Spike Island, Sat 7th, 11am Spike Island’s light, cathedral-like exhibition space is the location for a round-table discussion on whether theatre makers and artists can affect change. Creative fundraising The Brewery, Thur 12th, 10am Practical tips and discussions around raising money for your creative projects.
Workshops
Tea and Coffee Workshop for Older People Thurs 12th, 2pm, Tobacco Factory Theatre Free with a ticket for the show Do you have an anecdote you’ve told a hundred times and never tire of? Or is there a story that you’ve recently remembered after years forgotten? Epic is a show that celebrates and questions how we remember and why we are compelled to look back at our histories. In this workshop to accompany the show, we would like to share a story or two with you in a relaxed and fun atmosphere, a cross between a tea & coffee morning and a game of bingo. For further information contact Carrie at the Tobacco Factory Theatre on theatre@tobaccofactory.com
Social
Sea Shanties and Fish and Chips Sun 8th, post-show at the Tobacco Factory Theatre Fishminster’s rather splendid fish and chips are on the menu after Tales From a Sea Journey on Sunday, with live sea shanties. Performers from NIE will also be playing music in the bar before the show. The People Want Toast Sun 8th & Sat 14th, 9.30pm, The Milk Bar, Free Watch a show. Drink some booze. Eat some toast. Since time immemorial a sequence of events guaranteed to provoke debate about art, theatre and smooth vs crunchy peanut butter. Come along to Residence at The Milk Bar, we’ve got atmospheric music some drink, some toasters, and a variety of popular spreads. Residence is a collective of artists making theatre and performance in an old record shop. Residence.org.uk
IMAX Lighting Lighting, Rigging, Power.
Lighting Hire www.imaxlighting.co.uk
Trade Counter 7DSH /DPSV *HOO *RERÂśV Supporting Mayfest 2011. Providing Lighting Solutions for all Productions.
T: 0117 9719625 Unit 9 Eldon Way BS2 0FB Monday - Friday Saturday 20
mayfestbristol.co.uk
09:30 - 18:30 09:30 - 13:00
Sourdoughs, Continental and Speciality Breads
Our bread is hand made. We start with organic our, sea salt and water. No additives, improvers or stabilizers are used. We use long and slow fermentation methods to enhance avour and texture. Each loaf is gently shaped by hand before being baked on the stone hearth of the oven. We try to make the best bread we can, with integrity and without compromise.
“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.â€? Robert Browning Sample our bread at the Tobacco Factory CafĂŠ. For more information contact: Mark Newman 07910 979384 / Mark@Marksbread.co.uk www.marksbread.co.uk
MarkĘźs Bread, The Brewery Theatre, 291 North Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1JU.
NEW SEASON KITS
Football, rugby, team sports We embroider and print all your club requirements
2011 Catalogue Out Now Phone today 0117 9560909 Work Hard. Play harder.
Initially Yours Ltd, Old Gloucester Road,Hambrook, Bristol BS16 1RP www.initiallyyours.co.uk info@initiallyyours.co.uk
mayfestbristol.co.uk
21
Bristol Old Vic
Tobacco Factory Theatre
10am – 6.30pm Mon – Fri 12pm – 6.30pm Sat A 50p transaction fee applies to all credit/debit card bookings and £2 for online bookings.
10am – 6.30pm Mon – Sat 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.
0117 987 7877 bristololdvic.org.uk King Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED
Diary
0117 902 0344 tobaccofactorytheatre.com Raleigh Road, Bristol, BS3 1TF
Ticket offers! See mayfestbristol.co.uk for details
2ND 3RD 4TH THURSDAY 5TH
FRIDAY 6TH
Arnolfini Auditorium
SATURDAY 7TH
SUNDAY 8TH
MON
Pearson/Rimat Double Bill, 5.30/7pm
Arnolfini Dark Studio Bridewell Island Bristol Old Vic Basement
Opening Party, 7pm – late
Bristol Old Vic Studio Circomedia
The Blind Tiger, from 9.30pm Operation Greenfield, 8pm
Colston Hall
Musi
The Cube Floating Harbour
Save Me, 11am – 1pm
Igor Corvette’s Dirty Little... 8pm
Hamilton House The Milk Bar The Parlour
The Guild of Cheesemakers, 7.30pm (and 2pm Saturday) / The Icebook, various times
Secret Location
Artists Breakfast, 11am
Spike Island Tobacco Factory Brewery Tobacco Factory Theatre Various locations
The People Want Toast, 9.30pm
Fortnight
Flogging a Dead Horse, 8pm
Foley / Astronaut, 7pm
Tales from a Sea Journey, 8pm
Watershed Online 22
mayfestbristol.co.uk
Pray
Arnolfini
Colston Hall
Bristol Ticket Shop
9.30am – 6pm, daily (telephone) 11am – 6pm, Tues – Sun (in person) 75p per ticket for online booking. For tickets £10 and above the charge rises to £1.50 per ticket.
10am – 8.30pm, Mon – Sat (in person) 10am – 6pm, Mon – Sat (telephone)
10am – 6pm, Mon – Sat 10am – 7pm, Thurs
0117 917 2300/01 arnolfini.org.uk 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
NDAY 9TH
ic Circus, 8pm
TUESDAY 10TH
0117 922 3686 colstonhall.org 13 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AR
0870 44 44 400 bristolticketshop.co.uk 26 Union Street, Bristol BS1 2DP
See mayfestbristol.co.uk for details of BSL interpreted performances
WEDNESDAY 11TH THURSDAY 12TH FRIDAY 13TH
SATURDAY 14TH SUNDAY 15TH
Ousia, 7pm, 8.30pm, 10pm Sam Halmarack & The Miserablites, 9pm The Invisible Journey, 8pm The Blind Tiger, from 9.30pm Something and Nothing, 8pm Nobody & Beyond, 8pm
Rolling Stage, 8pm – late
Sex Idiot, 9.30pm
The Summer House, 7.30pm
30 Cecil Street, 7pm
The People Want Toast, 9.30pm
It’s Like He’s Knocking, 7.30pm
ers (until 31st May)
The Icebook, various times
Stationary Excess, 7pm / Doris Day Can F**k Off, 8.30pm (Thurs & Fri) Epic, 8pm
May, 8pm
We Are Forests Talk, 5.30pm
mayfestbristol.co.uk
23
Mayfest venues and locations W HI
TE L IES
KES CROFT
AD RO O
V
ES
T
RE
ET JA
IC
R
EE
T
HA YM L
EW
INS
T
AD ST
RE
ET
O N S TREE T
RU
ME
R PE
CO L
ST
Bristol Old Vic King Street, BS1 4ED bristololdvic.org.uk
PA
RK ST
TR BALDWIN S
EE
T
R
E
ET
KING S
D WEL
L RO A
D
HO
O R R
A
Circomedia Portland Square, BS2 8SJ circomedia.com
T TREE
PRINC E STRE ET
ANC HOT
Colston Hall 13 Colston Street, BS1 5AR colstonhall.org
CUMBERLAND ROAD O N N AT I C O R O
R
A
LE
IG
H
R
O
A
The Brewery 291 North Street, BS3 1JU tobaccofactorytheatre.com Bridewell Island Silver Street, BS1 2PY rollingstage.co.uk
AR KE T
A
D
M
STO
AD ST
A
Arnolfini 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA arnolfini.org.uk
ROAD
The Cube 4 Princess Row, BS2 8NQ cubecinema.com
D
Hamilton House 80 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY coexist.hamiltonhouse.org
mayfestbristol.co.uk 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.
mayk
The Milk Bar 11 St Nicholas Street, BS1 1UE residence.org.uk The Parlour 31 College Green, BS1 5TB interval-bristol.org.uk
Spike Island 133 Cumberland Road, BS1 6UX spikeisland.org.uk
Festival partners
Tobacco Factory Raleigh Road, BS3 1TF tobaccofactory.com
TOBACCO FACTORY THEATRE
Watershed 1 Canon’s Road, BS1 5TX watershed.co.uk