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Review: Praxis Makes Perfect at Motion, Bristol (Mayfest 2013) - Bristol24-7

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Review: Praxis Makes Perfect at Motion, Bristol (Mayfest 2013) The physical theatre element of the show was well choreographed and absorbing and avoided tiresome over­emphasis

By Lou Trimby Tuesday May 28, 2013 0

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Praxis Makes Perfect at Motion, Bristol, part of Mayfest 2013

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‘Immersive theatre’ is very much in vogue at present. Critics, producers and performers can talk for hours or write reams on its subversion of the performer/audience dynamic, how the audience become part of the performance as it surrounds them and how the lines blur and each performance is different due to the different audiences and so it goes. The

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very phrase ‘immersive theatre’ can be off putting without hyper and hyped analysis of the form.

Thus it was with a degree of scepticism that I approached ‘Praxis Makes Perfect’ the new play/performance piece/gig by the National Theatre of Wales and Neon Neon (Gruff Rhys, Super Furry Animals and US hip hop producer).

I’d already been told to wear something red and take a book which meant something to me. Dictating the dress sense of an audience wouldn’t ordinarily seem subversive then I remembered this is immersive theatre, you feel like part of the show, oh huzzah. So I donned my aesthetically pleasing red theatre‑going cagoule, found a book which meant absolutely nothing to me, I’m not in the habit of giving my books away and hadn’t had time to go to a charity shop, and went to Motion to see just what all the fuss was about.

Motion was buzzing when we arrived. The show was about the life of multi‑ millionaire publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli ‑ a fascinating character a multi‑ millionaire who was also a Communist, a communist who published an anti‑ Soviet and potentially anti‑communist bestselling novel ‘Dr Zhivago’, a man who played basketball with Castro, was possibly tortured by the CIA and may well have been murdered by the Italian Secret Service.

Once we entered the arena where the performance was to take place the diversity of the audience was apparent, many regular gig goers were in attendance presumably to see Neon Neon, as were many theatre attendees there for The National Theatre of Wales. And none of them entirely sure what

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Review: Praxis Makes Perfect at Motion, Bristol (Mayfest 2013) - Bristol24-7 to expect. What we got was a show which documented Feltrinelli’s story using Close Sign up for the Bristol24­7 newsletter This is the new promotional very broad strokes. There was little subtlety employed by the cast and the offer rolled out by one of the By signing up, you will receive access to news and special offers most popular online bingo writers, however the almost pantomime stylings were of little importance It's quick and easy to join... just fill in the form below. Thank you!

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At one end of the arena was a stage with full band set up and screens, at the other actors on a gantry, in the arena a moveable block around 5’ high and 10’ Your Email* long with more actors. This block was the main stage and was moved around

the arena as the action moved from theme to theme and scene to scene. It was Your Postcode area (BS1, BS2 etc)* an uncomfortable first 15 minutes; I didn’t want to be part of the show I wanted to watch a show. And as these scenes focused on Feltrinelli’s desire to publish a book I had always disliked, Dr Zhivago. But slowly, the barriers

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between performers and audience began to break down and I started to enjoy What's On Food and Drink Business the show.

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Suddenly the broad almost slapstick nature of some of the comedy and actors performances made sense, everything had to be a little bit larger than life because the character the play was about was larger than life and they had a whole arena to fill and entertain. There was no room for small gestures. The physical theatre element of the show was well choreographed and absorbing Sign up for Bristol24­7 news and offers

and avoided tiresome over emphasis and gurning.

The comedic episodes with Castro and Che Guevara were genuinely funny.

Che as guerrilla pin‑up, the revolutionary as rock star may not be the most original idea but it worked. This Che was indulged by his acolytes/groupies and aware of his media profile and how to control it. As was Castro, the revolutionary’s promises and assertions which we now know were to be broken and untrue, were convincing at the time and they convinced because

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Castro had charisma. And could control the media. Though the show did not revel in exposing their hypocrisies which made it all the more thought .

provoking. Politicians as media and PR savvy constructs, who could have imagined that?

Even being spattered with red paint, though not as badly as my companion who was covered in it, during the ‘Sixties happening’ scene epitomised by a naked woman being covered in paint by an ‘artist’ did not reduce my enjoyment of the show. I can’t speak for my companion or the woman next to us who was also covered in paint.

The final part of the show did seem a little incoherent and rushed which left us feeling a little cheated but also made me want to know more about Feltrinelli. After his death scene, independence was declared in Motion, following a vote on whether the UK needs a monarchy, the ‘No’s’ won. The crowd, most of them by now completely engaged by the piece clapping and doing the left fist salute as cast members located in the audience held aloft placards with slogans such as ‘Tax The Rich’ and ‘Save The NHS’ (which got one of the biggest cheers of the night) were then free to spend the final fifteen minutes dancing away to some superb synth pop by Neon Neon.

This was an odd evening but an enjoyable one. Theatre and performance purists may not like the unsubtlety of Praxis Makes Perfect, however as a gateway to theatre and supposed ‘challenging’ and ‘high art’ performance I cannot think of a better show which is currently being produced. Theatre and performance is still considered a rarified art form if it is challenging and high concept which puts people off, or it’s musicals and showtunes which also puts people off. Praxis Makes Perfect may well draw in some new theatregoers who will go on to explore the art form further. And if it does, splendid, art cannot rely on an aging or elitist audience to survive and pay for it, new audiences should be developed all the time.

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Review: Praxis Makes Perfect at Motion, Bristol (Mayfest 2013) - Bristol24-7 Bristol News Wire: June 21, 2013

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Matt ∙ 3 weeks ago

This review does seem to have missed a few fairly obvious pointers towards what the night would be like... Gruff Rhys (as I assume the driving force behind this idea) comes across as someone who revels in making fun, be it in the form of song lyrics (Iʹm a minger, youʹre a minger too, so come on minger ‑ I wanna ming with you), live tanks with soundsystems pumping out techno & parked right by the press area or his recent movie Seperado where he goes looking for his Welsh relatives in Patagonia.

I would have bet my house on the performance being as it was. Hugely enjoyable ;)

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#90: 'BRAND NEW ANCIENTS' BY KATE TEMPEST @ BRISTOL OLD VIC, 17TH MAY 2013

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 T h eSpeakersCo rn er Written in partnership with Battersea Arts Centre, ‘Brand New

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profile has exploded in recent times, recruiting admirers around the

pinnacle of #spokenword?

country and last night saw the fiery linguist return to Bristol with her

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award-winning production.

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Approaching the Bristol Old Vic theatre, an extensive queue curled its way across the cobbled stones as people impatiently shuffled inside, eager to see the humble poet’s first feature-length, solo theatre piece.

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Co-commissioned by the Albany, the show has recently won the esteemed Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry for its lucid depiction of 21st century life.

Featured Artists + Events Staged as part of Bristol Old Vic’s current Mayfest programme, this epic tale, steeped in Greek mythology, is a completely different beast to Tempest’s regular spoken-word gigs. With the production scale amped up in every respect, Brand New Ancients was a chance for this gifted raconteur to spread her creative wings. Accompanied by a quartet of talented musicians (Kwake Bass on percussion, Jo Gibson on tuba, Natasha Zielazinski on cello and Raven Bush on violin), Tempest transfixed the full house for eighty minutes using little more than the

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power of spoken word. This impressive achievement was enabled by the

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intense passion that emanated from every line of this expansive poem.

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Fluctuating between a range of confident styles that showcased her striking ability to manipulate language, Tempest carved out an immersive storyline that had eyes and ears from all three levels of the theatre captivated from beginning to end.

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Centred on the dysfunctional and explicitly real lives of two neighbouring London families, we see their existence plucked apart and in their failings we see elements of our own existence. From adulterous spouses to tragic friendships and snapshots of ill-fated love, the character’s lives are intricately woven together with many volatile

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clashes occurring along the way. The power of Brand New Ancients is

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that Tempest’s writing is so genuine and relatable that by the end, each

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and every audience member will no doubt have connected with elements of the multi-layered narrative. The sheer strength that Tempest exudes as a performer is mesmerising, pulling the entranced audience further and further into intricately detailed scenes, rich with

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charming observations that add depth to the dark world she has

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created for her tragic characters. Clawing at her arms and body,

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eloquent and mellifluous couplets were pulled out and blown into the air, their meaning reinforced by the guttural bass rumblings of the quartet that played in the background.

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Employing mythical language, Homeric fables were transplanted into the present day with characters aligned to ’everyday gods’ that

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stood proud despite their various shortcomings. Clever lighting design

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from Matt O’Leary framed the stage while atmospheric smoke drifted

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across the murky south London locations that Tempest painted with

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words. Deftly flicking between scenes as if skipping between the chapters of a book, the whole play felt like reading an engrossing novel that demands attention, with each audience member rustling through the pages to reach its breathtaking conclusion.

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Celebrating everyday life, without the glitz and glamour that ‘false idols’ would have us strive towards, Tempest’s tempestuous tale was broken up with a series of bass-heavy rap interludes that promoted reflection. Aside from breaking up the intensity of the story itself, these connecting sections allowed the poet to drive home the message of the play as a whole - namely, that the mundane, routine and ordinary nature

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of most people’s lives should be celebrated rather than condemned,

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kindness and compassion are critical to living a happy existence and

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that we should all be proud of who we are. Rousing an emotional standing ovation, Brand New Ancients serves as a life-affirming and incredibly moving slice of theatre whose message will no doubt resonate long after the curtain has fallen.

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6/21/13

Mayfest review: All That Is Wrong | A Younger Theatre Advert

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Mayfest review: All That Is Wrong Posted on 22 May 2013 Written by Eleanor Turney

There’s a lot that’s wrong with the world, isn’t there? War, hunger, pain… the list goes on. I could list all the things that are wrong, but I won’t because it would get tedious pretty quickly. All That Is Wrong manages not to be tedious despite listing tens and tens of things that are wrong with the world, but it does feel rather flat. Belgian company Ontroerend Goed bring their show to Mayfest after rave reviews in Edinburgh last year. Perhaps it has fallen victim to its own hype, but it didn’t do much for me. I wanted so much to like this show, to feel moved by or to have it provoke me. Instead, I found its refusal to engage head-on with any of the issues it raises to be frustrating and difficult to know how to take. It unsettles but to what point and purpose I am not sure. While the craving for resolution and a return to a cosy, safe world is a natural impulse – and one which the show resolutely refuses to give – it doesn’t feel as though this show undermines that impulse or examines our decisions to ignore suffering.

It’s a deceptively simple premise: 18-year-old Kobe is trying to think about her place in the world, while grappling with the fact that the world is a scary and dark place. She writes “I” on the floor in chalk and from there works outwards, writing increasingly frantic, inter-connected words and abstract ideas down across the floor and eventually the walls. The idea, presumably, is that these things are too big to think about inside her head, so they spill out, accosting the audience, as Kobe tries to make sense of all the things that are wrong with the world. It’s an arresting image, and provides an effective visual representation of the confusion and depression that can come with trying to understand the world and fight against inequality and prejudice.

Unfortunately, the piece doesn’t actually try to make sense of any of the things that are wrong, it just presents them to us. Without examining culpability (beyond promising to try not to buy Primark or Starbucks) or our place in this system, I found the piece frustrating in its scope. It feels rather like a lecture, and although it’s clear that there are no easy answers to the big questions about our world, that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t at least try to find some. They won’t be definitive by any means, but it would make the performance feel less preachy and more engaging if it went further.

Perhaps it’s all designed to make a point about futility, apathy and helplessness, but such abstraction leaves us demoralised rather than fired up.

All That Is Wrong has powerful moments, mostly when Kobe offers us glimpses into a more personal sphere – she writes “thin” and then wipes it out and replaces it with “skinny”, before adding “not anorexic”, for example. The simple set design and projections don’t help, making it difficult to read www.ayoungertheatre.com/mayfest-review-all-that-is-wrong/

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Mayfest review: All That Is Wrong | A Younger Theatre

everything she’s writing. In a piece essentially without dialogue, it’s irritating not to be able to read every word, especially when one of the things she lists as hating is “miscommunication”.

It feels to me like this is a good idea that’s been over-stretched. At just over an hour, the piece needs to go further to justify the time taken, otherwise it’s just a rather bleak raft of things that are wrong without any commentary or content.

All That Is Wrong was at the Arnolfini in Bristol as part of Mayfest. For information visit and Mayfest website.

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Eleanor Turney Eleanor Turney is the Managing Editor of A Younger Theatre, as well as a freelance journalist, writer and editor. She has written for The Guardian, The Stage, The FT and Ideas Tap, and worked for the Poetry Society and the British Council.

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Categorised | Festival, Regional, Reviews, Theatre Tags | Arnolfini, Bristol, Mayfest, Ontroerend Goed

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mayfest | A Younger Theatre

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Tags: Bodies In Flight, Gymnast, Mayfest, Review, Theatre Mayfest Review: Gymnast Posted on 01 June 2013 by Chloe Fry

The show begins with audio reciting a selection of the young gymnasts’ personal stories, which helps you to feel engaged with each performer as their inner thoughts and dreams are played to you whilst you watch them watch warm up. One audio of a young girl tells you that she feels as though she is “flying” when she is completing her routines. These recordings allow you to enter the performers’ head spaces as you watch them execute their routines and exercises.

The audio teamed with the gymnasts stretching before you also allows you to gain an understanding of everything that makes up each performer, and what they go through to be able to do what they do so fantastically, as they talk you through their daily warm-ups and exercises.

After the personal stories, a choir took their place on the floor, interspersed through the gymnasts, which helps the warming-up seem more dramatic and energetic. The choir’s harmonies were all beautiful and set the tone of the show perfectly, as the choir’s songs worked to, in a way, explain the processes each gymnast was going through, and the emotions they were experiencing as they took to the floor or their equipment. The use of a live choir, rather than a pre-recorded sound track, makes the show feel more three dimensional as they worked perfectly in time with the gymnasts and their unbelievable movements.

Another fantastic thing about this choir was that people of all ages, sizes and genders could be a part of the show in some way and everybody on the floor had an active part, whether it be producing wonderful harmonies or elegantly throwing their bodies around the equipment before you.

The youngsters’ flexibility was unbelievably entrancing as they moved about into positions which many can only dream about. It felt as though you were perhaps watching highlights from the GB gymnastics team at London’s 2012 Olympics last year. The standard was fantastically high.

You could clearly see how hard the whole team have worked together to make the show look slick and effortless. The perfect unison of the gymnasts www.ayoungertheatre.com/?s=mayfest&x=-1081&y=-120

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mayfest | A Younger Theatre

and each singer in the choir allowed the show to progress without (seemingly) any mistakes or slip ups.

This show was professional, intriguing and exciting, as the beautifully elegant and majestic routines hooked you, and made you hold your breath at the flips, spins and turns across the space, which seem, to someone who’s never done gymnastics, dangerous and exciting. All of the performers have an absolutely amazing talent which should be highly celebrated and praised.

Gymnast played at Mayfest Bristol.

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Mayfest review: The Memory Dealer Posted on 28 May 2013 by Chloe Fry

Your curiosity about this show is provoked from the very beginning, when you are emailed with small extracts of information and given the details to download the extremely brilliant and clever app. The curiosity doesn’t end until you walk out of your final destination, and begin to process what had just happened around you in the previous two hours.

The app, which is used constantly throughout the show, perfectly works to direct you around the early scenes and set the basic themes of the plot. The first 20 minuets, which you spend alone around the centre of Bristol, with your headphones, listening to the specific app, allows you to become immersed in the whole environment and setting of the show. The peaceful orchestral music playing during the interaction with characters helps to build tension at the right moments, allowing the producers, in a way, to tell you how to respond to the events unfolding before and around you.

The actors involved are brilliantly convincing in the parts they play. They effortlessly blend into the real word, making it difficult to separate this dramatic world from everything else, which makes the whole experience so engaging and interesting, as you become responsible for moving the plot along to the next stages. The actors never once step away from their roles, and expect you to be just as engaged. this could be seen as the reason the show works so well, as both actors and audiences are responsible for the show moving forward.

The use of space around the centre of Bristol (within places such as The Bristol Hotel and College Green to name a few), was fantastic as it helped to bring a sense of realism, especially if you didn’t completely know your way around. It built the tension not only because you may or may not have known your way, but also because you most definitely didn’t know what you were about to walk into. I personally felt most anxious walking to the last destination as it was the furthest away, which allowed a chance to contemplate and imagine what possibly could happen next.

The audience was split into two groups and each was given the same situations, but at different intervals and in different manners. For example, dialogue between actors and individuals varied. This allowed each individual to gain their own personal experience. The 20 minutes alone with your headphones at the beginning of the show allowed you to decide, in a way, where the rest of the afternoon will go, as you alone decide what is important information and what can be discarded. This new, and innovative show is a masterpiece, and fantastically produced and created. I hope it goes on to great success.

The Memory Dealer was part of Mayfest in Bristol.

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Tags: Belarus Free Theatre. Tobacco Factory, Bristol, Human rights, Mayfest, Trash Cuisine Mayfest review: Trash Cusine www.ayoungertheatre.com/?s=mayfest&x=-1081&y=-120

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mayfest | A Younger Theatre

Posted on 25 May 2013 by Eleanor Turney

Incredibly difficult to watch, Belarus Free Theatre’s Trash Cuisine is a hard-hitting and haunting 90 minutes that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Introduced as “a cook’s tour of the Globe”, the uniformly superb company use food, cooking and eating as a route into discussing human rights abuses and atrocities the world over.

It’s a surprisingly funny show some of the time, although a large amount of the giggling feels nervous, but the touches of humour also serve to highlight the horror that the cast discuss and depict on stage. Having spent time travelling and talking to people, it’s truly chilling to know that all of the stories shown on stage are true, from the breath-stoppingly awful story of a Tutsi woman in Rwanda, to the casual execution of political prisoners in Russia and the bleak mundanity of the death penalty in the USA. The use of movement is distressing and dark, saying what words sometimes struggle to do; the movement sequences articulate the awful things that human beings do to each other in subtle and shifting ways. As the lighting switches suddenly and repeatedly from gloom to dazzling, interrogating light, Belarus Free Theatre foreground the things that we usually try not to think about. They don’t shy away from brutality – cast members are stripped, bound, manhandled – but the violence is never allowed to feel gratuitous. Even a water-boarding scene, carried out live onstage, feels vital, despite being awful to watch.

Amongst these scenes of abuse and torture, there are quiet moments where the statistics are allowed to speak for themselves, to great effect. The numbers (of political prisoners, of years spent in prison, of murdered Tutsis, of people who’ve “disappeared”) are powerful in their context without any additional trappings. What’s so impressive about Trash Cuisine, apart from its boldness, is its scope. The USA comes in for just as much criticism over its use of the death penalty as any other country, and death-by-electric-chair is explored in upsetting detail.

Parts of the performance are gut-churningly awful to watch and genuinely horrific. I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing at one point. But the trust that the performers show each other makes the piece confrontational without being alienating – it lectures and provokes without ever patronising or preaching.

If the last scene is a touch long, well, one can’t help but feel that Belarus Free Theatre have earned the right to hammer their point home. An intensely powerful piece of theatre, Trash Cuisine is brutal, bold and brilliant.

Trash Cuisine is at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol as part of Mayfest. For more information and tickets, visit the Mayfest website.

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Mayfest review: Cooking Ghosts Posted on 23 May 2013 by Eleanor Turney

This beautifully scattered shot and occasionally confusing piece presents a bleak and affecting portrait of mental illness, told through the eyes of the ill woman’s children. In a world that celebrates and idolises maternity, a mother telling other people to “never have children” still has the power to shock. Beady Eye Theatre’s piece, Cooking Ghosts, never feels as though it shocks for the sake of it, presenting a delicate and sensitive show that examines what drives a mother of three to repeatedly attempt suicide – and ultimately manage to kill herself.

It’s not a perfect piece, but the cast of three weave together past and present with such skill that it is impossible not be caught up in their story. The sense of loss and abandonment is powerfully expressed. In what could have been a clumsy idea, the cast are mostly dressed as babies, interacting with www.ayoungertheatre.com/?s=mayfest&x=-1081&y=-120

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mayfest | A Younger Theatre

and imitating video footage of toddlers and clutching toys. The poignancy of these children trying first of all not to annoy their mum, and later trying to “cheer her up” or “fix her”, is devastating – it doesn’t need a fancy set or clever script.

The dialogue is sparse; much of the story is narrated over the top of flickering images and projections. One of the cast is pregnant, and images are projected onto her bare stomach. A grown man and woman stage a puppet show, desperate for attention and approval. Sibling rivalries and alliances are laid bare. It’s familiar, comforting stuff, shot-through with the anticipatory dread of trying to protect someone suicidal. The piece is set mostly in the ’50s and ’60s so we see the mother being given electro-shock therapy, “after which she was in black and white”.

Some of the scenes drag on too long, and some of them are a little bizarre – the mother figure is seen by her small children as a bull, and so often wears a huge, horned mask. At several points she is nude, and one poor man in the front row is dragged from his seat and made to bob for apples in the Garden of Eden. As a way of trying to explore mental illness and how it affects the sufferer and their family, it’s pretty successful. Scenes which struck me particularly were those where the sheer joy of children playing in a garden were juxtaposed with the despair of their mother. There are bits that I liked more than others, naturally, but overall, this is a subtle and moving piece about mental health which handles its subject deftly.

Cooking Ghosts is at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol as part of Mayfest until 23 May. Visit the Mayfest website for more details

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BBC News - Giant crocheted doily made for Bristol Mayfest

BRISTOL 15 June 2013 Last updated at 11:27

Giant crocheted doily made for Bristol Mayfest A giant crocheted doily which appeared under a railway bridge in Bristol was commissioned as part of a one­day outdoor theatre event, it has emerged.

The 12ft (3.6m) diameter "spider web" underneath Stapleton Road railway bridge was created by two artists working with people from the area.

It was commissioned as part of the Hook, Skip, Repeat event organised by Theatre Bristol and Mayfest.

The work was made using rope and a giant crochet needle.

It is one of a several large­scale rope structures set to appear around the city.

The artists ­ Heidi Dorschler and Jeremiah Krage from Cornwall ­ invited passers­by to help them weave the doily.

"It's hugely important to us to work in spaces and venues outside of the city centre and this opportunity was too good to pass up," said Matthew Austin, co­artistic director of Mayfest, the city's contemporary theatre festival.

The event was funded by Stapleton Road Working Group.

The group was set up in February 2011 to tackle the negative perception of the road and to bring together residents and traders to improve the neighbourhood.

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Adventurous Theatre for Playful People - Mayfest 2013 | Arts Council

Adventurous Theatre for Playful People ‐ Mayfest 2013 Date: 29 April 2013 Region: South West

16-26 May, Bristol UK Bristol's Mayfest celebrates its tenth anniversary in style with its most ambitious programme of live performance so far.

With a Grants for the arts award, Mayfest 2013 celebrates theatre from across the globe that is political, funny, moving, provocative and exciting.

Events include a virtual trapeze ride, a large-scale immersive gig in a nightclub, a rock version of a classical myth in a converted church, and giant Share multi-coloured doilies in public spaces around the city. The ten day Festival shines the spotlight on artists who are doing things a little less ordinary.

Alongside a full programme hosted in Bristol theatre venues, this tenth anniversary programme also bursts out into more places, buildings and sites than ever before, not least with a series of ten new bespoke commissions from a selection of Bristol's most exciting artists.

The programme features performances by Kate Tempest (recent winner of the Ted Hughes Poetry Award), New York's Banana Bag and Bodice, National Theatre Wales/Neon Neon, Belarus Free Theatre, Ontroerend Goed, Ockham's Razor, Kieran Hurley, Paper Cinema and many more.

Mayfest began life at Bristol Old Vic in 2003 as a month-long programme of experimental work in the Studio. In 2008, when Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin became Artistic Directors of the festival, it became a city wide event, coproduced with Bristol Old Vic alongside many organisations across the city, and has continued to work with local, national and international artists to animate the city with new and bold theatrical ideas. In 2011, Kate and Matthew established MAYK, a new independent producing organisation that directs and produces the festival alongside a growing portfolio of other projects throughout the year. This year's festival features over 150 performances by around 50 companies and artists and will reach a bigger audience than ever. www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/adventurous-theatre-playful-people-mayfest-2013/

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Adventurous Theatre for Playful People - Mayfest 2013 | Arts Council

The tenth anniversary programme features a roll call of previous Mayfest companies and artists, including Ridiculusmus and Clod Ensemble, who were in the very first festival in 2003 alongside an ever-growing family of new theatrical talents. To mark the tenth anniversary, MAYK and Bristol Ferment have commissioned ten Bristol based artists to make a new work especially for the festival, based on one of the senses. These artists are: Richard Allen, Jo Bannon, Benji Bower, Lucy Cassidy, Laura Dannequin, Sam Halmarack, Kathy Hinde, Tom Marshman, Sleepdogs and Tom Wainwright. Peppered throughout the festival, these new works will offer a fresh perspective on the way we experience the world around us, and continue Mayfest's ongoing commitment to placing local artists at the heart of the festival programme.

For their third annual co-commission with Theatre Bristol, Mayfest are working with Cornish Artists Jeremiah Krage and Heidi Dorschler on Hook, Skip, Repeat, an interactive outdoor performance where passers-by can join the artists in creating giant, multi-coloured doily-like structures which will be installed in public spaces across the city. The project is inspired by Bristol's maritime heritage, and created using locally made rope from Bristol Rope & Twine.

Artistic Directors Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin said 'In a time where there is much talk of austerity, Bristol is without doubt bucking the trend when it comes to arts and culture. It continues to be a city where artists come to live, make work, innovate and experiment, and where audiences enjoy an unrivalled mix of theatre, digital art and music. Festivals provide a unique focal point for that creativity and our tenth anniversary programme celebrates the wealth of talent in the city and places it alongside some of the most brilliant theatrical voices from around the world. We can't wait to get stuck in.'

Phil Gibby, Arts Council England's Director for the South West 'Mayfest provides a fantastic opportunity for people to enjoy all sorts of performances in interesting places across Bristol. Over the past ten years it has grown into an internationally recognised festival where leading theatre makers create high quality work for local people and visitors to the city. This is their biggest programme yet, and I look forward to seeing many people enjoying the range of exciting performances.

www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/adventurous-theatre-playful-people-mayfest-2013/

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Guide to Bristol Mayfest 2013 | Bristol24-7

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Guide to Bristol Mayfest 2013 Bristol’s Contemporary Theatre Festival, Mayfest, is back for its 10th anniversary this year – with plenty of exciting events in store

By Lou Trimby Wednesday April 24, 2013

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Praxis Makes Perfect at Motion, Bristol, part of Mayfest 2013 .

May 2013 sees the tenth anniversary of Mayfest – Bristol’s contemporary theatre festival . With over 30 shows in numerous venues including the Bristol Old Vic, Arnolfini, Tobacco Factory and Motion, not forgetting performances which take place in secret locations Mayfest offers a veritable feast of theatre and performances. Here are just a few highlights: Beowulf A Thousand Years of Baggage @ Trinity Centre (May 17-19) Beowulf A Thousand Years of Baggage presented by US based company Banana Bag and Bodice has wowed audiences and critics at the Edinburgh Festival and worldwide. Taking the ancient poem Beowulf as its starting point the show presents the bloodthirsty saga as a musical/cabaret. The songs

http://www.bristol247.com/2013/04/24/guide-to-bristol-mayfest-2013-2013/[25/04/2013 09:29:57]

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Guide to Bristol Mayfest 2013 | Bristol24-7

encompass various different musical genres ranging from jazz, to Weillian Our visa application processes are longer, more complex and more expensive than most of our major rivals for Chinese spend, writes Karen White (Read more...)

cabaret to rock to electronica and more. The show promises to be rowdy, raucous and fun as well as thought-provoking. More info at www.3ca.org.uk Zero @ Bristol Old Vic (May 24-25) Zero performed by Clod Ensemble mixes dance music and physical theatre to impressive effect. The original score by Paul Clarke is played by a group of 7 jazz and blues musicians including trombonist Annie Whitehead (Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Elvis Costello, Robert Wyatt, Jazz Jamaica Allstars), and Johnny Mars the harmonica player who has worked with BB King and Spencer Davis. Zero is described as ‘a world where nothing is certain – where women can be tigers and men can be snakes. Families, marriages and friendships are laced with sibling rivalries, frustrated desires and murderous ambitions. Heavens open and lives fall apart. ‘ More info at www.bristololdvic.org.uk Praxis Makes Perfect @ Motion (May 23)

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Praxis Makes Perfect sees two firsts for Mayfest, the staging of theatre at Motion the huge club which hosts some of the best nights in the city and the debut of the National Theatre of Wales in Bristol. The show is devised by Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals and Neon Neon) and Bryan Hollon (Neon Neon) and is a fully immersive gig where the audience become part of the show. The gig asks the audience to imagine the life of millionaire Italian communist Feltrinelli who just happened to be at the heart of many of the most significant events of the 20th century. Feltrinelli was a fascinating character, he played basketball with Castro, was tortured by the CIA, published Dr Zhivago alongside banned books and revolutionary texts and in 1972 he died in mysterious circumstances. The album Praxis Makes Perfect has received rave reviews in the national press and this show, if anything like SFA shows in the past, promises surprises, visual jokes and the unexpected. More info at www.motionbristol.com

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BEATS @ Bristol Old Vic (May 17-19) BEATS is new play written and performed by Kieran Hurley with DJ Johnny Whoop. It explores rebellion, apathy, and the irresistible power of ‘raves’ and clubbing. BEATS has a live soundtrack and visuals which will take any old raver back to the day-glo Nineties and tells the story of Johnno McCreadie, a teenager living in a small suburban Scottish town at the time of the Criminal Justice Act in 1994. The Act banned ‘public gatherings around amplified music characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats’. More info at http://www.bristololdvic.org.uk/beats.html Flaneurs @ Tobacco Factory (May 17-18) Flaneurs is a one woman show which examines the ‘bystander effect’. Namely when individuals do not intervene, take action or offer help in an emergency situation. Everyone likes to think they would be able to get involved if such a situation arose but how many people would? Jenna Watt was inspired to consider this after one of her friends was the victim of a violent attack in London. When she found out that there were other people present she began to wonder why they did not help and what it takes for someone to intervene.

More info at www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com More info and full Mayfest 2013 programme available at www.mayfestbristol.co.uk Sign up for Bristol24-7 news and offers Regular bulletins and special offers to your inbox! Just click the button at the top of the site and fill in the form...

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Mayfest’s Matthew Austin on why Bristol is the perfect location for the festival | Bristol24-7

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Mayfest’s Matthew Austin on why Bristol is the perfect location for the festival Bristol 24-7 met Matthew Austin, co-Artistic Director of Mayfest to find out more about the festival and the people who make it happen

By Lou Trimby Thursday May 16, 2013

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Mayfest’s artistic directors – Matthew Austin and Kate Yegdiroff

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Matthew came to Bristol back in the late 1990s to study drama at the University of Bristol, and as is the case with many former UoB students, he fell in love with the city and stayed on after graduating.

Like many people who work in the arts he has been a performer. He was a founder member of The Special Guests, a Bristol-based company who performed across the UK and were regulars at both Bristol Old Vic and

http://www.bristol247.com/2013/05/16/mayfests-matthew-austin-on-why-bristol-is-the-perfect-location-for-the-festival-88018/[20/05/2013 11:06:04]

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We asked if he missed being on-stage rather than behind the scenes: “At university I was both a performer and a producer, and afterwards I formed The Special Guests with some friends, and we carried on making work for about seven years. At the same time, I’d been working at Bristol Old Vic in the marketing department, where I got involved in Mayfest very early on, along with Kate, who was also working at the theatre.”

He went on: “After a few years of doing both performing, producing and marketing, I was having a chat with someone at the Edinburgh Fringe and

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asked him if he’d ever thought of performing. His reply was that he never had because there were so many people out there who were doing it so much better than him. And that kind of stuck in my head, and I realised that I much preferred helping to make things happen. The thing I’ve always found really exciting is talking to audiences and enthusing them with my enthusiasm.”

IoD report, launched in Parliament, also shows that Asia has moved ahead of North America as a destination for UK exports, writes Tom McCarthy (Read more...)

In no small measure it is thanks to Matthew and fellow artistic director Kate .

Yegdiroff’s enthusiasm for contemporary theatre that Mayfest has become one of Bristol’s most significant annual cultural events.

“Mayfest began in 2003 at Bristol Old Vic as a showcase for new work,” said Matt. “We took over as directors in 2008 when Bristol Old Vic closed for 18 months. Dick Penny, at that time Chair of the Bristol Old Vic board and the Arts Council were really supportive in us taking on the festival and so that’s when the next chapter in its history began. When we’re programming Mayfest the one thing all the work has common is that it has to be doing something new and different.”He added: “For example ‘Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage’ at Trinity was a show Kate saw in Edinburgh, she loved it as it was doing something new, bold and exciting with the Beowulf story and we’re really pleased we’ve been able to bring it to Bristol.

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While Mayfest has grown year-on-year, Matthew’s keen not to make it too big just yet: “People have asked us if we’d like to turn it into Bristol’s version of the Edinburgh Fringe, but for us the personal, friendly nature of the festival is what makes it pleasurable for artists and audiences. What’s great about Bristol is that there are so many festivals which promote so many different artforms and give people lots of different ways to access the arts. You don’t need a big homogenised ‘Bristol Festival’ to do this.”

Matthew’s enthusiasm and support for not only his festival but other festivals and other cultural ‘doers’ in Bristol is infectious, so we asked him who inspires him. He said: “I’m inspired by people who make seemingly impossible things happen, where you think ‘that must have taken guts. And in particular things that have an impact on people’s everyday lives. In Bristol I find people like QuJunktions inspiring because they consistently don’t do things by the book and dream up really interesting, imaginative projects. Also The Cube, who are similarly maverick and community-focused. I’m really interested in the work that Situations are doing, such as NowhereIsland And Ali is running a really tight ship over at the Tobacco Factory, and has continued to root the theatre very strongly in the local area.”

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As for this year’s Mayfest, Matthew tells us what he’s most looking forward to: “I’m really excited about seeing Beowulf and Praxis Makes Perfect, but I am most excited about Zero at Bristol Old Vic which is a large-scale dance piece, accompanied by a seven-piece blues band. It’s not any old band, it’s made up of some of the UK’s foremost blues performers, people like the trombonist Annie Whitehead who has played with Elvis Costello and the the bluesman Johnny Mars. The sound they’ve created is just incredible. It’s a show which will appeal to all sorts of people, music fans, dance fans, theatregoers, which is a really exciting thought – being able to mix up all of those different people.”

http://www.bristol247.com/2013/05/16/mayfests-matthew-austin-on-why-bristol-is-the-perfect-location-for-the-festival-88018/[20/05/2013 11:06:04]

6/24/13

Preview: Mayfest 2013 | Bristol Culture

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Preview: Mayfest 2013 Wednesday, May 1 2013 Mayfest, Bristol’s foremost festival of theatre, celebrates its 10th birthday this month.

The biggest Mayfest yet will once again see international touring companies perform alongside some Bristol acts showcasing work written especially for the festival.

Giant doilies will be appearing across the city, as will a man dressed in a beaver costume. At Mayfest, you soon learn to expect the unexpected.

Taking place between May 16 and 26, just a quick look at the venues where the shows are taking place gives a glimpse at the delights on offer.

Unusual spaces such as a gymnasium in Hartcliffe, Tyntesfield, the Exchange, Centrespace Gallery and Central Library will host performances, with theatre also happening in City Hall for the first time.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

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Review: Mayfest Day 11 – Gymnast and A Thousand Shards of Glass | Bristol Culture

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Monday, May 27 2013 Gymnastics is one of the most theatrical of sports. So pairing gymnastics and a choir was not so much of a crazy idea as it might seem.

The setting for Gymnast from Bodies In Flight was the Bristol Gymnastics Club in Hartcliffe and our performers were a group of gymnasts and the Night Bus Choir, led by the engaging Jennifer Bell.

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Photo by Paul Blakemore The two disparate groups walked around the apparatus, occasionally meeting, with the voices of the acapella choir accompanied by the thuds of gymnasts landing on floor or equipment, or applying chalk, or ripping off velcro straps.

In breaks between singing or more physical exertions, audio interviews with gymnasts were played – including Josh Avallon who was one of the gymnasts in front of us.

Interviews emphasised a total commitment to their chosen sport, where thousands of unique adjustments are required just to hold a “still”.

This was inspiring stuff; the music and singing lifting the gymnasts’ feats to even greater heights.

Over at a more traditional venue for theatre, although not the place you would expect, Lucy Ellinson is a performer who gets in your head, with her piercing eyes and hypnotic voice.

In A Thousand Shards of Glass, written by Ben Pacey, directed by Jane Packman and performed by Ellinson high King Street in Coopers Loft, the audience is sat in a circle as a journey is evoked by words, recordings and sound.

It’s called a “surround sound action adventure”, and we all have parts to

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Review: Mayfest Day 11 – Gymnast and A Thousand Shards of Glass | Bristol Culture

play, if only as Ellinson looks directly at us as while describing a collection of escapades.

This captivating performer led me individually to my seat with confusing talk of the price of camels, made clearer during a whistle-stop journey by car of Cairo as I was pointed out as the camel dealer, a suitably surreal way to bring this year’s Mayfest to a close.

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Review: Mayfest Day 9 – Zero | Bristol Culture

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Review: Mayfest Day 9 – Zero Saturday, May 25 2013 When Mayfest began 10 years ago it was entirely based in Bristol Old Vic. The festival has certainly spread its wings since then, but the Old Vic is still its spiritual home and Zero in the main auditorium showed just how far the festival has come since its early days.

Zero, by Clod Ensemble, is like going to the best jazz club you’ve ever been to, with musicians of the highest calibre, especially the virtuoso Johnny Mars on vocals and harmonica.

Then there are the dancers thrown into the mix, presenting five distinct acts that tell a story which is difficult to entirely grasp, but with the direction and choreography of Suzy Wilson packs an emotional punch which is only heightened by the live musical score.

Zero is at Bristol Old Vic today at 7.30pm. For more information, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/zero/.

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Review: Mayfest Day 8 – The Memory Dealer and Praxis Makes Perfect | Bristol Culture

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Friday, May 24 2013 There is a theme running through Mayfest 2013: participation.

The Memory Dealer and Praxis Makes Perfect are two examples of this.

The Memory Dealer is on until Sunday, whereas Praxis Makes Perfect was a one-off performance last night, so let’s deal with the former first.

Imagine if memories were traded, both legally and on the black market, and a resistance was formed to stop their wholesale exploitation. That is the premise of The Memory Dealer, which uses an iPhone app as a key part of this promenade performance.

The list of collaborators, from Bristol’s Pervasive Media Studio to Nottingham University, is almost as big as the cast, who we meet in various locations within a short radius of the Watershed, including a hotel, a car and dentists waiting room.

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For me, the hotel room was the most interesting location, with snippets of

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memories contained within the pillow and from a corner of the room if we stood still.

The participation element here was that you listened to instructions via the iPhone and then from the actors, but you could choose how to follow them and of course how to answer questions – so long as you had been paying attention to the audio.

The most fun was walking around the city centre like a spy on a secret mission that only you knew about in a well-thought out and memorable show.

There are 12 shows of The Memory Dealer between 11am and 4.30pm from today until Sunday. Each show lasts 90 minutes.

Visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/the-memory-dealer/ for more information.

Praxis Makes Perfect managed to secure Motion as a location, and thank goodness it did because it was often a tight squeeze, especially as pieces of stage were wheeled around through the audience.

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Review: Mayfest Day 8 – The Memory Dealer and Praxis Makes Perfect | Bristol Culture

This show by the National Theatre of Wales was so good that it was possible to forget that Super Furry Animals lead singer Gruff Rhys was taking part, here with the electro-pop of Neon Neon who providing the soundtrack for a tale about the imagined life of millionaire Italian communist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.

Feltrinelli lived an extraordinary life – smuggling the manuscript of Dr Zhivago out of Russia, tortured by the CIA, playing basketball with Fidel Castro – and Praxis Makes Perfect had lots of fun exploring it.

This time, the audience were revolutionaries, giving left fist salutes and swapping books as if they were precious gold as the actors moved among us, to best affect when they were a Soviet brute squad looking for the manuscript that always stayed just out of their grasp.

Part-theatre, part-gig, part-history lesson, this extraordinary production was not just a Mayfest highlight but will be an undoubted highlight of Bristol’s theatrical year.

Photo by Paul Blakemore

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Review: Mayfest Day 3 – Turning the Page and 97 Years | Bristol Culture

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Sunday, May 19 2013 A messy desk in the entrance lobby of Bristol Central Library. On it are maps, ticket stubs, empty sweet wrappers and various other assorted paraphernalia that individually mean nothing but as a collection of objects signify a great deal about the person to whom this desk belongs.

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Also on this desk is a guidebook of China. And it is this that is the most important object.

When you arrive for your 20-minutes or so of Turning the Page, you are instructed to put on a pair of headphones and leaf through the guidebook which magically comes to life for an intimate and moving sound installation.

A woman talks about the experiences that she has had while travelling through China, with snippets often surreptitiously recorded as she sits in a bar and is befriended by a young man, or boards a boat and joins in with a mass singalong.

If only all holiday snaps could now be outlawed and this be the way friends and family tell you about the brilliant experiences they have had in foreign climes.

Which isn’t to mean that everything the woman says is brilliant. She is at times lonely and at other times close to tears, like when recounting the moment that a stranger wordlessly took her sketchbook and painted a watercolour – which itself magically then appears on the desk.

Turning the Page by Stand + Stare and Professor Tim Cole from the University of Bristol is at Bristol Central Library during opening hours and is free, with no need to book. Click here for more information.

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Review: Mayfest Day 3 – Turning the Page and 97 Years | Bristol Culture

Over in a gallery on the basement level at the RWA is another piece also related to memory. 97 Years by Jo Hellier is an investigation into the mental state of Hellier’s grandmother, with video and audio of her grandfather.

Snippets of recorded conversation are controlled by pieces of string on pulleys held by the audience with instructions from Hellier.

As more audio is played, the sound blurs. It is disorientating, sometimes painful and difficult to understand.

Presumably the idea is that we can empathise with the clouded thoughts of a person with dementia, but I preferred it when we could hear the reminisces of her grandfather rather than a higgledy-piggledy and distorted collection of noises.

Despite Hellier being on her own, there was a lot happening here – with her talking to us live, carefully arranging decaying apples by order of colour, a jumble of strings, audio, and video of trees, ants and apples.

The end came with a touching video of Hellier and her grandfather nattering away at a breakfast table about loose leaf tea. Then we were instrcted to lower our strings and the jumbled sound returned.

97 Years is at the RWA today. Click here for more information.

Photo of Jo Hellier by Paul Blakemore

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 10 – West and Temple Songs | Bristol Culture

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Sunday, May 26 2013 West was a vision of Bristol like you’ve never seen before. The cranes outside M Shed had become giraffes, the colourful houses in Clifton Wood were fish and bears were daubing graffiti on walls.

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We flew over the Suspension Bridge, floating alongside hot air balloons.

We sailed down the Floating Harbour. And we stopped off in Stokes Croft.

The hand-drawn animation had been created by half a dozen illustrators in a project coordinated by The Paper Cinema which was put together in the space of a week.

It was wonderfully brought to life in Bristol Diving School with the help of two small video cameras as two artists manoeuvred pieces of card into place, creating depth as what they held was projected onto a screen.

After the non-stop of excitement of much of Bristol this weekend, it was an almost dreamlike experience; all the while with a magical soundtrack of kora harp, piano and guitar, reminiscent of the intricate yet simple sound of Three Cane Whale.

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From a diving school on Spike Island to an empty office building on Victoria Street for Temple Songs, poetically held as the sun was setting.

A culmination of another week-long project which has seen members of The Beautiful Machine singing individual songs to people in their offices, this was a song cycle written for the people working in the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, with experiences all based on true stories.

An alternative title for Temple Songs was The Infinite Strength of Paperclips, and the banality of working in an office was a constant theme in the songs which were all sang acapella, as well as the thrilling feeling of being able to escape from keyboards and computer screens.

www.bristol-culture.com/2013/05/26/review-mayfest-day-10-west-and-temple-songs/

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 10 – West and Temple Songs | Bristol Culture

Photos by Paul Blakemore

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 2 – Beowulf and Barry the Beaver | Bristol Culture

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Saturday, May 18 2013 If only every epic battle could be settled by a thumb war or soundtracked by two sassy backing singers. Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage is from Brooklyn-based Banana Bag and Bodice and is certainly not a dry retelling of the centuries-old tale.

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There may be a few dusty-looking academics introducing proceedings, but this being Mayfest there is no way that they will ever stay explaining the intricacies of the text and before too long they have switched characters and are climbing up radiators, battling in the depths of a lake and applying dragon makeup.

This is delightful and unabashed fun, with circular tables set up at the front of the Trinity to allow performers and musicians to pass among the audience, in much the same way that The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart happened in this same venue during last year’s Mayfest.

Every show this year will have to go some way to beat the entrance of Beowulf, who with thick glasses and a moustache is not quite your typical action man but nonetheless makes the women swoon and after a battle triumphantly holds the stump of a bloody arm above his head.

Beowulf is on at the Trinity until Sunday. Click here for more details.

From mythical creatures to mythical creatures, as Barry The Beaver – the latest creation of playwright and actor Tom Wainwright – made his debut at the Mayfest Cafe on College Green.

A performance poet who dishes out his no-nonsense wisdom to anybody who will listen, Barry (below) will be popping up in locations across the festival, including today at 6.50pm at Circomedia, tomorrow at 7.45pm at Bristol Old Vic, and Thursday, May 23 at 5.45pm at the Brewery.

www.bristol-culture.com/2013/05/18/review-mayfest-day-2-beowulf-and-barry-the-beaver/

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 2 – Beowulf and Barry the Beaver | Bristol Culture

Photos by Paul Blakemore

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10 things to do in Bristol this week, May 13-19 | Bristol Culture

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Monday, May 13 2013 Monday-May 27: Eat Drink Bristol Fashion, Queen Square

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The tipis have returned to Queen Square to host events from some of Bristol’s best restaurants alongside other events and a bar open all day. www.eatdrinkevents.co.uk/eat-drink-bristol-fashion/home/ Tuesday-May 25: The Nest, 212 Gloucester Road A pop-up shop featuring a daily-changing selection of handmade stock and one-off vintage clothes and homewares.

Plus homemade cake. www.magpiesandi.com Wednesday: Alt J, Bristol Academy Benedict Cumberbatch recently made a triangle symbol while filming Sherlock. No secrets here; just a homage to Alt J from Cambridge.

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10 things to do in Bristol this week, May 13-19 Jeff zone now at the Fleece My Bristol favourites: Eugene Byrne New bear in the Bearpit New Banksy on Park Row? Gloucester Road pride of place in the Galli Frankie filmed in Bristol My Bristol favourites: Matthew Austin Preview: Cotham Hill Street Party 2013 Show all posts

www.o2academybristol.co.uk/event/45659/alt-j-tickets Wednesday: Tracy Thorn, Arnolfini The former Everything But The Girl lead singer speaks about a career that has seen her go from pop star to acclaimed author. www.ideasfestival.co.uk/2013/events/tracey-thorn/ Thursday: Egyptian Extravaganza, Bristol Museum Artist Gavin Turk will be revealing his own quirky interpretation of a magic carpet flying experience at a special free Museums at Night event. www.culture24.org.uk/sw000007?id=EVENT420168 Thursday-May 26: Mayfest Bristol’s annual celebration of contemporary theatre returns for its 10th anniversary year, with a myriad of highlights in venues across the city. www.mayfestbristol.co.uk Friday: What The Frock, The Square Club The first birthday party of the woman-only comedy tonight, with four acts and the promise of some extra special fun. www.whatthefrockcomedy.co.uk/#!events/cb3i Saturday: Windmill Hill City Farm Spring Festival (below) With live music, food stalls, face-painting, cookery, storytelling, drama, singing, woodworking and drumming workshops, and lots more. www.windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk/events/spring-festival.html Saturday: Spiers & Boden, Colston Hall On this tour, the Bellowhead duo are inviting fans to suggest folk songs with local significance for them to learn and perform

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10 things to do in Bristol this week, May 13-19 | Bristol Culture

before each gig. www.colstonhall.org/whatson/Event3348 Sunday: Cotham Hill street party The third annual party brings together local traders, with entertainment including live music and lots of stalls. www.oxfamcothambook.wordpress.com

One Response so far.

Ellie says: May 15, 2013 at 3:57 pm

And don’t forget the Southbank Arts Trail – 18th and 19th May, 11-5pm. More info http://www.sbaweb.co.uk/ Reply

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6/24/13

How the news works in Bristol | Bristol Culture

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Tuesday, June 18 2013 April 2, 2013: Mayfest press release “Mayfest are working with Cornish artists Jeremiah Krage and Heidi Dorschler on Hook, Skip, Repeat, an interactive outdoor performance where passers-by can join the artists in creating giant, multi-coloured doily-like structures which will be installed in public spaces across the city.”

May 20, 2013: Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management press release “Commissioned by Mayfest and Theatre Bristol, Hook, Skip, Repeat will see the creation of a large-scale rope ‘doily’ made by artists in collaboration with the people of Stapleton Road. Using brightly coloured rope and a giant crochet needle, the artists will invite passers-by to help them weave an eye-catching spider’s web-like creation.”

May 22, 2013: Bristol Post – ‘Invitation to help create street art’ “A theatre company is inviting the public to help create an eye-catching new piece of art over Stapleton Road for this year’s Mayfest. Theatre Bristol will be putting together a large-scale rope doily installation named Hook, Skip, Repeat.”

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June 13, 2013: BBC News – ‘Giant crocheted doily appears under Bristol bridge’ “A giant crocheted doily has appeared under a railway bridge in Bristol. The 12ft (3.6m) diameter ‘spider web’ was seen hanging under Stapleton Road railway bridge by Gail Boyle as she drove into work earlier.

‘It’s a massive piece of crochet… and the nylon cord must be up to an inch thick,’ she said. ‘I’ve no idea who is responsible, it might be ‘yarn bombing’, but I crochet and I know that they are proper crochet stitches,’ she added.”

June 14, 2013: Daily Mail – ‘Is this a hole new craze? Guerilla artists ‘yarn bomb’ railway bridge with 12ft-high DOILY’ “It was the enigmatic Banksy who brought guerrilla art to the world’s attention with his iconic style of political graffiti. Now a group of so-called ‘yarn bombers’ have come up with their own genre that would make the Women’s Institute proud. For they are suspected of being behind a 12fthigh doily that mysteriously appeared under a railway bridge in Bristol this morning, much to the bemusement of passersby.”

June 15, 2013: BBC News – ‘Giant crocheted doily appears for Bristol Mayfest’ “A giant crocheted doily which appeared under a railway bridge in Bristol was commissioned as part of a one-day outdoor theatre event, it has emerged. The 12ft (3.6m) diameter ‘spider web’ underneath Stapleton Road railway bridge was created by two artists working with people from the area. It was commissioned as part of the Hook, Skip, Repeat event organised by Theatre Bristol and Mayfest.”

June 17, 2013: Bristol 24-7 – ‘Giant crocheted doily made for Bristol Mayfest’

www.bristol-culture.com/2013/06/18/how-the-news-works-in-bristol/

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6/24/13

How the news works in Bristol | Bristol Culture

“A giant crocheted doily which appeared under a railway bridge in Bristol was commissioned as part of a one-day outdoor theatre event, it has emerged. The 12ft (3.6m) diameter ‘spider web’ underneath Stapleton Road railway bridge was created by two artists working with people from the area. It was commissioned as part of the Hook, Skip, Repeat event organised by Theatre Bristol and Mayfest.”

June 17, 2013: Bristol Post – ‘Knitter has public in stiches’ “Bemused members of the public were in stitches after a rogue knitter made a 12ft doily and hung it under a Bristol railway bridge. The giant ‘cobweb’ appeared under Stapleton Road railway bridge in Easton on Friday morning. It is believed to be the work of yarn bombers or guerrilla knitters – street artists who make decorations by knitting or crocheting wool, or turning yarn into pom-poms. The huge doily was spotted by Gail Boyle as she drove to work. She said: ‘I have no idea who is responsible.’”

2 Responses so far.

Matthew Austin says: June 18, 2013 at 7:58 am

Also, we made it nationally too: dailymail.co.uk/news/article2341725/Is-hole-new-craze-Guerrilla-artists-yarn-bomb-railway-bridge12ft-high-DOILY.html And yesterday we had a call from a Canadian radio station about it!

Hilarious.

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Jenny says: June 18, 2013 at 10:31 pm

Was the spider part of the same event or was that there before? The web looks cool by the way!

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6/21/13

Mayfest 2013 begins | Bristol Culture

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Mayfest 2013 begins

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Friday, May 17 2013 Mayfest 2013 began yesterday with a giant doily being made in Queen Square, botox in a dressing room at the Old Vic, a sound installation in the entrance lobby of Central Library and an opening party featuring an interpretative dance-off.

Some of today’s highlights (click here for the full programme) include the first performance of Beowulf at the Trinity Centre, aerial sculptures accompanied by a community choir at Circomedia and an “unsettlingly voyeuristic tribute to our private desires” at the Cube.

Mayfest continues until May 26. Visit the Mayfest Cafe in the Parlour Showrooms on College Green to pick up a programme, or visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

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6/24/13

Mayfest 2013 programme revealed | Bristol Culture

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Wednesday, April 3 2013 Mayfest, Bristol’s foremost festival of theatre, is celebrating its tenth anniversary in style with what promises to be its most ambitious programme yet of live performance, with everything from a rock version of a classical myth in a converted church to giant multi-coloured doilies around the the city.

As well as theatres, the Mayfest 2013 programme will also visit more atypical sites this year than ever before, including the Central Library and a gymnastics club, and will also feature a series of ten new bespoke commissions from Bristol artists.

Performers include Kate Tempest (recent winner of the Ted Hughes Poetry Award), New York’s Banana Bag and Bodice, National Theatre Wales/Neon Neon, Belarus Free Theatre, Clod Ensemble, Ontroerend Goed, Ockham’s Razor, Ridiculusmus, Kieran Hurley, Paper Cinema and many more.

Mayfest artistic directors Matthew Austin and Kate Yedigaroff said: “In a

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time where there is much talk of austerity, Bristol is without doubt bucking the trend when it comes to arts and culture.

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“It continues to be a city where artists come to live, make work, innovate and experiment, and where audiences enjoy an unrivalled mix of theatre, digital art and music.

“Festivals provide a unique focal point for that creativity and our tenth anniversary programme celebrates the wealth of talent in the city and places it alongside some of the most brilliant theatrical voices from around the world. We can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Mayfest 2013 takes place in Bristol between May 16 and 26. For more information and to view the full programme, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 7 – The Great Spavaldos and Total Football | Bristol Culture

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Thursday, May 23 2013 “Not suitable for people with heart conditions or fear of heights.

Intriguing, hey?!”

The Great Spavaldos certainly looked like one of the most interesting of shows within this year’s Mayfest lineup.

Made for just two people, you are not an audience member, more of a participant embodying one of the mysterious Spavaldo brothers, with their luxuriant moustaches and fearless acrobatics.

Headphones and then video goggles are provided as you walk into The Island, and then the show – with you at the centre of it – begins.

It’s lots of fun and a treat for the senses. Only 20 minutes in length, I saw it during a lunchtime and walked back onto Bridewell Street feeling giddy with excitement at what I had seemingly just accomplished.

The Great Spavaldos is at The Island until Sunday.

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Visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/the-great-spavaldos/ for more

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information.

An evaluation of Britain through the eyes of what at first glance looks like a swaggering, gum-chewing shaven-headed football manager. But like a Cristiano Ronaldo free-kick, Total Football bends and swerves in all directions.

Preconceptions are dashed and Ridiculusmus, the name of this company, live up to their moniker in the Bristol Old Vic studio as some surreal events unfold, culminating in the walls literally collapsing in.

The two actors and co-writers, David Woods and Jon Haynes, switch between doing impressions of IOC president Jacques Rogge and a spot of fishing in a play is enjoyably surreal.

www.bristol-culture.com/2013/05/23/review-mayfest-day-7-the-great-spavaldos-and-total-football/

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 8 – The Memory Dealer and Praxis Makes Perfect | Bristol Culture

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Friday, May 24 2013 There is a theme running through Mayfest 2013: participation.

The Memory Dealer and Praxis Makes Perfect are two examples of this.

The Memory Dealer is on until Sunday, whereas Praxis Makes Perfect was a one-off performance last night, so let’s deal with the former first.

Imagine if memories were traded, both legally and on the black market, and a resistance was formed to stop their wholesale exploitation. That is the premise of The Memory Dealer, which uses an iPhone app as a key part of this promenade performance.

The list of collaborators, from Bristol’s Pervasive Media Studio to Nottingham University, is almost as big as the cast, who we meet in various locations within a short radius of the Watershed, including a hotel, a car and dentists waiting room.

For me, the hotel room was the most interesting location, with snippets of memories contained within the pillow and from a corner of the room if we

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stood still.

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The participation element here was that you listened to instructions via the iPhone and then from the actors, but you could choose how to follow them and of course how to answer questions – so long as you had been paying attention to the audio.

The most fun was walking around the city centre like a spy on a secret mission that only you knew about in a well-thought out and memorable show.

There are 12 shows of The Memory Dealer between 11am and 4.30pm from today until Sunday. Each show lasts 90 minutes.

Visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/the-memory-dealer/ for more information.

Praxis Makes Perfect managed to secure Motion as a location, and thank goodness it did because it was often a tight squeeze, especially as pieces of stage were wheeled around through the audience.

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest Day 8 – The Memory Dealer and Praxis Makes Perfect | Bristol Culture

This show by the National Theatre of Wales was so good that it was possible to forget that Super Furry Animals lead singer Gruff Rhys was taking part, here with the electro-pop of Neon Neon who providing the soundtrack for a tale about the imagined life of millionaire Italian communist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.

Feltrinelli lived an extraordinary life – smuggling the manuscript of Dr Zhivago out of Russia, tortured by the CIA, playing basketball with Fidel Castro – and Praxis Makes Perfect had lots of fun exploring it.

This time, the audience were revolutionaries, giving left fist salutes and swapping books as if they were precious gold as the actors moved among us, to best affect when they were a Soviet brute squad looking for the manuscript that always stayed just out of their grasp.

Part-theatre, part-gig, part-history lesson, this extraordinary production was not just a Mayfest highlight but will be an undoubted highlight of Bristol’s theatrical year.

Photo by Paul Blakemore

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6/24/13

Preview: Mayfest 2013 | Bristol Culture

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Preview: Mayfest 2013 Wednesday, May 1 2013 Mayfest, Bristol’s foremost festival of theatre, celebrates its 10th birthday this month.

The biggest Mayfest yet will once again see international touring companies perform alongside some Bristol acts showcasing work written especially for the festival.

Giant doilies will be appearing across the city, as will a man dressed in a beaver costume. At Mayfest, you soon learn to expect the unexpected.

Taking place between May 16 and 26, just a quick look at the venues where the shows are taking place gives a glimpse at the delights on offer.

Unusual spaces such as a gymnasium in Hartcliffe, Tyntesfield, the Exchange, Centrespace Gallery and Central Library will host performances, with theatre also happening in City Hall for the first time.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

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Bristol May Bank Holiday weekend events - What's on 24-27 May - 24 May 2013 - Guide2Bristol News Email:

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Bristol May Bank Holiday weekend events - What's on 24-27 May 24 May 2013

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Bristol May Bank Holiday weekend events - What's on 24-27 May

As May’s second bank holiday weekend approaches fast Guide2Bristol has been taking a look at what’s going on in the city this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday to come up with a few suggestions for you to consider.

One of the things Bristol does best is festivals, and this weekend is full of them, with something for everyone from foodies to music, theatre and art lovers. Vegfest UK at is the first to get underway, opening at the Harbourside at 5.30PM on Friday evening and running until Sunday. Visitors to the world’s biggest veggie event can expect to find stalls selling food, bodycare, accessories, fashion and more, as well as talks, demos, cinema, crazy golf, kids’ activities and a cinema. There is also a full performance programme featuring live music and DJs with headline acts in the evenings including the Happy Mondays. For further information, including opening times and admission charges, visit www.bristol.vegfest.co.uk.

Following a successful inaugural event last year Love Saves the Day returns to Castle Park on Saturday and this year will be followed by a second day of live music known as Love Saves Sunday, which will be headlined by Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. Saturday is a sell out, but, at the time of writing, a few tickets remain available for Sunday when the line-up also includes Julio Bashmore, Soul II Soul, Ms Dynamite, Ghostpoet and Babyhead. To find out more visit www.lovesavestheday.org.

A Love Saves The Day After Party takes place each night at The Big Chill Bristol until 3AM. These legendary parties feature local and national DJ talent and are free entry all night. They are very popular, so be sure to get in early!

Upfest is Europe’s largest urban and street art festival, now in its sixth year and crafted by POSCA it returns to Southville this weekend when more than 300 artists from Bristol, the UK and around the world will be painting live over three days from Saturday. The action will once again be centred on the Tobacco Factory with artists also painting at Redpoint Climbing Centre, Bar BS3, Corner House, Workout Bristol, Brewery Theatre, The Try Again, Souk Kitchen, Vector Seating, Raleigh Road, Royston Gardens, Greville Road, Hen and Chicken, Luckwell Club, North Street Green, Spotted Cow, Motoring Direct, The Masonic, The Old Book Shop, The Hare and No. 74. For further information, including a downloadable map showing all the venues, visit www.festival.upfest.co.uk.

Plenty going on for foodies down at Queen Square where Eat Drink Bristol Fashion are continuing to serve up delicious treats in their tented paradise all weekend. Local chef hero Josh Eggleton has done the city proud, don't miss the great eats!

Bristol’s festival of contemporary theatre, Mayfest, which opened on 16 May continues until Sunday with a full programme of events including Belarus Free Theatre’s Trash Cuisine at Tobacco Factory Theatre, Il Pixel Rosso performed by The Great Spavaldos at The Island, and A Thousand Shards of Glass, presented by the Jane Packman Company, at Bristol Old Vic Cooper’s Loft. For the full programme and details of how to book tickets, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

The Volunteer Tavern at 9 New Street, near Cabot Circus, is hosting a Spring Beer Festival from Friday until Monday. Admission is free and visitors will find live music and food as well as a wide range of local craft beers and real ales.

Hoochie Coochie is to host its second event at its new home The Mauretania Lounge on Friday night, an evening of interactive fun when visitors will find games, karaoke, a cabaret show and music. Tickets are priced from £8 to £10 and are available from the Bristol Ticket Shop. The dress code is OTT - glitter, glamour, flamboyant and ridiculous. www.hoochiecoochiecabaret.com.

Grammy Award-winning country star Steve Earle, along with his band The Dukes, will be performing at the Colston Hall on Friday evening. The show begins at 7.30PM and tickets are priced at £29.50 plus booking fee. The event will be preceded at 6.30PM by a free performance in the foyer by Mr Dowlands Midnight, bringing together European guitar and the lute-like sound of the Middle Eastern oud. There will be more free music in the foyer at 6.30PM on Saturday when Poppy Perezz will be deliver a feel good, sunshine happy performance. For further information visit www.colstonhall.org.

House music legend Kenny Dope comes to The White Bear on St Michael’s Hill on Saturday, for a special Bank Holiday All dayer. Music from 3PM until 12AM comes from the Masters at Work maven and a host of local talent.

There will be stalls and DJs at The Old Stillage, Church Road, Redland on Saturday for For Frock’s Sake! Open from 2PM until late, visitors will find clothes, jewellery, cushions, bags, sunglass cases, and more. Admission is free and more information can be found at www.forfrockssake.co.uk.

Bristol Barbarians are hosting a Rugby 7s Tournament at Norton Lane, Whitchurch on Saturday. The gates open at 11AM and the first game will get underway an hour later. Entry costs £30 per team and admission is free for supporters. There will also be a barbecue and music. To find out more visit www.pitcheroo.com/clubs/bristolbarbarians.

Bargain hunters visiting the Bristol Flea Market at Ashton Gate Stadium on Sunday will find up to 150 stalls selling antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, jewellery, shabby chic furnishings, and more. It will be open from 9AM until 3.30PM and admission costs £2 to the public and £5 for trade.

International physical theatre storytelling troupe Moonhound will be visiting the Wardrobe Theatre on Monday evening, to present Stories that Move, a playful, energetic, acrobatic improv-based performance. The show starts at 8PM and tickets cost £5. www.thewardrobetheatre.com.

These are just a few suggestions for things to do in Bristol this weekend, for more ideas and further information, visit the events pages at Guide2Bristol.com, and however you choose to spend the bank holiday weekend in the city we hope you have a fantastic time.

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Kieran Hurley brings BEATS (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/beats-2/)to this year’s Mayfest on May 17th­19th at the Bristol Old Vic Studio. This award­winning new play is a coming of age story written and performed by Kieran, exploring rebellion, apathy, and the irresistible power of gathered youth in the face of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act, which banned public gatherings around amplified music. It also includes techno – lots of techno.

We caught up with Kieran to speak about his motivation for making the piece, and the music behind it.

What inspired you to make BEATS? I was really interested in exploring what it means for people, particularly young people, to claim and share space on their own terms. The free party movement was hedonistic and not necessarily political, but the introduction of the Criminal Justice Act suggests that someone, somewhere, in power felt threatened enough by this subculture to legislate against it.

A lot of interesting stuff happened in the fall out from that, people became politicised in response to the experience of being persecuted in this way. So it seems that after that there began to be much more crossover between the rave generation and radical politics, with things like Reclaim The Streets and the party-protest movement. None of that stuff really makes it in to the show but an interest in it is part of what prompted it I suppose.

Why the 90s? Do you think there was a watershed there?

On a very basic level the show is set in the 90s because that’s when the 1994 Criminal Justice Act was passed and that seemed a good starting for exploring some of the stuff I wanted to look at. It certainly feels like a significant moment in terms of a shift in civil liberties, but I don’t think you can call it a watershed when you consider what happened before was Thatcher, and what happened next was post-9/11 policy making. I do think that the 90s rave scene is a moment in our recent cultural history that is ripe for further exploration. It hasn’t quite been mythologised in the way that, say, punk has yet, and we’re crying out for more stories about it. It also meant getting to celebrate some pretty excellent music in a way that really seems to appeal to a lot of people.

There is a clear link in your work between art and politics. Do you think the connection is inevitable?

I absolutely think that all theatre is political. But perhaps the relationship is more obviously apparent in some work than in others. I think I tend to start with a broad political thematic, and then play around with until I find the story I want to tell. Hitch (performed at last year’s Mayfest), for example, has about as light a touch on its discussion of anti-capitalist politics as you could imagine for a show about a G8 protest. It’s really a show about a search for community and solidarity in a highly alienated and atomised society – that’s where its politics are. And theatre is the perfect forum for exploring that because it necessitates a live, shared space.

If you could change one thing in the world, as if by magic, what would it be?

Goodness … I supposed I’d halt and reverse climate change. Obviously that would have to involve smashing capitalism, so I think I sneak a little two-for-one there …

“The Power of Youth will change the world” – discuss.

Ha. Well, I’m a great a believer in the importance of young people’s energy and insight, and the show is certainly concerned with a particular type of radical potential that sometimes rears its head when young people collectively claim space as their own. But I wouldn’t want to over-romanticise anything; old people are excellent, and “changing the world” is a pretty diffuse aim. Besides, I’ve never been one for making predictions …

What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m pretty busy, which is a good thing. I’m currently preparing to open a new show I’ve made collaboratively with a bunch of other artists at the Arches Behaviour festival. It’s part of a development project set up by the Arches and the National Theatre Scotland (NTS) so it’s been an opportunity to sort of experiment a bit with form. Who knows how it’ll go, but I’m excited by it. I’m involved in a bunch of stuff at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, including a play I’ve cowritten with AJ Taudevin called Chalk Farm, which will be presented by ThickSkin, a company who I admire hugely.

BEATS will be touring England more in autumn, Hitch occasionally pops up now and then, there are some other things in early development and I’m writing a couple of new plays. This year I’m on a writer’s attachment with NTS, which is great for me.

You’re a Mayfest regular now – what are you looking forward to?

It’s nice to be considered a Mayfest regular. It is a wonderful festival. I had a brilliant time here last year, but the problem with being a visiting performer at a festival like this is you never get to see as much of the other work as you’d like. While I’m around I’ll certainly be trying to see Kate Tempest (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/brandnew-ancients/) and Jo Hellier (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/97-years/), as well as Andy Field’s Zilla (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/zilla/) (though I’ll probably only be able to catch part 1…)

Finally, describe BEATS in five adjectives or less.

Ravey, talky, smoky, loud.

-– -– -– -– -Catch BEATS (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/event_2013/beats-2/) at Bristol Old Vic Studio on May 17th­19th. mayfestbristol.co.uk (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk/) twitter.com/kieran_hurley (https://twitter.com/kieran_hurley) Words: Richard Aslan

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2013 heralded 10 years of Mayfest. That’s a decade of shifting Bristol’s perceptions of theatre as an archaic artform. And judging by the gathering of audiences at the majority of this year’s events, it’s a true success story; one of reengaging a new generation with theatre’s potential as a form of performance which transcends restraints of space, form and definition like no other.

It was an 11-day programme littered with highlights. Brooklyn-based company Banana Bag and Bodice staged a remarkable adaptation of the 9th century Old English epic poem Beowulf in A Thousand Years of Baggage at the grand old Trinity (17th-19th), re-imagining the monstrous tale in an expressive flurry of jazz, punk and cabaret. Kieran Hurley’s performance in Beats (Bristol Old Vic Studio, 17th-19th) was a startling, multi-character display harking upon the 90s heydey of rave, with no small part played by evocative lighting and musical offerings. The oh fuck moment (Arnolfini, 21st-23rd) meanwhile saw Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe’s celebrated show offer a hugely inventive and intimate poetic exploration of the innate messiness of life which charges each day with the potential for hilarity.

On the 23rd, Neon Neon took over the Motion warehouse club for their highly-anticipated Praxis Makes Perfect live show/promenade theatre performance. Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys is a man who has never shied away from the bizarre, the surreal or the unexpected. But his ongoing collaboration with electronic artist Boom Bip has now yielded a project as weirdly wonderful as anything from the Super Furry days of tanks on stage and Mexican wrestler techno workouts. Neon Neon’s second album is essentially a rock-opera based on the life of Italian publisher and leftwing activist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, and his adventures in the service of Communism.

Although on record some of the strange references and characterisation don’t quite work, in the context of the full live performance (which includes paint-splattered nudity, showering the audience with fake money, and facial hair only a dictator could love) the music comes to life. Gruff’s whimsical delivery pokes its nose in and out of a stylised soundtrack that ploughs a similar furrow to their debut album – that is, for the most part, camp electro pop. But the real strength is the genuine coordination between the performance and the music – the dialogue-less acting from the National Theatre Wales team adds a layer of depth and daftness that the audio version alone just can’t capture. A quick run through of some Neon Neon favourites at the end of the performance (Raquel, I Lust You) seals the deal.

On to the 25th, when we were privy to one of 12 showings/happenings of Rik Lander’s The Memory Dealer. We met at Bristol’s Watershed at noon sharp for what had been billed as a truly pervasive theatre experience. We’d been asked to arrive with headphones and a smartphone with at least 50% battery life, but having failed to do so were able to loan one from the friendly staff, who gave us a brief rundown of what we should expect and how to interact with the production through an easily-installed app.

There was an enjoyable sense of bewilderment among our intimate seven person posse as we embarked on our journey around a range of locations, audience mingling with actors and encouraged to inquisitively explore narrative elements whilst being expertly led by the smart improvisational cast. These individuals populated a dark, not-so-distant-future world in which people can buy, sell, steal and even license memories, doing an astounding job in guiding us through the plot without breaking character or being reduced to cringey, tongue-in-cheek winks to the audience. In fact, their performances were convincing enough to imbue our 90 minute walk around Bristol’s handsome docklands with a slightly alarming quality.

The Memory Dealer utilised clever devices in its creation of an alternative world, including mock publications and websites to be visited before the show in order to build the plot without having to rely on rigid monologues or the use of overly pricey tech. Far from being new to experimentation, Rik Lander was practicing interactive drama – including one

of the UK’s first web dramas, magic-tree – as early as 2001. The implications of this latest genre of entertainment are potentially limitless once audiences, technologies and investors begin to recognize what a flexible and powerful format it is.

Mayfest once again showed itself not just a truly impressive labour of love, curated with care, uncanny imagination and a bold and admirable freeness of spirit, but also a true Bristol institution that we hope will continue to inform and entertain this city for many years to come.

-– -– -– -– -– mayfestbristol.co.uk (http://mayfestbristol.co.uk) Words: Adam Corner + Alfie Allen Photo: Paul Blakemore

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6/21/13

Is this a hole new craze? Guerrilla artists 'yarn bomb' railway bridge with 12ft-high DOILY | Mail Online

Is this a hole new craze? 12ft­high DOILY appears under railway bridge

By Simon Tomlinson PUBLISHED: 16:26, 14 June 2013 | UPDATED: 17:19, 14 June 2013

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It was the enigmatic Banksy who brought guerrilla art to the world's attention with his iconic style of political graffiti.

Now a group of so­called 'yarn bombers' have come up with their own genre that would make the Women's Institute proud.

For they are suspected of being behind a 12ft­high doily that mysteriously appeared under a railway bridge in Bristol this morning, much to the bemusement of passersby.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341725/Is-hole-new-craze-Guerrilla-artists-yarn-bomb-railway-bridge-12ft-high-DOILY.html

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Is this a hole new craze? Guerrilla artists 'yarn bomb' railway bridge with 12ft-high DOILY | Mail Online

Vandalism at its wooliest: This 12ft­high doily has mysteriously appeared under a bridge in Bristol

'They are proper crochet stitches': The doily is believed to be the work of yarn bombers or guerrilla knitters ­ street artists who make decorations by knitting or crocheting wool

Eye­catching: The doily was noticed by motorist Gail Boyle who was very impressed by the skill involved www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341725/Is-hole-new-craze-Guerrilla-artists-yarn-bomb-railway-bridge-12ft-high-DOILY.html

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Is this a hole new craze? Guerrilla artists 'yarn bomb' railway bridge with 12ft-high DOILY | Mail Online

The huge doily was spotted by Gail Boyle as she drove into work.

'I've no idea who is responsible, it might be "yarn bombing", but I crochet and I know that they are proper crochet stitches,' she said.

'It's a massive piece of crochet and the nylon cord must be up to an inch thick.'

It is believed to be the work of yarn bombers or guerrilla knitters ­ street artists who make decorations by knitting or crocheting wool or turning yarn into pom­poms.

Last year, guerrilla knitters in Bristol made a huge cloak for a Queen Victoria statue in College Green.

'This latest piece of guerrilla crochet is beautiful ­ it shines like a little white beacon,' added Gail.

It is believed 'yarnbombing' originated in Texas, America, with knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished projects, but it has since spread worldwide.

Work of art: The doily has been made from what appears to be nylon cord crocheted into an inticate pattern

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Is this a hole new craze? Guerrilla artists 'yarn bomb' railway bridge with 12ft-high DOILY | Mail Online

Growing trend: 'Yarn bombing' is believed to have originated in Texas, with knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished projects, but it has since spread worldwide

While the installations may last for years, they are considered non­permanent, and, unlike graffiti, can be easily removed if necessary.

The craze is becoming so popular it has a fan page on Facebook, where guerilla knitters share their creations by posting pictures online.

A doily is an ornamental mat, originally named after the fabric made by the 17th­century London draper Doiley.

They are crocheted and sometimes knitted out of cotton or linen in such a way to allow the surface of the underlying object to show through.

As well as their aesthetic qualities, they have a practical function of protecting furniture from scratches from crockery or ornaments.

By the 20th century, many patterns were being published by thread manufacturers, including oval or circular designs working from the centre out.

In recent years, doilies have been made out of disposable paper.

by Taboola

FROM THE WEB

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Mayfest, May 16 to 26 | Ephemeral Digest

Ephemeral Digest Fleeting thoughts from Bristol on films, books and other social things

Mayfest, May 16 to 26 Posted on May 16, 2013 | Leave a comment

Here’s one of my favourite things to do with Mayfest shows: pretend that they apply to people from various parts of Bristol. For example, while walking down East Street the other week I wondered how the people walking through there would react to Hook, Skip, Repeat: being invited to use brightly coloured rope and a giant crochet needle, to help weave eye-catching spider’s web-like creations. It’s free.

How about Turning the Page, to who would this be most suited?

Imagine if your well­thumbed, outdated guidebook could talk. Think of the stories it would tell about the places it’s been, the characters encountered and narrow escapes along the way.

Through this intimate installation you are invited to investigate a series of clues hidden within a guidebook that magically come to life as you turn the pages.

How do books act as repositories of treasures and triggers of memories? When we read a book, do we leave something of ourselves in and on its pages?

I imagine that it would be magical for everyone although I may be a little biased as it is taking place in the library.

There’s something about some art installations or plays that make me think that it’s all designed for white middle-class audiences and then I read their program and realise that I am more than white and middle class.

Without trying to sound pompous (and failing), the human experience beyond labels is what the artists find as well and it was Brand New Ancients I thought of I as walked passed betting shops The gods are in the betting shops, the gods are in the café, The gods can’t afford the deposit on their flat …

Winged sandals tearing up the pavement, Me, you, everyone, Brand New Ancients.

(Kate Tempest Friday 17 – Saturday 18)

www.ephemeraldigest.co.uk/2013/05/mayfest-may-16-to-26/

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Mayfest, May 16 to 26 | Ephemeral Digest

There’s also one where you are advised to only sign up if you are not afraid of heights and don’t have a heart condition. Goodness.

Mayfest runs from May 16 to 26 and there are many things to do – see Programme.

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Adventurous Theatre for Playful People: May Fest 13 | Epigram - Bristol University's Independent Student Newspaper

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@EpigramPaper http://t.co/xReh6MzlmU http://t.co/ybwjmk1Vkm about 23 hours ago

RT @ZakiDogliani: Delighted to accept 'Best News Feature' at @ubunews' Society & Media Awards for @EpigramPaper's UBU elections podcast wit… about 6 days ago

Mayfest Bristol, says Lyn Gardner of The Guardian ‘demonstrates the city’s vibrancy, and its willingness to experiment and play’. This sentence fills me with a strange sense of pride. I say strange because I have only lived in Bristol for three years, and in that time I have to admit that the majority of my ‘playing’ has taken place in sweaty clubs on the triangle, which, while I’m sure Lyn has no objection to Lounge et al, is probably not what she was thinking about when she mentioned Bristol’s playfulness.

1. Popular 2. Commented

Nonetheless, it is nice to feel that, even if only by virtue of living here, I am part of a city which seems to be

Popular widely regarded as fun.

1. Hear’Say – Where Are They It is unsurprising really that Gardner chose Mayfest as the prime example of Bristol’s communal ‘fun-ness’. Of course, Bristol plays host to a huge range of festivals – In Between Time, Love Saves The Day and Upfest to name

Now? 2. Joyce Vincent: the woman who wasn’t there

but a few (in fact, a few years ago there was a twitter campaign for a ‘festival’ called Brisfest: a weekend when Bristol would NOT play host to any festivals), but Mayfest is, perhaps, the one which most fully envelops the

3. Pitch Perfect- review 4. YouTube sensation quits

entire city.

Bristol uni

It is a contemporary theatre festival that goes out of its way not exclude those outside of the theatrical

5. Every dogger has its day: Is crossing the Downs at

community. The festival takes place in locations in literally every corner of the city, from a gym in Hartcliffe, to Bristol Old Vic, to The Tobacco Factory, to a garden shed in Redland. Their marketing campaign involves sending individual emails to over four hundred organisations in the Bristol area, from schools to sports clubs,

night really that dodgy?

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alerting them to shows from the years programme which may be of particular interest to them. Everything about this festival is designed to involve as wide a range of the Bristol public as possible. In fact, we may even be

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unwittingly involved as one of this year’s pieces hilariously involves knitting giant doilies in public spaces such as Cabot Circus. Pretty hard not to notice. Every time you walk past one you can glow with pride at being part of

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a city that is willing to ‘experiment’. It’s a beautiful thing.

The programme itself is equally fun. Mayfest’s tagline is ‘adventurous theatre for playful people’. Artistic directors Matthew Austin and Kate Yedigaroff have committed themselves to programming theatre which plays with form in some way. What this does not mean is performances which even drama students would struggle to describe as unpretentious, or ‘experimental’ live art in which naked actors draw penises on each other in their own blood while chanting unintelligibly.

What it does mean is a delicate combination of feel good and thought provoking theatre, involving awesome live music, breath taking circus acts, a healthy dose of poetry and a cat. Highlights of this year’s programme include:

UBU elections: Inside the candidates’ bedrooms – Sport & Health and President 6 people recommend this.

Review of Honeymoon Suite 25 people recommend this.

Tiger temple in Thailand: How we’re funding abuse 178 people recommend this.

Total Football, from Riculusmus, a hugely respected comedy duo who are literally doctors of comedy (no really, they have PhDs); Herald Award Winning Beowulf , from American Company Banana Bag and Bodice, a maverick

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take on the Beowulf legend, involving a lot of punk rock; and Trash Cuisine, from Belarus Free Theatre, possibly the most inspiring theatre company in the world right now, a number of whom have been exiled from Belarus for making theatre which speaks out against the country’s dictatorial regime. Kevin Spacey is a big fan.

Even if you can’t afford to go to any of the shows (and lets face it, a lot of us can barely afford free range eggs),

Epigram 1. Live: Toro Y Moi at Thekla 2. Preview: Interpretations on FC Judd album launch

th

Mayfest still want to wrap you in their loving, playful, arms. On the 16

of May, they will be celebrating their

tenth birthday at Bristol Old Vic with a free party involving, among other things, an interpretive dance competition. You could also drop in to their bar ‘The Blind Tiger’, in the Old Vic Basement, where you can go to

3. The Forest and The Field at the Bristol Arnolfini 4. Small Natures & Meaner Minds – Flâneurs at The

www.epigram.org.uk/2013/05/adventurous-theatre-for-playful-people-may-fest-13/

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Adventurous Theatre for Playful People: May Fest 13 | Epigram - Bristol University's Independent Student Newspaper

drink, dance, and rub shoulders with the Mayfest artists. Or there is the Mayfest Café, at The Parlour on Park Street, which, if you are wont to study in coffee shops, is definitely both cheaper than Boston Tea Party/ Starbucks, and more filled with creative energy. Even failing all that, there is just no escaping those giant doilies.

Tobacco Factory 5. UKIP: The UK’s acceptable face of Racism?

Like it or not, you are living in a ‘vibrant’ city that likes to ‘experiment and play’. Embrace it.

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The Forest and The Field at the Bristol Arnolfini | Epigram - Bristol University's Independent Student Newspaper

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Author: Lucian Waugh June 2nd, 2013

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@EpigramPaper http://t.co/xReh6MzlmU http://t.co/ybwjmk1Vkm about 23 hours ago

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When you walk through the gates of hell, the final words of warning you will read counsel the abandonment of hope. Nothing so dramatic graces the exterior of theatres. Nonetheless, a play may occasion “advisory information”, prominently displayed beforehand, to extenuate objection from sensitive audiences.

Popular 1. Hear’Say – Where Are They Now? 2. Joyce Vincent: the woman who wasn’t there 3. Pitch Perfect- review 4. YouTube sensation quits

Chris Goode’s The Forest and The Field necessitates explicit deference to four very different sensibilities. Our attendance is dissuaded – or perhaps encouraged – by the knowledge that we are to bear witness to flashing lights, strong language, nudity, and a live cat.

Bristol uni 5. Every dogger has its day: Is crossing the Downs at night really that dodgy?

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With the exception of the cat, this is probably as comprehensive an overview of the three apparent evils of the modern theatrical experience we should ever likely require. Would that these were but a fraction of such

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warnings. The possibility of compulsory, individual audience participation is far more fearful than small words beginning with C and F. The previous night I attended another Mayfest show that gently but determinedly

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dragged a clearly reluctant woman on stage to participate in an apple-eating contest. Two nights before that, I muttered prayers to avoid selection for throwing a tomato at the performer.

Immersive theatre, of which The Forest and The Field is characterised in its promotional blurb, had me preseething at some Ontoerend Goed-esque violation. In the history of the theatre, most of the power has resided with the audience. Perhaps we cannot begrudge certain amongst the theatrical community for seeking to reverse that. Yet in the long run, audiences will only turn out if they want to, and for all that most recognise the need for needling, we audience do also want to be entertained. Like salt, a dash of provocation improves a meal,

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but too much and it becomes impossible to swallow anything.

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Epigram Goode, humanely, opened with a declaration of what he humbly asked of his audience: our attention for some of the evening. And he was as good as his word. Thematically, his project is anything but safe, and part of how I know that is that I felt enveloped in a haze of soft, accommodating gentleness. When my mind is relaxed, I

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concentrate and am far more amenable to challenge my preconceptions. Rereading their promotional prose the clues are all there. The vocabulary favours reflection and questioning, rather than, say, didacticism and

3. The Forest and The Field at the Bristol Arnolfini

revolutionising. The femininity of this language is conveyed by Goode himself, an entirely benign presence 4. Small Natures & Meaner whose considerable heft is more likely to cloak you in a hug rather than deliver you a jaw-shattering sucker

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Which made mock of the advisory age rating of eighteen years. Profanity and nakedness were not used aggressively or shockingly. There is nothing scary about the entire performance, save, significantly perhaps, from the philosophical questions Goode rhetorically poses. That the sound of words known to us from school-age should be deemed a risk, or the sight of flesh which we all encounter, or should hope to encounter, as part of our daily lives, is quite ludicrous.

Nudity in a theatre can deliberately discomfit an audience. The rules on how we are supposed to behave are not at all clear – are we permitted to look, to stare, to desire, may we laugh, what should we be seen to do? This tension is often used in a counter-intuitive way. The seeming vulnerability of an actor appearing naked can suddenly transform into the uneasiness of everyone except the actor. Carefully managing this can become an instrument of directorial power. In The Forest and The Field, the nudity coincided with Goode asking us questions about how we as an audience felt, tacitly permitting any response as valid provided it was truthful.

There was nothing aggressive about this, the social risk dispersed into insignificance, and certainly there was nothing I felt I needed to be protected from, or that would justify the exclusion of those younger than me.

Earlier in the week, some Mayfest shows had genuinely upset me. Not by recourse to shock-tactics (although some were guilty of this), but for their implied conception of humanity. Some truths adults are better equipped to handle than children, yet we only demand forewarning if such truths are delivered with profanity, violence, or sex. A detailed description of an actual act of violence is potentially far more distressing than a simulated act of violence. And whilst the festival concurrently ran to news headlines far more horrifying than fiction, I wonder whether it is absurd to advise an audience about swear words, yet not disclose that a particular play may leave them demoralised or aesthetically violated.

Chris Goode successfully puts on a play about theatre that, miraculously, is neither self-indulgent nor exclusive.

One reading of it is that this, by rights, ought to be the last play you ever see, or the play to end all plays. If you can distil the reason for going to theatre down to an essential, then why continue to go if that same essential can be achieved elsewhere? For once, such speculations seem unforced and actually interesting.

Compared to a whole life, theatre is strictly time-limited. If we pass through the gates of a theatrical hell, the very worst that is likely asked of us is an interval of three hours before we ascend back to the purgatory of everyday life – or perhaps better: the socioeconomic background of the average British theatregoer is as close to inhabiting one of the nine celestial spheres as one could hope in this life. Goode’s questions were ineffably welljudged, timely, and the hour spent in his company was thrilling. It seems a shame they don’t stick warnings like that above the door.

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Review: Ridiculusmus present Total Football, Bristol Old Vic Studio, Gerry Parker - 7/10 | Bristol Post PLACE AN ADVERT

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Review: Ridiculusmus present Total Football, Bristol Old Vic Studio, Gerry Parker - 7/10

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FOLLOW

WRITTEN and Performed by David Woods and Jon Haynes for London’s Barbican, where it premiered in 2011, this show sets out, through the country’s national obsession with football, to examine the age old questions of mortality and happiness, plus a great many other important life-changing issues.

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By rights, following the football motif, the show should have had two 45 minute halves, with a fifteen minute break in he middle, but instead this highly talented duo opted to explore all their themes in one hour, ten minutes without a half-time interval.

The principal target was the bureaucratic busybodies who mishandled the selection and management of the Great Britain football side which, compared to other sports, failed so miserably at the London Olympics.

Using an overlapping throwaway style of delivery, the duo raised plenty of satirical laughs and in the collapsing building, cribbed from Buster Keaton’s famous silent film routine that left him safe in the middle of a disaster area thanks to an open window, one wonderful piece of visual humour.

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Review: Ridiculusmus present Total Football, Bristol Old Vic Studio, Gerry Parker - 7/10 | Bristol Post

The style of presentation meant that often we had a lengthy wait between bursts of humour and with so many other themes to examine, it also led at times to an unclear verbal picture.

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At the final whistle it was 8 as performers for Woods and Haynes, 6 for the writing and creation.

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

MAYFEST, Bristol's annual programme of unique contemporary theatre, returns tomorrow with more playful and ambitious work to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

From a virtual trapeze ride and a large-scale immersive gig in a nightclub, to a rock version of a classical myth in a converted church and giant multi-coloured doilies in public spaces around the city, Mayfest 2013 celebrates theatre from across the globe that is political, funny, moving, provocative and exciting.

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Top, Mayfest producers Matthew Austin and Kate Yedigaroff ; left, Clod Ensemble on stage; and below left, Electric Hotel

••• Mayfest was launched in 2003 at Bristol Old Vic as a programme of experimental theatre in the Studio and featured a range of local and national artists. There was one show a day and it was a relatively modest affair.

Mayfest producers Matthew Austin and Kate Yedigaroff worked on the festival in those early days,

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/fest/story-18989252-detail/story.html#axzz2TRVb6cxt[16/05/2013 09:34:35]

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May the fest be with you | This is Bristol

but it wasn't until Bristol Old Vic closed in 2007 that they took the festival on as independent producers, with ongoing Bristol Old Vic support, and turned it into a cross-city festival.

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Matthew says: "We delivered that first independent festival in 2008 from a tiny study in a shared house. We'd never done anything like it before and it was, quite frankly, terrifying.

"Since then, the festival has grown exponentially. We now present international work, much more outdoor/site-specific work, more high profile companies. It feels like the festival has become an essential part of the UK's annual festival circuit."

The festival has hosted shows of all shapes and sizes, from intimate productions above a pub to 100 naked female volunteer dancers gathering on the Bristol Old Vic stage.

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In 2010, the festival seemed to step up a gear with an impressive line-up including the remarkable Electric Hotel.

A wonderfully ambitious and high profile outdoor show, Electric Hotel saw a uniquely designed, four-storey, fly-by-night hotel appear on Bristol Harbourside.

Built using six colossal shipping containers, the hotel was brought to vivid life through dance and a live soundscape.

"Electric Hotel was a huge risk for us financially and in terms of audiences," says Matthew, "but plonking a massive hotel on the Harbourside cemented the festival's reputation within the city as something where the unexpected can happen!"

This year's festival is by far the biggest to date with local, national and international works staged at Bristol Old Vic, Arnolfini, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Circomedia, Wardrobe, Cube and other sites and venues across the city.

This year's highlights include the smash New York hit Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage, an exhilarating song play based on the 9th century epic.

Beowulf will be staged at the Trinity Centre in Bristol's Old Market area, and will be backed by an explosive, blaring seven-piece band. Battles will emerge in the aisles and on top of tables, plunging the audience into the middle of the experience while enjoying a beer from the bar.

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Back at Bristol Old Vic, Clod Ensemble, who were part of the very first festival in 2003, bring their new large-scale dance piece Zero to the Old Vic Theatre.

Featuring a cast of 20 and a live band, Zero is the latest work from the acclaimed company and comes to Mayfest following dates at Brighton Festival and Sadler's Wells.

Also in the Theatre is one of the hits of 2012, Kate Tempest's award-winning spoken word show Brand New Ancients, which recently enjoyed a sold-out run at BAC in London.

In the Studio, Kieran Hurley returns to Mayfest with BEATS, his compelling dissection of 1990s rave culture, followed by another Mayfest veteran company Ridiculusmus, who try to solve the big questions in life – immortality, happiness and why England always lose.

There are numerous shows on at the Tobacco Factory, the highlights being renowned New York composer and choreographer John Moran's powerful Goodbye Thailand (Portrait of Eye) and an inventive and heartbreaking drama, Trash Cusine.

Also, to mark the tenth anniversary of the festival, ten Bristol-based artists have also been commissioned to make a new piece of work.

The festival kicks off with the now legendary opening party on Thursday, May 16 and throughout the festival The Blind Tiger, Mayfest's late night bar, will be open for music, cabaret and all manner of surprises.

Talking about the programme, Matthew says: "We want to bring the very best theatre we've seen throughout the year to the city. We present lots of shows which have been in Edinburgh or

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/fest/story-18989252-detail/story.html#axzz2TRVb6cxt[16/05/2013 09:34:35]

May the fest be with you | This is Bristol

touring, but which we want to bring to Bristol because we know our audience will love them.

"For us, it's about prodding people into trying something new, stepping outside of their comfort zone. That's what makes us feel excited.

"Our audience is mostly local and over the past years has moved from being a relatively small group of dedicated theatre-goers who work in the industry, to being a very broad cross-section of people from all walks of life."

Mayfest is produced in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic. The theatre's artistic director, Tom Morris, says: "In 10 years, Mayfest has grown from an experimental season at Bristol Old Vic, to a city-wide festival which is emblematic of the spirit of creative adventure which characterises the city.

"Kate and Matthew have developed a distinctive, mind-stretching aesthetic which constantly challenges and delights their rapidly growing audience – which now extends far beyond Bristol and the region – and have become cultural connoisseurs of national significance.

"I personally look forward impatiently to the mouth-watering 2013 festival and the extraordinary places where it might lead us over the next 10 or 20 years."

Mayfest, May Thursday, May 16 to Sunday, May 26, various Bristol venues. Visit mayfestbristol.co.uk.

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2 May 2013 17: 42

How Gruff Rhys' new album is taking centre stage for National Theatre Wales

He’s famous for fronting one of Welsh music’s seminal bands, but now Gruff Rhys is at the heart of a new theatre production. Karen Price chats to some of his latest collaborators

Gruff Rhys and Boom Bip

With their debut release nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, Gruff Rhys’ side project Neon Neon no doubt had more concern than most about recording the so-called “difficult” second album.

But not only have they come up with another unique concept, they’re turning its launch into a theatrical event.

Rhys and music producer Boom Bip have teamed up with National Theatre Wales, writer Tim Price and director Wils Wilson for the immersive live performance Praxis Makes Perfect.

Like the album of the same name, which was released on April 29, it’s based on the life of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, the millionaire Italian communist and publisher at the heart of some of the most extraordinary events of the 20th century.

NTW artistic director, John McGrath, says Super Furry Animals frontman Rhys has been on his wish list of people to collaborate with from day one.

“I think he’s such an important artist in Wales – not only as a musician but in the widest sense,” says McGrath. “He’s a real voice of his generation. Whoever you talk to – writers, directors, actors – they all talk about being influenced by Gruff and his work.

“Our job at National Theatre Wales is to work with the best artists in Wales and help them realise their vision for what theatre might be.

“When Gruff talked about having an album he wanted to theatricalise, we immediately said ‘yes’ and started working with him on what it would mean.”

Like their first album Stainless Style, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008 and was based on the tumultuous life of DeLorean Motor Company founder John DeLorean, Praxis Makes Perfect is a concept album.

It focuses on Feltrinelli who was born into one of Italy’s wealthiest families and was a life-long left-wing political activist and founder of the publishing house Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore. He discovered and published some of the greatest literary works of the last century, including The Leopard and Doctor Zhivago, the latter following lengthy battles with Soviet censors. He died in suspicious circumstances in 1972.

Aberdare-born playwright and TV scriptwriter Price was working with McGrath on Edinburgh Festival-bound drama The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning last year when he learned about the company’s future collaboration with Neon Neon – and jumped at the chance to be involved.

“I was talking to John about what National Theatre Wales had lined up and he mentioned that he had been talking to Gruff Rhys about future projects and was looking to collaborate with him. I leapt on that really and said if he needed a writer, not to go to anyone else!

“Gruff then came to watch the Bradley Manning play and loved it so we met up and started talking about Praxis.”

Praxis Makes Perfect brings together the experiences of a live gig and site-specific theatre.

Neon Neon and their band take to the stage with a cast of professional actors at every performance, which includes some unexpected interactions with the audience.

It’s currently being staged at a ‘secret location’ in Cardiff – revealed to those who buy tickets – before it heads to Mayfest in Bristol; the Village Underground in London and the Latitude Festival.

Price says it has been a very different experience for him. Rather than writing a script, he’s been working with Neon Neon and Wilson on developing and shaping the ideas.

Most of the story came together during the rehearsal process.

“It’s been a very collaborative project which has been great as I’ve learnt a lot,” says Price, whose partner, writer Chloe Moss, gave birth to their first child, Franklin, 13 weeks ago.

“I’ve not been in control of the story and have had to work at a much faster pace.

“It’s an entirely different experience for me but one I’ve really loved – it’s opened up my

eyes to the benefits of creating collaboratively.”

The 33-year-old says Rhys is “generous” to work with.

“He’s a genius and it’s a pleasure to hang out with him. He has some great ideas and he thinks really visually. He’s also incredibly generous and is really comfortable letting people make decisions. He really trusts people.”

Price says audiences should “expect the unexpected”.

“It’s completely like no other show. You get to listen to Neon Neon’s new album alongside a fantastic cast telling an immersive story and interaction with the audience.”

McGrath, who recently directed NTW’s first international production in Tokyo, is just as impressed with what has been emerging from the rehearsal room.

“To see the energy of a gig but with theatre bursting out an extraordinary story really is one of the most exciting things I’ve seen,” he says.

Praxis Makes Perfect is in Cardiff until Sunday, May 5. For tickets, call 029 2063 6464 or visit nationaltheatrewales.org A review of the performance will appear in Saturday's Western Mail

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Mayfest 2013 | Inter:Mission

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Mayfest 2013 03/05/2013 | Filed under: | Posted by: Kate Samuelson Back to Calendar

WHEN:

16/05/2013 @ 10:00 – 26/05/2013 @ 17:00

WHERE: Various venues around Bristol

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From a virtual trapeze ride and a large-scale immersive gig in a nightclub, to a rock version of a classical myth in a converted church and giant multicoloured doilies in public spaces around the the city, Mayfest 2013 celebrates theatre from across the globe that is political, funny, moving, provocative and exciting. It shines the spotlight on artists who are doing things a little less ordinary. Alongside a full programme hosted in Bristol’s best-loved theatre venues, this tenth anniversary programme also bursts out into more places, buildings and sites than ever before, not least with a series of ten new bespoke commissions from a selection of Bristol’s most exciting artists. And that’s only a taster.

The programme features performances by Kate Tempest (recent winner of the Ted Hughes Poetry Award), New York’s Banana Bag and Bodice, National Theatre Wales/Neon Neon, Belarus Free Theatre, Clod Ensemble, Ontroerend Goed, Ockham’s Razor, Ridiculusmus, Kieran Hurley, Paper Cinema and many more.

For more info see: www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

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Review: Mayfest: Trash Cuisine | Inter:Mission

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Review: Mayfest: Trash Cuisine 26/05/2013 | Filed under: Latest Reviews,Reviews,Theatre | Posted by: Jessica McKay

The Tobacco Factory played host to Trash Cuisine by Belarus Free Theatre as part of Mayfest. While artistic people gathered around psychedelic graffiti downstairs as part of Upfest, we were ushered into a theatre with only a white floor and a white wall and a flyer that informed us there would be, ‘scenes of a distressing nature’.

Trash Cuisine is a devised performance that incorporates dark and physically exhausting movement, clever varieties of media and, its stand-out feature, food to tell the stories of people who have been involved with Capital Punishment. All the stories are true, which we are reminded of at the end, and the variety is chilling, as we hear stories from all corners of the globe.

A compere-style opening which was personalised to Bristol cleverly set up the audience to feel comfortable and relaxed, something that was soon to change. This calm and comedic sequence is a perfect example of their ability to contrast emotion, with the varying levels of intensity perfectly spaced out. The audience is moved from calm monologues to intense, ear-popping screaming and drumming effortlessly and find their own beliefs on justice questioned from every possible angle. We are even provided with a moment of Shakespeare as well as a comedian-style impressionist who comically mimics the sounds of the different ways in which the death penalty is carried out, a funnier moment until uncomfortable realisation sets in.

A commendable aspect was the company’s ability to visualise the verbatim words intelligently and with a chilling strength, almost reminiscent of performances by physical theatre company, DV8. A voice over of a lawyer in the US talking about a man’s last moments highlighted perfectly the message of our own apathy, while the actors on stage were set up as a little bistro, taking it in turns to mouth the horrific words of the lawyer whilst acting a different scene, a recognisable and fanciful scene of an evening meal out. The message was never lost, and the length of the scene forced a thought-process without any sense of preaching.

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Review: Mayfest: Trash Cuisine | Inter:Mission

Although the subject matter is not new, the interpretation was brutal and at times, distressing. Moments of physical abuse were never shied away from, including actually water boarding a member of the cast on stage (where water is poured over a clothed face as a form of torture) while subtitles of unbelievable statistics were projected onto the screen, including government recommended thickness of cloth (a thread-count of 375, apparently).

We were also presented with a woman suspended on stools at her head and feet being forced to ‘plank’ for an inconceivably long period of time, a relatable experience. These moments of physicality, whether symbolic or representational, arguably caused a stronger reaction than the full frontal nudity, which felt a touch gratuitous.

The gut-wrenching style of Trash Cuisine forces a new thought-process of a well-versed subject matter. In searching for the symbolism that the company has built upon the facts, an audience is pushed into a proactive state of thought. This forced engagement is pushed to the forefront in the final scene where the cast ingeniously cause the audience to cry through repetitively chopping up onions, cleverly leaving a lingering sting long after the show had finished.

ôôôôô Jenny Burton, Theatre Editor.

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Review: Mayfest: BEATS | Inter:Mission

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Review: Mayfest: BEATS 20/05/2013 | Filed under: Latest Reviews,Reviews,Theatre | Posted by: Jessica McKay

As part of this year’s Mayfest Festival, BEATS transforms Bristol Old Vic’s underground Studio Theatre into a 90s rave. Upon entering the dark room, the audience are greeted by an energetic electronic set from DJ Hushpuppy accompanied by some evocative strobe lighting from Jonny Whoop. This lively pre-set is soon taken down a notch when Kieran Hurley places himself at his desk, with just a microphone and white pill, and promises to tell a story, none of which is real.

His engaging monologue is the coming of age story of Scottish teenager Johnno McCreadie’s on the night he first drops Ecstasy at his first rave. He enters the party scene as everyone is telling him the rave culture is dying and the government’s 1994 Criminal Justice Act are trying to ban “public gatherings around amplified music characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”.

The show resists the pitfalls of clichéd ‘nobody understands me’ rebellions by taking on a range of voices on that same night. Johnno is juxtaposed with his well meaning but overwhelmed mother who sits waiting for his return to the sound of a ticking clock. Meanwhile his journey to the rave is paralleled with that of the policeman sent to break it up, the middle-aged, despondent Robert, who is haunted by the voice of his dead father and doubts about his life which are ultimately similar to Johnno’s own fears.

This story is simple yet engaging with amusing observations and provoking questions; Hurley is believable in his various roles and maintains an impressive energy despite his static positioning. But the play’s real strength comes from the men in the shadows – the live DJ in the corner gives the piece its energy and its connection to rave culture, succeeding in taking you to that field with Johnno, as much as it can when you are sitting soberly in a padded theatre seat. This is perfectly supported by VJ Jamie Wardropp, who mixes live video on the screen, featuring an eclectic mix of Zelda characters, psychedelic patterns and authentic police footage, adding a unique and deliberately ambiguous visual element to the story.

ôôôôô Kirsty Morrissey

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Giant crochet doily appears under railway bridge | West Country (E) - ITV News

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Giant crochet doily appears under railway bridge Last updated Fri 14 Jun 2013 UK Recommend

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The giant doily appeared overnight Credit: ITV News West Country A giant doily has appeared under a bridge in Bristol.

The crocheted spider web is 12ft in diameter and, though no-one has claimed responsibility, could be the work of guerrilla knitters. Yarn bombing or guerrilla knitting is a type of street art that involves attaching knitted items to everyday objects such lampposts and road signs.

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So you th ink you can MAYF ES T?| kaleid oscope eyes

— kaleidoscope eyes We love creative collaborations, grass-roots theatre and home-spun arts, eco-projects, community engagement and the creative process. If you have something you want to see on Kalediscope Eyes get in touch with Bristol-based writer Amelia.

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In the early opening-party moments as the free wine flowed the tension was high. People tried to keep their desire to be noticed delicately under-wraps. The crowd quickly grew, spilled onto the street outside the Bristol Old Vic and embraced the ironic disco-theme. This year is the 10th anniversary of Mayfest and this figure was no doubt the inspiration for the decor – a pastiche of every kids party you have ever been to, complete with multi-coloured balloons, space-hoppers, party poppers and flashing lights. My 10 year-old-self looked upon it with horror but I took her by the hand, trod down that anxiety-ridden spirit and went with the flow of the evening as it unfolded into a legacy.

Recent Posts The Revolution Has Been Theatricalized Beowulf re-tuned @ Mayfest Bristol ‘Wild Thing I Love You’ by Ella Good and Nicki Kent Interview with visual artist Becca Rose So you think you can MAYFEST?

The crowd was hushed; the formality of speeches and thank you’s from the Mayfest team began. Within the introduction quotes were playfully reiterated to remind everyone of what Mayfest is, has been and will continue to be this year. Balloons were burst at the back by the naughty kids like an invisible fireworks display. I’m sure it was an unconscious protest to say yes, we know we’re going to love every minute of it, now let’s get on with this dance-off. Before we get onto this, however, I, like the Mayfest team, would like to take a moment to reflect. Whilst comments were made in mild jest the gist of them rang true – that in the world of theatre Mayfest is a weather vein of taste; is to theatre what Granta is to prose; is a theatre festival held by not by one venue but all of Bristol, transforming it into a playful stage. It is filled with fresh and challenging work and showcases artists with bold visions. As a finale to these proclamations and to complete this birthday-party image, a line of cakes spelling out ‘Mayfest’ were brought out, sparkling with enormous fizzling candles.

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Before I knew it my name was on the sign-up sheet for the evening’s event ‘So You Think You Can Interpretive Dance?’, hosted by The Suitcase Royale. Luckily I had done a few warm-up lunges before going out and was going for gold. I looked at the modest dance floor of the Blind Tiger bar and scoffed. I could take that on, no problem. As it emerged that this event would take place in the Old Vic’s basement theatre, on an actual stage, my competitive edge over rode the feeling of terror. I discussed a strategy with my chosen team-mates and hustled my way to a seat. Three judges sat to one side, numbers 1-10 hung on the stage and our host paced back and forth narrowly missing tripping over the microphone wire with every lap. Reader, it will come as no surprise that I did not win. Such majestic, dangerous and interpretive dance moves were thrown across the dance floor, song by song, by trained performers and I did not stand a chance. The audience was wild for every competitor, heckling, jeering and cheering at each spontaneous swirl, crotch thrust and leap. They made such a kerfuffle that at times I didn’t know who to watch, the audience or the performers. I imagine Mayfest has begun as it means to go on – questioning boundaries between audience/performer, encouraging audience participation and a serious approach to sillyness. Get

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Monday, June 17, 2013 Follow BEMUSED members of the public were in stitches after a rogue knitter made a 12ft doily and hung it under a Bristol railway bridge.

The giant "cobweb" appeared under Stapleton Road railway bridge in Easton on Friday morning.

1. ​ An enormous "cobweb" was seen hanging under Stapleton Road railway bridge Picture: SWNS It is believed to be the work of yarn bombers or guerrilla knitters – street artists who make decorations by knitting or crocheting wool, or turning yarn into pom­ poms.

The huge doily was spotted by Gail Boyle as she drove to work. She said: "I have no idea who is responsible – it might be yarn bombing but I crochet and I know that they are proper crochet stitches."

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What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tips Mayfest comes to Bristol with bare-knuckle Beowulf, Live Theatre in Newcastle takes a unique walk backstage and the Norfolk and Norwich festival kicks off in spectacular style

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Article history Ring cycle ‌ Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage at the Mayfest in Bristol

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Shows in Edinburgh this week include Angela Clerkin and Lee Simpson's film noirish tale of crime and anger, The Bear, at the Traverse, and Davey Anderson's version of the contemporary Chinese drama, Thieves and the Boy, at Bedlam. The latter is also at the Regal in Bathgate on Sunday. The wonderful Imaginate festival for children continues at the Traverse and venues all over the city.

In Glasgow, this weekend is your last chance for Headlong's superb revival of The Seagull at the Citizens. Hairspray will be fun at the King's.

Rob Drummond is on a real roll following Quiz Show, so The Riot of Spring at Tramway tonight and tomorrow should be something special. #ToryCore at the Glad Cafe, Shawlands considers what George Osborne's 2012 budget speech would sound like if performed by a death metal band. The Tron's Mayfesto season of political theatre continues with Vanishing Point's As It Is, a story of war and lies.

David Harrower's adaption of the lyrical Calum's Road goes back on tour from next Friday, starting at the Gaiety in Ayr. Jenna Watt's examination of violence and intervention, Fl창neurs, is at Woodend Barn in Banchory on Wednesday before it heads south. Info here.

Kabosh's Inventors is a site-specific show in Belfast's King's Hall, exploring the history of invention in Northern Ireland. The Cathedral Quarter Arts festival continues over the weekend, and the wonderfully subversive Wendy Houston is in town at Mac with 50 Acts, which takes a stand against ageism.

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North The backstage world is opened up to audiences in the promenade piece, Live Witness at Live in Newcastle. Love and creativity are dissected in Headlong's startlingly modern The Seagull at Northern Stage, also in Newcastle. Alistair McDowell's tale of physics and addiction is at the Royal Exchange Studio in Manchester. David Toole and Lucy Hinds duet, Extraordinary, is at Contact tomorrow only. Also this weekend at the Lowry there's a chance to catch Philip Pullman's I Was a Rat!.

Amanda Whittington's racy comedy, Ladies Day, is at Oldham Coliseum from tonight. You have only tonight and tomorrow for the excellent Around the World in Eight Days at the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

From Tuesday, Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills is at Liverpool Playhouse; and from Wednesday, the north is reimagined in A Wondrous Place, four new plays from rising stars, at theUnity.

Alan Bennett's The History Boys is revived at Sheffield Crucible from Thursday. The one-man show about conditions in Chinese factories where Apple products are made is examined in The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs at Harrogate theatre on Tuesday. The deliciously enjoyable The Full Monty has one week more at the Leeds Grand.

Daredevil circus Pirates of the Carabina are at Hull Truck with Flown, where you can also see the soldier-returns drama Glory Dazed.

Ridiculusmus's Total Football considers why England always lose at the Stephen Joseph in Scarborough.

Central Pippa Nixon is a knee-trembling Rosalind in As You Like It at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon. Vital Exposure's The Knitting Circle is at the Arena

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in Wolverhampton tomorrow. Mike Maran's Platero: Travels with a Donkey stops off next Friday. Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory's enjoyable revival of Two Gentlemen of Verona is at the Everyman in Cheltenham from Tuesday. Dan Canham's dance theatre piece, Ours Was the Fen Country, is at DanceXchange in Birmingham from Thursday. The compassion of Lee Hall shines through in the bad-taste comedy Cooking with Elvis at Derby theatre. The page-to-stage firstworld-war drama, Birdsong, is at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton. The Woman in Black should make you jump out of your skin at Malvern theatre.

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2. What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tips 3. A Doll's House – review 4. Passion Play – review 5. Eddie Izzard – review

East The Norfolk and Norwich festival begins today with a free outdoor spectacular in the Cathedral Close. Highlights this week include Curious Directive's After the Rainfall, Bluemouth's Dance Marathon and 7 Finger's circus show, Sequence 8. There's lots of outdoor work for families, too. Enjoy. It's the final weekend for the High Tide festival in Halesworth in Suffolk. Still time to catch Thomas Eccleshare's Pastoral before it heads to Soho theatre in London. Roger McGough's version of The Misanthrope is at the New Wolsey in Ipswich. Only one week more for Eastern Angles's Peterborough musical, Parkway Dreams, and The Long Life and Great Good Fortune of John Clare. Growing up is hard for The Girls with Iron Claws, the Wrong Crowd's fairytale which is at St George's theatre in Great Yarmouth.

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The rise and fall of Welsh singer Dorothy Squires is considered in Say it with Flowers, at the Sherman in Cardiff. It's on from Wednesday, but this weekend you can see Tim Price's Salt, Root and Roe. The Park and Dare in Treorchy celebrates its centenary with a huge community show, Flights of Fancy, which animates the entire building. Terry Hands directs Rattigan's The Winslow Boy at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, where you can also catch Northern Irish company Happenstance with The Boat Factory, about Belfast's Harland and Wolff shipyard.

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Mayfest begins at the end of the week and there is so much great work that you should make plans to head to Bristol. Next Friday offers some of my favourite shows of last year, including Kieran Hurley's Beats, Kate Tempest's Brand New Ancients, Ockham's Razor's Not Until We Are Lost and Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage at venues across the city. Lots more to come next week.

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The brilliant and slippery Bigmouth, inspired by 2,000 years of oratory, will be at Mayfest later in the month, but catch it this week at TR2 in Plymouth while refurbishment takes place at the Theatre Royal. Families will enjoy I Was a Rat! at the Northcott in Exeter. The final show in the Ustinov's American season in Bath is Michael Weller's Fifty Words which dissects one couple's marriage. Sister theatre, the Egg, plays host to the heartbreaking animated show Something Very Far Away at the end of the week.

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Giffords Circus heads out on a summer tour this week. Cal McCrystal directed Lucky B which is at Kennel Field, Broadway, from next Thursday. Info here. Nordost about the Moscow theatre siege is at the North Wall in Oxford on Tuesday and Wednesday, and is joined by the latest from Idle Motion at the end of the week. This Is All You Need to Know is set at Bletchley Park during the second world war. Hollywood Screams, Michael Roberts's one-man show at Salisbury Playhouse studio is described as a misguided tour through Hollywood's dark secrets. The 39 Steps offers tales of derring-do at the Nuffield in Southampton. Rutherford & Son deserves to be seen at the Yvonne

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Panto Theatre West End What to see this week

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What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tips | Stage | guardian.co.uk

Arnaud in Guildford.

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The Brighton festival and fringe continue. So many enticing shows including the fabulous Knee Deep and Bullet Catch and NoFit State's Bianco. Take a look at the online programmes and take your pick.

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5. Delicate Truth

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starts previewing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, at the end of the week. Other new shows include Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer prize-winning Disgraced about faith, culture and perceptions at the Bush. Southwark Playhouse reopens in a new space on Newington Causeway with Tanzi Libre, an updated version of Claire Luckham's wrestling ring-inspired 1970s love story, Trafford Tanzi. The Park theatre opens in Finsbury Park with These Shining Lives about the 1930s Radium Dial workers.

Vampires and consumerism feature in Cuddles at Oval House. The wild encroaches in Thomas Eccleshare's High Tide hit, Pastoral, which goes to Soho.

Fallen in Love tells the story of Anne Boleyn at the Tower of London where she met her end. Info here. Lindsay Posner directs Relatively Speaking at Wyndhams. Playing with the Grown-ups at Theatre 503 explores the choices facing women. John van Druten's London Wall, a hit for the Finborough, now gets a short run at the St James.

The London Wonderground opens tonight with Limbo, the followup to last year's seductive Cantina. Circus Maximus offers the public the chance to vote for the best new circus acts at Underbelly in Jubilee Gardens. The puppet musical Avenue Q gets an outing at the enterprising Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate. Amy Lamé returns to CPT with her touching show about being a Morrissey fan, Unhappy Birthday. Just time for the extraordinary Orpheus at BAC before Mess moves in, and for the Georgian As You Like It at the Globe.

Enjoy your weekend and do please post your reviews and your own tips about the shows that are worth seeing.

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Mayfest and Bristol Old Vic's Collaboration Mayfest and Bristol Old Vic have announced details of their programme for Mayfest 2013, which marks the tenth anniversary of the festival.

Highlights include the smash New York hit Beowulf – A Thousand Years of Baggage, an exhilarating song play based on the 9th century epic. Beowulf will be staged at the Trinity Centre in Bristol’s Old Market area, the venue where the two organisations collaborated in 2012 on National Theatre of Scotland’s The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. Backed by an explosive, blaring seven-piece band, the show swells into a jubilant celebration of Beowulf.

Battles emerge in the aisles and on top of tables, plunging the audience into the middle of the experience while enjoying a beer from the bar.

Back at Bristol Old Vic, Clod Ensemble, who were part of the very first festival in 2003, bring their new large-scale dance piece Zero to the Theatre. Featuring a cast of twenty and a live band, Zero is the latest work from the acclaimed company and comes to Mayfest following dates at Brighton Festival and Sadler’s Wells.

Also in the Theatre is one of the hits of 2012, Kate Tempest’s award-winning spoken word show Brand New Ancients, which recently enjoyed a sold-out run at BAC in London and comes to Mayfest for two specially-staged performances only. Kate Tempest was recently nominated for the Ted Hughes Poetry Award.

In the Studio, Kieran Hurley returns to Mayfest with BEATS, his compelling dissection of 1990s rave culture. Hurley is followed by another Mayfest veteran company Ridiculusmus, who try to solve the big questions in life – immortality, happiness and why England always lose - with Total Football, described ‘more Beckett than Beckham’. Rounding off the programme in the Studio is the Edinburgh 2012 hit Bigmouth, by Belgian company Skagen, a tour-de-force solo performance about politics, speech-making and rhetoric.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the festival, MAYK has teamed up with Bristol Ferment to commission ten Bristol-based artists to make a new piece of work in response to one of the senses. Running throughout the festival in tandem with the festival programme, SENSE offers ten new perspectives on the way we experience the world around us. The commissioned artists are: Richard Allen, Jo Bannon, Benji Bower, Lucy Cassidy, Laura Dannequin, Sam Halmarack, Kathy Hinde, Sleepdogs, Tom Marshman and Tom Wainright.

The festival kicks off with the now legendary opening party on Thursday 16 May, featuring Australia’s Suitcase Royale with their tongue-in-cheek dance competition So You Think You Can Interpretive Dance. And throughout the festival The Blind Tiger, Mayfest’s late night bar, will be open for music, cabaret and all manner of surprises.

Mayfest’s Artistic Directors Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin said: “Bristol Old Vic is where it all began way back in 2003. Over ten years, the festival has grown into a cross-city, multi-venue festival with international reach. We’re thrilled to be working with Bristol Old Vic once again on our tenth anniversary programme.”

Tom Morris said: “In ten years, Mayfest has grown from an experimental season at Bristol Old Vic, to a city-wide Festival which is emblematic of the spirit of creative adventure which characterises the city.

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Kate and Matthew have developed a distinctive, mind-stretching aesthetic which constantly challenges and delights their rapidly growing audience – which now extends far beyond Bristol and the region – and have become cultural connoisseurs of National significance. Bristol Old Vic is thrilled to be co-producing with Mayfest again this year, and I personally look forward impatiently to the mouth-watering 2013 festival and the extraordinary places where MAYK might lead us over the next 10 or 20 years.”

Mayfest runs from 16-26 May. Alongside Bristol Old Vic, the festival will be staging work at Arnolfini, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Circomedia, Wardrobe, Cube and other sites and venues across the city. The full programme is online at www.mayfestbristol.co.uk For further information, please contact Amanda Adams at Bristol Old Vic on 0117 949 4901 / aadams@bristololdvic.org.uk matthew@mayk.org.uk

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6/24/13

Mayfest celebrates 10th anniversary - What's on - North Somerset Times

[/polopoly_fs/2009_party_1_1879422!image/1811393377.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/1811393377.jpg] Mayfest.

Mayfest celebrates 10th anniversary Bethan Evans, Reporter [Mailto:bethan.Evans@Archant.Co.Uk] Friday, February 8, 2013 12:30 PM Recommend

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Produced by MAYK and in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic and organisations across the city the festival will bring a host of productions from some outstanding artists and theatre makers. [] Comments [#article­comments] Email [#sharinganchor] Print [#none]

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The full Mayfest programme will be announced in March but there are already plans in the pipeline to make this year’s show the best yet.

Haunting shows such as Magna Mysteria, a playful romance entitled Two Women in Western and rock sensations The Furies will be storming the stages of Citywide, The Bristol Old Vic and The Wardrobe Theatre.

The theatre and Mayfest are also joining forces to present a week of performances from up­and­coming companies and artists.

Organisers are also inviting submissions for full­length shows to be presented at The Wardrobe Theatre from May 20­24 as part of the festival.

There is also a chance for artists to propose ideas for a commissioned work to be presented at the 2013 event, which will take place in a non­theatre­based location – indoors or outdoors – in Bristol.

Updates on the line up will be added to its website www.mayfestbristol.co.uk and the festival will run from May 16­26.

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Mayfest in Bristol - What's on - North Somerset Times

[/polopoly_fs/mayfest_flaneurs_1_2194063!image/3384771577.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/3384771577.jpg] Flaneurs will be performed during Mayfest.

Mayfest in Bristol Sarah Robinson [Mailto:sarah.Robinson@Archant.Co.Uk] Wednesday, May 15, 2013 9:14 AM Recommend

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MAYFEST, Bristol’s annual festival of contemporary theatre, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the Tobacco Factory Theatre is hosting an exciting programme across its theatre spaces. [] Comments [#article­comments] Email [#sharinganchor] Print [#none]

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[/polopoly_fs/mayfest_gym_party_1_2194064!image/220068997.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/220068997.jpg] Gym Party is one of the plays performed as part of Mayfest.

Among the productions is Cooking Ghosts, a brand new show from Total Theatre award­winners Beady Eye Theatre.

It tells the moving story of a woman who has no choice but to leave her children, fusing visual storytelling, puppetry, achieve film footage and a specially composed score.

Trash Cuisine is an innovative and moving drama where food becomes a metaphor for life, death, morality and human endurance.

The production uses live music, choreography and stunning visual imagery to explore the issues behind imprisonment and torture.

[/polopoly_fs/mayfest_goodbye_thailand_1_2194065!image/1246777396.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/1246777396.jpg] Goodbye Thailand is performed as part of Mayfest.

Jenna Watt’s Flâneurs is a new piece of theatre that attempts to explore why people choose to intervene or not when someone is attacked.

And John Moran’s play Goodbye Thailand (Portrait Of Eye) presents the story of Eye who struggles to find a safe place for herself in Bangkok.

Moran is know for creating theatre performances fusing precise choreography and sound and on this occasion he is accompanied by live composer and electronic musician Daniel Williams.

www.northsomersettimes.co.uk/what-s-on/mayfest_in_bristol_1_2194066

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6/24/13

Mayfest in Bristol - What's on - North Somerset Times

Made In China present a new production called Gym Party, exploring the psychology of winning and the nature of pride.

The plays run at the Tobacco Factory Theatre, Raleigh Road, between May 16­26.

For more information or to book tickets visit http://www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com/ or call the box office on 01179 020344.

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Poet rapper Kate Tempest to perform at Bristol Old Vic - 23 March 2013 - Guide2Bristol News Email:

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Poet rapper Kate Tempest to perform at Bristol Old Vic

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Poet rapper Kate Tempest to perform at Bristol Old Vic 23 March 2013

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Poet rapper Kate Tempest to perform at Bristol Old Vic Poet and rapper Kate Tempest is to present Brand New Ancients at the Bristol Old Vic on Friday 17 and Saturday 17 May as part of Mayfest 2013 ­ tickets go on sale today (Tuesday 12 March).

Brand New Ancients was commissioned by the Albany with the support of Arts Council England and is co­produced by Kate Tempest and Battersea Arts Centre where it took London by storm last year. Tempest has re­worked the show especially for Mayfest and will perform it in the main auditorium at the Bristol Old Vic.

The show features a live score played by tuba, cello, violin, drums and electronics and is an everyday epic set on the edges of the city, discovering modern day myths as the lives of two families collide, connect and come apart. The audience will find that the gods of today are all around us and that our true heroes are often much closer than we think. A violent conclusion is promised.

The show will be performed at 8PM on Friday 17 May and at 2PM on Saturday 18 May. Tickets are priced at £13 with concessions available.

For further information about Brand New Ancients and other Mayfest shows taking place at the Bristol Old Vic visit www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

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Preview: Mayfest 04/05/2013 |

Filed under: Latest Reviews,Reviews |

Posted by: Jenny Burton

The daffodils are in bloom, the sun seems to be making an effort at last, and the boy pigeons are strutting around after the girl pigeons like thirteen year olds at a school disco. Spring in Bristol has finally sprung. This means that in a tiny office on College Green, ten people and a dog called Arthur are working very hard to deliver Mayfest: Bristol’s unique annual festival of contemporary theatre.

Described by the Guardian as, ‘a mix of work so tasty it makes you want to up sticks and move to Bristol permanently’ and featuring big names like Kate Tempest and Belarus Free Theatre, the festival is undoubtedly something of a big deal. It surprises me, therefore, when I mention Mayfest to a fellow student, that the reaction is nought but the vaguest flicker of recognition. At least, it surprises me until I remember that a year ago my reaction would have been the same; that the festival falls during exam period, that it costs more than £4 and that a lot of it takes place in areas of the city that many Bristol students probably aren’t aware exist, not exactly ideal for a student audience.

However, as this year’s offering from the Bristol Drama department to the festival, I am coming to realise that despite these things, Mayfest ought to be very attractive to students. It’s just fun. The theatre it features is new and exciting and involves awesome music, animals and dancing. A trip to see a Mayfest show has got to be a more stimulating revision break than an eternally buffering episode of Family Guy or pictures of cats in people clothes. So, in an attempt to save you all from the mysterious, brainwashing power of Project Free TV and Buzzfeed (other time wasting/ strangely compelling sites are available), I give you the student’s guide to Mayfest.

The Convenient option Mayfest at the Wardrobe, 20th – 24th May, 6pm, The Wardrobe Theatre: The Wardrobe Theatre is upstairs in The White Bear on St. Michaels Hill. It is approximately two and a half minutes walk away from the ASS library, so if you have spent all day in there and need a break from the nervous silence and intense lighting, this is ideal. Every show costs £5, and on the 21st and 23rd there will be a double bill­ so two shows for £5, better value than your standard student production! You can see full show details at thewardrobe.com The Financially viable option The 4­for­3 offer: Mayfest are running a 4­for­3 offer on most of their shows. The four I have chosen below are £7 for students, so £21 for the four. Nice.

Gym Party, Made in China, 24th­25th May, 6pm, The Brewery Theatre­ Described as Charlie Brooker­esque in their ability to bring together politics and popular culture, Made In China are known for their playful, fierce and intelligent theatre. Gym Party promises to be raucous and thought provoking in equal measures.

The Great Spavaldos, Il Pixel Rosso, 20th ­26th May, The Island­ You and a friend will get your own half hour slot, during which time you are fitted with video goggles and headphones. You then BECOME the lead act in a circus. Apparently not suitable for people with a fear of heights, which just makes it sound all the more appealing.

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Flaneurs, Jenna Watt, 17th­18th May, 6pm, The Brewery Theatre­ An award winning piece exploring the bystander effect, “the larger the crowd, the less likely it is that anyone will intervene.” I am deeply intrigued by this piece, not least because it manages to be chilling and thoughtful, while also involving a plastic giraffe.

The Oh Fuck Moment, Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe, 21st­23rd May 7pm & 9pm, Arnolfini­ Another award winning show. I’m a sucker for spoken word poetry, and this Flaneurs sounds like a particularly good example of 18th­19th why. Billed as ‘a conversation around a desk for brave souls to hold their hands up and admit they fucked up, or for people to laugh at us because we did’, the piece will be beautiful and hilarious.

Ones to splash out on Bigmouth, SkaGeN, 24th – 26th May, 8pm, Bristol Old Vic Studio­ Bigmouth is universally rave­reviewed. No one has been able to fault it. It is a one man show, recreating a series of history’s most famous and controversial speeches. The trailer alone will give you chills. Also, at only £8 it probably won’t break the bank.

Trash Cuisine, Belarus Free Theatre, 24th­ 25th May, 6pm, Tobacco Factory Theatre­ Belarus Free Theatre are a company from Belarus, the last country in Europe still under a dictatorship. Many of BFT’s company are banned from Belarus for making theatre which opposes the government regime. Trash Cuisine is an incredible and frightening piece of theatre which explores the death penalty.

This show is important.

Trash Cuisine 24th­25th

Annie Bell For more information on all these shows, and for the full programme, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk

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Preview: Mayfest: Not Until We Are Lost 13/05/2013 |

Filed under: Latest Reviews,Reviews,Theatre |

Posted by: Jenny Burton

In the run up to Mayfest, Bristol’s theatre scene is hustling and bustling with rehearsals as shows are really coming together and sets are being set up. No exception is Circomedia Graduates, Ockham’s Razor who are returning to the city for Mayfest 2013 in a mind­blowing aerial theatre performance.

The performance is not like your normal show, they include a mixture of circus, physical theatre, narrative story­telling and distorted perspectives to create a memorable performance. Set to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before, expect actors to be hanging off bars and swinging each other across the room. Their monkey business is accompanied by a beautiful score that is performed by a choir of twenty from the Bristol local community.

The company formed in 2004, when Alex Harvey, Charlotte Mooney, and Tina Koch met at the Circomedia Academy of Contemporary Circus and Physical Theatre in Bristol. Their love of aerial theatre brought them together and following their graduation they firmly established themselves as the UKs premier aerial theatre company.

It is their combination of circus and visual theatre that really brings the show alive. From creating arresting, physical works on original pieces of equipment, to telling stories through the vulnerability, trust and reliance that exists between people in the air, Not Until We Are Lost challenges an audience’s perception of theatre as they know it.

The show is inspired by the Henry David Thoreau quote “Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves” and the interactive performance plays with proximity to create feelings of claustrophobia, interchanged with large sweeping images and theatrical illusions, all created through constantly evolving surroundings. The audience are invited on to the stage to view the action in new, innovative ways from within a unique set of bespoke aerial structures, led from one viewing position to another by the performers and the narrative. At times, the audience surrounds the performers in a Perspex tower, or peer from below at the performers above – always being drawn into new and unknown perspectives.

If you’re not sure what to go and see out of the 50 shows on offer during Mayfest, Not Until We Are Lost could be the perfect show to open your eyes to a new form of physical theatre and hopefully they won’t drop anyone!

Jenny Burton, Theatre Editor.

Not Until We Are Lost will be performed in Circomedia, St Paul’s Church, Portland Square, Bristol, BS2 8SJ on 17th May at 7:30pm, 18th, 19th, & 21st May at 2:00pm & 7:30pm and tickets

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6/24/13

Review: Mayfest: BEATS | Inter:Mission

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Review: Mayfest: BEATS 20/05/2013 | Filed under: Latest Reviews,Reviews,Theatre | Posted by: Jessica McKay

As part of this year’s Mayfest Festival, BEATS transforms Bristol Old Vic’s underground Studio Theatre into a 90s rave. Upon entering the dark room, the audience are greeted by an energetic electronic set from DJ Hushpuppy accompanied by some evocative strobe lighting from Jonny Whoop. This lively pre-set is soon taken down a notch when Kieran Hurley places himself at his desk, with just a microphone and white pill, and promises to tell a story, none of which is real.

His engaging monologue is the coming of age story of Scottish teenager Johnno McCreadie’s on the night he first drops Ecstasy at his first rave. He enters the party scene as everyone is telling him the rave culture is dying and the government’s 1994 Criminal Justice Act are trying to ban “public gatherings around amplified music characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”.

The show resists the pitfalls of clichéd ‘nobody understands me’ rebellions by taking on a range of voices on that same night. Johnno is juxtaposed with his well meaning but overwhelmed mother who sits waiting for his return to the sound of a ticking clock. Meanwhile his journey to the rave is paralleled with that of the policeman sent to break it up, the middle-aged, despondent Robert, who is haunted by the voice of his dead father and doubts about his life which are ultimately similar to Johnno’s own fears.

This story is simple yet engaging with amusing observations and provoking questions; Hurley is believable in his various roles and maintains an impressive energy despite his static positioning. But the play’s real strength comes from the men in the shadows – the live DJ in the corner gives the piece its energy and its connection to rave culture, succeeding in taking you to that field with Johnno, as much as it can when you are sitting soberly in a padded theatre seat. This is perfectly supported by VJ Jamie Wardropp, who mixes live video on the screen, featuring an eclectic mix of Zelda characters, psychedelic patterns and authentic police footage, adding a unique and deliberately ambiguous visual element to the story.

ôôôôô Kirsty Morrissey

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Review: Mayfest: Trash Cuisine

Preview: Mayfest

Preview: Mayfest: Not Until We Are Lost

www.intermissionbristol.co.uk/2013/05/20/review-mayfest-beats/

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REVIEW: Zero, part of Mayfest at Bristol Old Vic, 9/10 | Bristol Post PLACE AN ADVERT

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REVIEW: Zero, Bristol Old Vic, 9/10

By The Bristol Post Saturday, May 25, 2013

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Mayfest began in 2003, founded by the Bristol Old Vic in an attempt to celebrate artists making unusual, playful, and leftfield theatre. Its 10-day programme sees artists perform some of the most audacious, experimental theatre seen all year.

Last night the award-winning theatre company Clod Ensemble brought Zero to the Old Vic, a contemporary dance production that perfectly encapsulates the goals of Mayfest.

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Zero is not necessarily concerned with creating a wholly coherent narrative and relatable characters, rather it's a play that explores ideas and evokes mood. Subtitled "A Tragedy in Five Acts," it looks at the way people interact with one another, sometimes with joy, but mostly fruitlessly and emotionally damaging, ultimately damned to carry the injuries from the failed attempts at achieving a genuine connection.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/REVIEW-Zero-Bristol-Old-Vic-9-10/story-19088730-detail/story.html[28/05/2013 11:40:10]

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See band on YouTube, then watch them live Post war village life on stage REVIEW: Love Saves The Day at Castle Park 9/10

REVIEW: Zero, part of Mayfest at Bristol Old Vic, 9/10 | Bristol Post

Entirely conveyed through dance and with little attempt to make its concerns explicit, it's through the performers that Zero's goals are made clearer, with halting, frustrated movements, sometimes mechanical in nature, almost geometric, before mutating into angry, perhaps even bestial displays of emotion.

REVIEW: Jack Dee at the Hippodrome 9/10

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View details The entire production is backed by a live band, who accompany the dancers with southern blues music Zero opens quite evocatively with a spotlight on a lone harmonica player - which may seem like an unusual combination but nevertheless fits the production's exploration of theme with surprising congruity.

Moreover, the music is often interrupted by audio clips that also seem to revolve around the idea of damaging relationships and damaged people, along with blasts of a repeating single musical note, that seems to be an alarm or a warning that signals the people that seem already doomed.

Disregarding any analysis at all, which may or may not be accurate, Zero is, at the very least, a superficial pleasure. The dancers are all excellent, stylishly adorned in pin-stripe suits or flowing silk gowns, and the music is frequently terrific, performed with genuine soul and an appropriately bluesy thump.

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A complicated, cerebral experience that's nevertheless both great to look at and to listen to, Zero works brilliantly on different levels and is a credit to Mayfest.

9/10.

Lee Callaway.

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Review: Not Until We Are Lost – Ockham’s Razor | Shane Morgan

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Review: Not Until We Are Lost – Ockham’s Razor

BY SHANE MORGAN MAY 21, 2013

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BRISTOL BRISTOL OLD VIC CIRCOMEDIA MAYFEST OCKHAM'S RAZOR SHANE MORGAN

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH

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When going to the theatre, more often than not I find myself going through my mental (some say psychotic) check list of what I hope for with the show I am just about to see.

This organic and ever-changing checklist often includes:

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http://shanemorgan.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/review-not-until-we-are-lost-ockhams-razor/[23/05/2013 10:57:03]

Review: Not Until We Are Lost – Ockham’s Razor | Shane Morgan

Running time – Please let it be swift and to the point.

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Engaging – Please let them have made this with us (the people in the darkness) in mind.

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Empowering – I want to be moved, entertained, challenged, driven into action (or any of combination thereof) Terrific – This is what I hope it will be. If it isn’t, then what’s the point?

I open with this because often, shows I see have elements of some of the above.

Sometimes most of the above. All too often very little of the above. Ockham’s Razor have produced a show that has all the above in bucket loads.

The company chose David Henry Thoreau’s quote, “Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves” as a place upon which they could start building the show. As a piece of theatre, you could call it episodic. Moments in time that capture what it is like to feel lost or to look lost. More often than not, these moments led to beautifully captured discoveries that built upon themselves and led to a sense of peace. Whilst lost is in the title and is the essence of Thoreau’s quote, for me this show was about one thing: Joy. Each discovery, each section and physical moment was joyful.

Not Until We Are Lost is possibly the most fun I’ve had in a theatre. A child like sense of joy and play was inherent throughout. To add to the experience, it was hosted by one of Bristol’s most exciting and truly breathtaking venues: Circomedia’s St. Paul’s Church in Portland Square.

This is not just a highlight of Mayfest’s 2013 calendar but will surely be one of this year’s most striking creations. Ockham’s Razor have played a blinder and for those who got to see it, witnessed a theatrical gem.

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http://shanemorgan.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/review-not-until-we-are-lost-ockhams-razor/[23/05/2013 10:57:03]

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6/24/13

Mayfest | SkyLightRain

SkyLightRain For writers, thinkers and daydreamers

T A G A RCHI VES: M A YF EST

Cooking Ghosts review Posted on May 25, 2013

On Thursday night I had the chance to see Cooking Ghosts at the Tobacco Factory Theatre, part of Mayfest’s extraordinary offerings.

Using genuine vintage footage from Beady Eye Theatre founder Kristin Fredricksson’s childhood, the show blends this with audio-snippets, props, puppetry and some truly exuberant dancing. This is a tragedy tenderly told with grace, generous abandon and moments of utterly raucous laughter.

It is a noisy, chaotic, poetic, beautiful and sometimes painful portrayal of childhood bewilderment as Kristin and her twin sisters cope with the uncertainty of a mentally unwell www.skylightrain.com/tag/mayfest/

1/3

6/24/13

Mayfest | SkyLightRain

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I left feeling both emotionally drained and emotionally enriched, resisting the urge to hug everyone involved. If it comes anywhere near you, go and see it.

Posted in Reviews | Tagged Cooking Ghosts, Mayfest, theatre review | Leave a reply

Audience + theatre = Mayfest magic Posted on May 1, 2013

Mayfest kicks off this month (as you might expect) in Bristol, with the tagline “Adventurous theatre for playful people’ I have a feeling that the main challenge will be choosing what NOT to go to.

The line up is experimental, extraordinary and, quite frankly, exciting.

Top of my wish-list are Cooking Ghosts (Tue 21-Thu 23 May at Tobacco Factory Theatre, www.skylightrain.com/tag/mayfest/

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Super Furry Animals singer brings Praxis Makes Perfect to Motion Bristol

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Super Furry Animals singer brings Praxis Makes Perfect to Motion Bristol 18 May 2013

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Super Furry Animals singer brings Praxis Makes Perfect to Motion Bristol

Motion, the vast nightclub at the heart of Bristol’s Enterprise Zone, is to be the venue this May for Praxis Makes Perfect, a collaboration created by Neon Neon (led by Gruff Rhys, Super Furry Animals) and National Theatre Wales, presented in Bristol by Mayfest.

Praxis Makes Perfect, which will be performed in the city and stages theatre at Motion, is an immersive gig exploring the life of Italian Communist politician Giangiacomo Feltrinelli. He was born into one of Italy’s wealthiest families, a life­long left­wing political activist and the founder of the publishing house Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore. The Leopard and Dr Zhivago were among some of the great literary works of the last century that he discovered and published, the latter after lengthy battles with Soviet censors. Feltrinelli died in suspicious circumstances in 1972.

Written by Tim Price and directed by Wils Wilson, Praxis Makes Perfect brings together the experiences of a live gig and site specific theatre. Neon Neon and their band will be joined by a cast of professional actors and there will be some unexpected interactions with the audience. The event coincides with the release of Neon Neon’s second album, also called Praxis Makes Perfect, which was released on 29 April.

The performances form part of the Bristol Temple Commissions, a series of events coordinated by Watershed, Knowle West Media Centre and MAYK with support from Bristol City Council and Arts Council England.

Praxis Makes Perfect can be seen at Motion at 8PM on Thursday 23 May. Tickets, priced at £15, are available from www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

Mayfest is Bristol’s festival of contemporary theatre, coordinated by Art Directors Matthew Austin and Kate Yedigaroff; it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with its biggest programme to date featuring more than 50 performances taking place at 20 venues around the city between Thursday 16 and Sunday 26 May. Further information, including the full festival programme, can be found at the above website.

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6/21/13

These Shining Lives, Knee Deep, Mayfest: what to see at the theatre this week | Stage | The Guardian

These Shining Lives, Knee Deep, Mayfest: what to see at the theatre this week To Kill A Mockingbird | Knee Deep | These Shining Lives | Live Witness | Mayfest | Say It With Flowers Mark Cook & Lyn Gardner The Guardian, Saturday 11 May 2013

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Photograph: David Jensen

To Kill A Mockingbird, London In 2011, the Open Air Theatre season in Regent's Park looked to books rather than Shakespeare for inspiration with a staging of William Golding's Lord Of The Flies. This year, the run opens with another adaptation of a GCSE set text: Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird (Thu to 15 Jun). A classic from English literature follows with the muchloved Pride And Prejudice, while Shakespeare gets a brief look-in with a version of The Winter's Tale for the over-6s. Musicals are now the big thing there, with an auspicious record to live up to; this summer's big show is the family favourite The Sound Of Music. Watch out for fake nuns in the audience.

www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/may/11/this-weeks-new-theatre

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These Shining Lives, Knee Deep, Mayfest: what to see at the theatre this week | Stage | The Guardian

Open Air Theatre, NW1, Thu to 7 Sep MC

Knee Deep, Brighton There are some circus shows that get you where it hurts, and this four-hander by Brisbane company Casus is one such project. A massive hit at last year's Edinburgh fringe, this quietly unassuming event eschews the big tricks and showmanship of many circus pieces, placing all its focus on putting maximum effort into doing the trick. As a result, it feels invested and risky; you can see the sweat on the performers' brows and feel the pain. Quite how it will work in the less intimate space of the Theatre Royal remains to be seen, but it's a cracker, and a highlight in a Brighton festival programme which this week also includes Angela Clerkin's The Bear and a wonderfully witty and irreverent take on Beowulf.

Theatre Royal, Tue to 18 May LG

These Shining Lives, London It says something about the robust state of London theatre in these straitened times that new venues are still opening. Following the St James Theatre in Victoria late last year comes the Park Theatre near Finsbury Park tube station, with a 200-seat auditorium as well as a smaller, 90-seat space. It opens with These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich, a play originally premiered in Baltimore five years ago. Set in Chicago in the roaring 20s, it finds a young woman starting her first job at the Radium Dial Company. She becomes an unlikely pioneer, fighting for the endangered health of her female co-workers. Foyle's War's Honeysuckle Weeks stars in a production directed by Loveday Ingram.

Park200, Park Theatre, N4, to 9 Jun MC

Live Witness, Newcastle upon Tyne The backstage areas of theatres are mysterious and magical places to a public who never see them. Shows that allow us to peep behind the curtain are rare but often pay dividends. The Bush's final work in its old building took audiences on a merry dance through the corridors and dressing rooms, and now Live Theatre is opening up its secret places and telling some of its unheard stories in this promenade performance, www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/may/11/this-weeks-new-theatre

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These Shining Lives, Knee Deep, Mayfest: what to see at the theatre this week | Stage | The Guardian

created by Annie Rigby and Amy Golding from an idea by Stella Duffy. Rigby of Unfolding Theatre and Golding of Theatre Auracaria are rising stars in the region, and the show should offer a unique and fitting celebration of Live's 40th birthday.

Live Theatre, Tue to 25 May LG

Mayfest, Bristol It's a decade since Mayfest first began with a modest programme, and over the past 10 years it has grown massively. It is now the place to go to see work that pushes hard at what theatre can be. To celebrate its birthday there are 10 commissions from Bristolbased artists responding to the theme of "the senses", but there is also a chance for those in the south-west to see some seriously good work that has already played elsewhere. This week, you should check out Kieran Hurley's Beats, which explores the effects of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act, Jenna Watt's exploration of bystander theory, Flâneurs, and Ockham's Razor's delicate and playful Not Until We Are Lost, Later on, there's Belarus Free Theatre's examination of the death penalty, Trash Cuisine (24 & 25 May. Various venues, Thu to 26 May LG

Say It With Flowers, Cardiff Who remembers Dorothy Squires? Probably not many people under the age of 40. But in her heyday Squires, who was born in the shadow of the Llanelli tin works, was one of the UK's most successful performers and the highest-paid postwar entertainer. She was a real celebrity, with her marriage to the future James Bond, Roger Moore, in 1953 a media jamboree, not least because he was 12 years younger than her. Her attempts at a comeback in the 1960s won her new fans and she sold out the London Palladium, but she became a vexatious litigant and died bankrupt back in the Rhondda. Meic Povey and Johnny Tudor tell a rags-to-riches-and-back-to-rags-again story, which features some of Squires's greatest hits.

Sherman Cymru, Wed to 25 May LG

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The Public Reviews » Maskboy – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

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Maskboy – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol Writer: James Wheale Director & Producer: Rosie Fairchild Reviewer: Clara Plackett The Public Reviews Rating:

This one-off performance forms part of a week of brand new theatre during Bristol’s Mayfest.

Maskboy is a wake-up call. Dressed head to toe in a devil suit and an African mask, James Wheale shouts down any hint of doubt which the audience could be holding almost instantaneously, and continues to do so throughout, moving from loud exclamations to wonderfully measured verse to recall his memories of Sierra Leone.

Relating battles with malaria to struggling with grief and depression, Wheale forces www.thepublicreviews.com/maskboy-the-wardrobe-theatre-bristol/

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The Public Reviews » Maskboy – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

the audience to empathise him, including his efforts to “time travel”. Ultimately, the whole work proves the true value of bravado; for Wheale, it is not shameful to hide behind the face of something more empowering than your own flesh, and infinitely better if it means breaking with a negative past.

The first half of Maskboy is not easy to decipher. Once Wheale’s quest to engage with a witchdoctor whilst he is suffering is explored in detail, however, his observations become far more poignant. His performance is utterly schizophrenic, and his intensity ensures that he quickly avoids providing a predictably tedious account of a student’s gap year. Wheale has also found innovative ways to make his work as tangible as possible. The audience are given two envelopes on arrival, and after eating the contents of one envelope – a blackberry designed to spark memories – and using a blindfold from the other to block out the present, Wheale is well within the minds of the audience before he requests more from them.

Although at points Wheale’s monologues occasionally pause over a couple of forced phrases and less ingenuous statements, his connection with the audience completely redeems Maskboy. It is made clear that indulgence in their memories can be dangerous, something which Wheale admits he turned to after the suicide of his exgirlfriend, but not before he has managed to seamlessly reel off memories provided by the audience, which he makes sound as though they were his own.

The idea of memories acting as time machines is eventually deemed to be unhealthy, but Maskboy still focuses on the strength of the mind throughout, and its ability to be resilient in various forms. The light comedy towards the end – Wheale mocks himself, clad in a superman cape – is a great relief, but the message is not one to cast off. Wheale successfully stresses that darkness can be beaten in ways that might seem ridiculous to some, and his modest and honest performance mean that the audience is as elated by his victory over depression as he is. An extremely powerful work.

Maskboy – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol, 4.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Tags: Bristol, James Wheale, Maskboy, Mayfest, Rosie Fairchild, The Wardrobe Theatre This entry was posted on May 23rd, 2013 at 10:11 am and is filed under Drama.

Reader thoughts and opinions: www.thepublicreviews.com/maskboy-the-wardrobe-theatre-bristol/

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The Public Reviews » Wealth’s Last Caprice & If Things Don’t Change – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

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Wealth’s Last Caprice & If Things Don’t Change – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol Writers: Chris Dugrenier (Wealth’s Last Caprice) & Amy Louise Webber (If Things Don’t Change) Reviewer: Clara Plackett The Public Reviews Rating:

These performances are part of a week of brand new theatre during Bristol’s Mayfest. www.thepublicreviews.com/wealths-last-caprice-and-if-things-dont-change-the-wardrobe-theatre-bristol/

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The Public Reviews » Wealth’s Last Caprice & If Things Don’t Change – The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol

The concept behind Chris Dugrenier’s Wealth’s Last Caprice is intriguing and has some depth, but unfortunately this performance does not. From the beginning of the play, and before Dugrenier has announced her intention to gather every single item she owns and write a will which she desires the audience to be part of, there is a complete absence of theatricality. Apart from Dugrenier and her desk and laptop, the stage is relatively barren and so starkly lit that it is unclear whether the performance has actually started or if things are still being put together. At one point the lights are dampened whilst Dugrenier dances in the dark and lets out a surprising shriek, but, failing to relate to the audience by this point, this creates no emotional effect, and is only briefly shocking.

Dugrenier’s revelation that none of her possessions mean anything to her in isolation, but instead represent a fleeting memory, is explained clearly, but the way in which she reiterates this message is so uncharismatic that it feels awkward and embarrassing for the audience. The off –stage voice seems out of place and random, and perhaps the strongest part of the performance is the projection of a video which displays Dugrenier obsessively organising all of her belongings. It looks as though it belongs on its own in an art exhibition, and provides relief from her live performance.

The main problem is that the audience are not persuaded to feel as sentimental about the writing of this will as Dugrenier evidently does; it is absurd, but unintentionally.

When Dugrenier passes around her will for people to sign very few are keen to participate, and the way in which her performance comes across as a strange lecture rather than a play remains baffling.

After the interval, Amy Louise Webber’s short performance does at least bring some colour to the stage. Although she is reliving her grandmother’s funeral, she bases her story around the bright red Dr. Martens which she insisted on wearing then and is wearing now, with a party dress to match. She succeeds in celebrating her life and creating a vivid image of an absent person’s days in the sun, handing out homemade bread and jam. The recreation of a dance hall with alternating lights is particularly cringe worthy, however, along with her impersonations of family members’ accents, and so her performance becomes embarrassing to watch very quickly. It feels as though Webber is about to burst into song the whole way through, but nothing ever takes off. She maintains enthusiasm throughout, but, having the opposite problem to Dugrenier, it is hard to find substance in any of her material, and her fast paced ramblings never take us anywhere.

Tags: Amy Louise Webber, Bristol, Chris Dugrenier, If Things Don’t Change, Mayfest, The Wardrobe Theatre, Wealth’s Last Caprice www.thepublicreviews.com/wealths-last-caprice-and-if-things-dont-change-the-wardrobe-theatre-bristol/

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UK festivals unite to offer £4,000 theatre commission Leave a comment

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Theatre company Made in China has been awarded £4,000 to develop a new performance piece, as part of a joint initiative launched by four UK festivals.

Published 04:58pm Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Ipswich’s Pulse, Bristol’s Mayfest, Sampled, which takes place in Cambridge, and Camden’s Sprint festivals have come together to

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commission Made in China’s Gym Party, which will be shown at each of the four events next year.

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Tagged Made in China, Pulse festival

Made in China will also be offered space to rehearse, as well as support in producing its production.

The festivals hope that they will be able to commission work from other companies in the future, after trialing the scheme in 2013.

Ed Collier, a festival director of Pulse, said: “It’s so exciting to be able to pool our resources to create such a great opportunity for a theatre company. We hope that this trial joint commission may be followed up with further consolidated making opportunities across the festivals in future years.”

In addition to the joint commission, Pulse this year launches the Suitcase Prize, which will see one theatre company awarded £1,000 for creating an “environmentally and economically sustainable” piece.

All shortlisted companies will show their work in progress on the first Friday of Pulse, which runs from May 20 to June 8, 2013.

The winning company will be announced on the same day.

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7/11/13

Total Theatre » Jo Hellier: 97 Years

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Jo Hellier: 97 Years in Reviews | by Hannah Sullivan | No Comments Tags: Jo Hellier

97 Years by Jo Hellier is an interactive installation, facilitated by the artist, in which the audience are given strings that control a delicately balanced soundscape featuring Jo’s granddad talking about his garden and his wife Marian. The composition of sound, film and performance has a light touch yet enormous emotional weight, evoking tears and leaving your heart stirred long after.

totaltheatre.org.uk/jo-hellier-97-years/

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Total Theatre » Jo Hellier: 97 Years

Waiting in the corridor of the Royal West Academy of Art we hear the echoing mumble of art galleries. Two large impressive doors are opened and as I enter 97 Years the room is filled with a slow pulsing low drone, a sound almost like difficult breathing. On the wall is a projection of blurred colours; above is a long wooden pulley system by which strings are weighed down with bags of apples on one side, then pinned down with a stack of red bricks on the other. Jo Hellier is sat in the middle of the space quietly arranging a collection of rotting apples on the floor in order of decay. She considers how they smell, their touch and look. She is dedicated to the task and takes her time. As Jo’s collection reaches order the film comes into focus and we can see apple trees.

Jo describes a garden that has been ordered and cared for. She tells us that this order is fading.

She is talking about her grandparents’ garden. She removes the first string from the stack of bricks allowing the bag of apples to drop, and the sound in the space instantly changes. The strings, when released, bring a cacophony of sound. She hands the string to an audience member and whispers into their ear. She whispers ‘Pull the string until you can hear his voice’. As the audience member tentatively pulls the string we can hear an old man’s voice becoming recognisable and we strain to listen. He speaks from within a still present drone and swell of noise; he talks about his garden, which is being shown in fragments on the film. As more strings are handed out and pulled we discover how he met his wife, what he’s got in the kitchen for dinner and that Marion, his wife who he met when he was fifteen, has dementia and that sometimes she wont go to bed and just starts singing. The distorted speech and blurred film creates a general sense of disorientation that communicates Marian’s dementia before it’s even been plainly said.

When all fifteen strings are held by the audience, the buzz of sounds has transformed into silence and we can hear the last recording clearly. He says that all he values is Marian; he values her over faith. I feel that this is a poignant statement to make. I know for a fact that this would be a very bold thing for my own grandfather to say and so reveals how committed Harry is to his wife.

In the silence Jo explains that this is an empty moment, a moment of clarity and we are asked to hold onto it. Physically holding onto clarity, hands on a small piece of string, is emotive to the point of distress. The chance to identify with the situation of dementia like this is very powerful, because it is so tangible. The silence allows for the film to play out a beautifully mundane moment, Jo and her Granddad talking about teabags. This moment acquires a joyous sparkle as a few seconds of understanding amidst confusion and disconnection – to be with those you love.

Jo leaves the room, and we are left desperately holding onto our strings; everyone is reluctant to let them drop. As we do the drones enter back and the film fades. Clarity slips away as the string slides through our fingers.

A quiet yet attentive performance from Jo Hellier allows us to focus on the illness of dementia, the reality of mental decay. What prevents this piece from being completely heart-breaking is the love that Jo’s granddad, Harry, has for his wife Marian. We are allowed for a time to dissolve into this lifelong relationship in which they built a beautiful garden together. The piece introduces a simple yet memorable metaphor connecting relationships and gardens: both take time and love. Harry Hargreaves put a lot of time and love into both, and the garden we see in the film is so very beautiful.

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Total Theatre » Andy Field: Zilla Part 1

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Andy Field: Zilla Part 1 in Reviews | by Hannah Sullivan Tags: Andy Field

Zilla Part 1 opens the doors to a huge empty warehouse in which an impressive amount of tiny Lego people are lined up in a miniature installation. We have been brought here, to Bristol’s Old Mills Industrial Estate and to the venue Unit 15, to contemplate the movie Godzilla. Casting my eye across the tiny Lego figures, I imagine them to be characters in a film. A small card lies next to totaltheatre.org.uk/andy-field-zilla-part-1/

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Total Theatre » Andy Field: Zilla Part 1

each one with a description: ‘A woman preparing for an impossibly romantic picnic’, ‘An ordinary person who is unfortunately named David Cameron’, ‘An impersonator of a dead celebrity’. The titles are humorous and remarkably apt. We all spend time spread out amongst the figures, in rows, bending down to read and gaze at their painted facial expressions. Giggles and small conversations bubble around them. A sound track of old disaster movies hovers about relatively unnoticed.

We are asked to start to decide which of these figures we would like to be – who we want to be in the movie. We don’t know what will happen in the movie. This task is fun and people start to discuss their choices before finally picking up their figure and its card, toying with the limited limbs in their hands.

We take a seat for the next phase of the piece, and two performers enter and sit at a desk all the way over the other side of the warehouse, a good 10m away. The desk has two mics and two scripts upon it. Here begins a long monologue delivered by two people: when one is reading the other takes a marker pen and draws a map of a city on the floor, the performers alternating between these two tasks. The text is hard to stay with as it is delivered in a flat fashion, emotionless and far away; there’s humour, but it’s dry. A city is described; people are wandering around with nothing to do, so they pretend to wait at bus stops. The city is described as made, as formed; we are the ones who have constructed it in this way. A whole list of high street shops is reeled off. There is a general sense of the mundane and an unsettling idea that we are all existing with little to do and so waiting for something to happen, waiting for a disaster.

We are invited to come towards the city map, now complete on the floor, and place our Lego selves somewhere on the map. The map becomes populated and one performer wearing large furry gorilla-like slippers is blindfolded. A camera is set up on the floor by the map, which is then projected onto the wall of the warehouse. In the film we can see two huge furry monster feet and our tiny Lego figures standing vulnerable in front of them. In a hilariously crude fashion the performer stumbles through the map and through the Lego characters, crushing those in her path.

I become incredibly worried for my Lego person; I gasp each time she steps over me, and there are sighs as each figure is crushed. It is funny, really funny, but with a simmering sense of tragedy as we act the destruction of a town and its people. We name all those who have been mangled by the trampling monster – ‘a failed magician’, ‘a man who has lost his memory of the last 5 years’. I am a survivor, so I pick up my Lego woman and take her home, relieved.

The piece moves somewhat confusedly between reality and fiction, between fact and film. 1930s Godzilla is described as existing within a New York in huge recession, reframing the movie as a portrait of a city that is destroying itself. I am made to reflect on the aftermath of a disaster, a real one, and then pulled back into the world of film as they performer’s tell us that the survivor’s make up is still perfectly done.

Zilla Part 1’s text and form plays with perception, with being small, big, up high or down low, altered visions of a city. My mind starts to view my own city with huge scaly feet swooping down into it. I leave ultimately a little disorientated with some fleeting feelings about disasters, holding onto what is now a mini-me, feeling protective but also concerned that we begin talking about disasters, straying into sensitive territory, but then are quickly scooped up by film and fiction and by the silly, the surreal and the artificial. But what are we really talking about here? An urge for destruction and disaster? This is a potentially explosive topic that could really go somewhere. totaltheatre.org.uk/andy-field-zilla-part-1/

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Total Theatre Âť Il Pixel Rosso: The Great Spavaldos

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Il Pixel Rosso: The Great Spavaldos in Reviews | by Hannah Sullivan | No Comments Tags: Il Pixel Rosso

Kitted out in headphones, I am lead through the corridors of The Island, an old police station at the centre of Bristol now used for circus training. I am listening to typical circus music, and feel like I am approaching the ring, like I am about to perform. I am with one other audience member totaltheatre.org.uk/il-pixel-rosso-the-great-spavaldos/

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Total Theatre » Il Pixel Rosso: The Great Spavaldos

and a blonde-haired woman with a hat that reads FOLLOW ME on the back. As we walk, she holds up pictures that punctuate a short introduction in my headphones to Vito and Tito, circus children apparently born with moustaches who grew up to be daredevil trapeze artists. We are, in fact, being given our own backstory, as we two, me and my fellow participant, are about to step into the shoes of Vito and Tito.

We are left in a small tent, with a mirror; it feels like a dressing room. We are asked to wear a moustache and cape. We don our clumsy costumes and are directed to find and read a letter on the table; I think it’s to do with Vito and Tito’s mother, but the content washes over me. I am too preoccupied with the instructions, with this new environment and the knowledge that I’m going to be asked to do more. I am anxious and excited about what’s going to happen next.

People with video goggles ambush us. This technology is wrapped around my head and my vision is completely absorbed into a video screen. It all happens relatively painlessly, and as my eyes adjust to the screen I am asked to look back in the mirror. As I direct my body to the mirror my reflection is now that of a man, with a moustache, bare-chested in a silver and blue cape. I copy his actions to become synchronised, to sink into the idea that this is my reflection, this is me.

Cora, a woman dressed as a circus performer, then appears to lead us out of the tent. I experience a strange meeting of virtual space and reality as I reach out to take Cora’s hand and touch a real one.

Wandering in space, guided by a hand and completely immersed into a video reality, it is difficult to overcome a sense of danger and allow yourself to let go. But the video plays through a series of encounters in the corridor, and the time this takes allows you to process the idea of moving through the virtual world and being dependent on these anonymous guiding hands.

Bits of narrative brush past me; this is Cora, and my brother and I are both in love with her.

Something tragic happened to us; there are speculations that we were drunk and swinging from the chandeliers. I am hoisted into the air. It is exciting. I hold onto the rope for dear life. In my eyes are bright lights and my brother up ahead. I watch him swing. I take my own ropes and sit back on the trapeze. The floor is taken from my feet and I swing out into the air.

It is a blissful moment and after being so terrified I am ecstatically happy. In my ears birds are tweeting and before my eyes the clouds engulf me. Someone grabs my feet; it’s my brother Vito, catching me as we perform for a huge crowd.

I am hoisted back down to the ground. And take a bow.

The orchestration of this whole experience is complex and difficult to deliver. The need for us as audience members to give in to the virtual reality is also hard to come around to – but the reward when you swing out is so beautiful that you find yourself very forgiving.

I feel that the video experience is so full-on that less is more. The experiential aspects linger more than the costume, the history and the story – yet all these details do frame the experience in a context that allows suspense to build.

Once we’d de-goggled my partner and I were somewhat disorientated but chatted all the way downstairs about what we had experienced. My new brother, Vito. The Great Spavaldos engineers a meeting between you and a stranger as you wander blind into something totaltheatre.org.uk/il-pixel-rosso-the-great-spavaldos/

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Total Theatre Âť Il Pixel Rosso: The Great Spavaldos

magical for 25 minutes, experiencing the adrenaline and then the wonderful release of trapeze.

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Hannah Sullivan Hannah Sullivan is a Bristol-based Producer for Ausform Performance and Curator at The Parlour Showrooms.

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Total Theatre » Ridiculusmus: Total Football

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Ridiculusmus: Total Football in Reviews | by Hannah Sullivan | No Comments Tags: Ridiculusmus

The stage is bordered by the three high walls of a grimy, empty office, cut each side with bright yellow doors. As we settle down a tall bald man in a dark grey suit walks in and out, looking like he’s rehearsing for a speech. He yawns, mumbles to himself. A flipchart stands in the centre of the room with a poster saying ‘Celebrating Great Britain Today’. A well-to-do voice from the audience totaltheatre.org.uk/ridiculusmus-total-football/

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Total Theatre » Ridiculusmus: Total Football

asks when the talk is going to begin; he is the only person to attend. He explains that he is a Pakistani man; his family originates from Britain, but he lives in Pakistan and is now considering moving to the UK. Subverting what we know and assume of a Pakistani man and the usual flow of immigration, the show starts on a knife-edge. Presenting ideas that are funny as well as intelligent and interesting, Ridiculusmus overturn assumptions of race, origin and immigration as they begin a fast-paced, witty and wonderfully performed saga on the formation of Great Britain’s Olympic football team.

The two performers, David Wood and John Haynes, morph and swap characters in the blink of an eye. Suddenly they are a political team that has had the idea that the way to boost Britain’s happiness is to win the Olympic football league. The man in charge of putting the team together has no knowledge or interest in football, and so is now faced with the horrific mission of trying to muster up the same passion for the sport found in a huge mass of the British populace.

Will winning really bring happiness? Who is Britain anyway? An insightful Algerian character is taking his ‘Citizen-shit test’ and reads a Winston Churchill speech from his notebook. He is learning hard to become a British Citizen, but he doesn’t support the English football team.

As the lights fade out and house music is pumped up, David and John’s football moves turn into a dance sequence, graceful and hilarious. This is welcome break in a text heavy show, but Riduculsmus are always playful with their material, constantly throwing out expertly crafted lines.

The description of football as ’22 millionaires fucking up the lawn’ is my favorite, and like all good political satire Total Football occupies the space between mockery and honesty.

Masculinity, rage, ignorance, intolerance – a vein of the dangerous racism that dwells in football is present within the text. But is it balanced by passion and a love of the game? As the show itself asks, have we asked any of the countries who have won the Olympic football if it made their country happy? Does it really achieve anything?

In a press conference to discuss the failure of the GB football team the speaker awkwardly reveals his own infertility. He seems to drift off into a desire to express his own feelings, to talk about a current problem in his life, not football. It’s a moment that encapsulates the spirit of the show: Total Football generally says the unsaid. At first it strikes you a little off guard but then the moment settles and is understood to be true.

I am completely disinterested in football as a sport, but was interested in Total Football as the show talks more broadly about Britain, about collective passion and pride in a complex society, about politics, happiness, nationality, ridiculous ideas, pressure and failure. Total Football is a joy to watch, an achievement of magnificent writing, and a true demonstration of Britain today.

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Trash Cuisine (Bristol) Venue: The Tobacco Factory Theatre Where: Bristol Date Reviewed: 24 May 2013 WOS Rating: Reader Reviews: View and add to our user reviews

In 2012, Belarus Free Theatre gave us a tour of Minsk. In a gimmick free exploration of the underbelly of the city some members of the company are prevented from returning to, A Reply to Kathy Acker was a passionate and heartfelt tribute to the resilience of the human spirit.

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With Trash Cuisine, Belarus Free Theatre has cast their net wider to take in international acts of oppression. From Ireland through to Tweet Like Africa, we are introduced to individuals and communities who live in terror, are ruled by an iron fist or are victims of abuse of power and justice. These stories are told within a structure that is introduced early on in the evening.

We are greeted by a master chef who tells us everything will happen within his kitchen. This transformation is one we buy into straight away. We are charmed, we are warmed up and we are on side.

This sense of coaxing and guiding doesn’t last long. What follows, bar a moment or two, is so heavy handed and laboured that any sense of empathy is drained from you whilst you are being screamed at, laden with graphic descriptions or having the frame totally broken after the curtain call by a woman underlining the fact that the evening was based on true stories.

Given that the entire evening is dedicated to fact, this felt like we were being spoon fed and talked down to all at the same time.

There are some beautiful moments within the show. A couple dancing, a man walking against a tide of others, the use of Shakespeare and some magical staging all combine to allow the audience to work and use their imagination. Apart from these moments, the show lets it audience down. There is no room for the audience to move. They are bombarded, harangued and attacked. This may be the desire however the balancing act with political theatre is to raise awareness and rally whilst not being didactic.

Peter Brook wrote in The Slyness of Boredom, ‘The less one gives the imagination, the happier it is because it is a muscle that enjoys playing games’. Belarus Free Theatre gave everything and with Trash Cuisine left no room for imagination to go to work.

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6/21/13

A Thousand Shards of Glass, Mayfest, Bristol | Thoughts of a Theatrigirl

Thoughts of a Theatrigirl

Helping to answer the eternal question: to go or not to go.

A Thousand Shards of Glass, Mayfest, Bristol

‘Can you walk on broken glass?’ was the urgent question with which I was greeted as I was shown to my seat in a loft above Bristol Old Vic. ‘Erm, I don’t think so.’ I replied, feeling more than a little daft. But at least my question was in English – the previous audience member had been greeted in Arabic…

A Thousand Shards of Glass, directed by Jane Packman and written by Ben Pacey, which I saw as part of Bristol’s Mayfest theatre festival, is a one-man show in which sound is central: it is setting, character, plot and dialogue. The result is a small-scale show which punches well above its weight.

Before the show began, performer Lucy Ellinson warned us not to worry too much about the meanings of the words. Instead, she said, we should let them carry us along without clinging on to literal meaning. And indeed it would be impossible to pin down the exact plot of the piece, but here’s an attempt: our main character – Lucy – seemed to have discovered that the world in which she lived had only two dimensions – coffee tasted like the idea of coffee. And in order to burst back into 3D, she had to get to the top of the tallest building in the city, a glass and steel skyscraper, and sing a song she’d heard in the desert. All the time avoiding the were forces who wanted to stop her. theatrigirl.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/a-thousand-shards-of-glass-mayfest-bristol/

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6/21/13

A Thousand Shards of Glass, Mayfest, Bristol | Thoughts of a Theatrigirl

But that makes A Thousand Shards of Glass sound like nothing more than an audiobook version of The Matrix. And while there were elements that clearly echoed science fiction films like Inception, and spy thrillers like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this production is also about something much more everyday. It is a lovesong to reality, an ode to sensation.

Lewis Gibson’s sound design is nothing short of brilliant. Helicopters hover just above the theatre, lift machinery clanks into life and, perhaps most vividly of all, there’s an explosion of shattered glass. In the dark of the theatre, I’m sure I wasn’t the only member of the audience to flinch.

But what made the hour-long production whizz by was the virtuoso performance from Lucy Ellinson, who immediately and entirely engaged our sympathies, leading us through the barely-there plot just as she’d led us to our seats at the beginning.

Thought-provoking, open-ended and produced to an exceptionally high standard: A Thousand Shards of Glass was experimental theatre at its best.

A Thousand Shards of Glass has just finished its UK tour. Visit the Jane Packman Company website for more information about this and other projects.

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2013 05/27 POSTED BY Lizzie Davis CATEGORY Reviews TAGS A Thousand Shards of Glass Bristol Old Vic Jane Packman Company Lucy Ellinson Mayfest Write comment Write comment Comments RSS Trackback ( 0 ) Comments ( 0 )

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6/24/13

Mayfest 2013 pt 1

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Mayfest 2013 pt 1

Various venues, Bristol (from 16 May) Mayfest gets off to a seething start with a party to celebrate its tenth birthday (Big School next year, then), complete with fountains … well, OK, bottles … of cheap Prosecco, a dangerously Vesuvian cake, really loud head­banging dance music and a hilarious interpretive dance contest for cavorting luvvies. To kick off proceedings we had opening speeches from our glorious green Leader, George Fergusson (“Mayfest has turned the whole city into one big theatre!!”), and BOV director Tom Morris, whose increasingly purple list of accolades for the dynamic duo of organisers (MAYK’s Matt Austin and Kate Yedigaroff) reached its amusing apotheosis in “cultural truffle­hunters”.

The now mature Mayfest has not only become an annual fixture in the Bristol theatre calendar, but also in the national one (and in international, interplanetary and intergalactic ones too, yes). Mayfest can look back proudly on many golden Top Banana moments over the years, including Mem Morrison’s memorable ego­documentary in a Bedminster greasy spoon, Ontroerend Goed’s sensual and emotional blindfolded wheelchair trip through the bowels of the BOV (needed a hanky and counselling after that one), and National Theatre of Scotland’s irrepressible ‘Prudencia Hart’ washed down with free tots of peaty Scotch. This year’s line­up is no less illustrious, with stand­ out stuff awaited from Kate Tempest, Valentijn Dhaenens, the returning Ontroerend Goed, Belarus Free Theatre, Banana Bag and Bodice and Ridiculusmus, as well as good­looking smaller gems from Beady Eye, The Beautiful Machine, Sam Halmarack and Sleepdogs.

REVIEWS Ballet Central Merlin Theatre, Frome (Fri 7 June) When the late Christopher Gable established the…

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11.06.2013

Bath Fringe Festival pt 3 Various venues, Bath (24 May­9 June) Click here for part one and here for part two of…

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11.06.2013

Fanny & Johnnie Cradock Cook The Great American Songbook

Kate Tempest: Brand New Ancients

Hen & Chicken, Bristol (6­9 June) Last summer, Bristol company Show of Strength launched…

BOV (17­18 May)

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“Thanks for coming, I think it’s wicked you being the audience!” So starts Kate Tempest’s sell­out gig at the BOV, and the audience packed into every cranny of the auditorium roars back at her – we are already in love and she hasn’t even got going yet. It’s Saturday night and the audience is full of people either coming for the first time, or returning with hoards of friends to see the show again. Tempest (pictured, top) quotes from Carl Jung’s autobiography ‘Memories, Dreams and Reflections’ – then you know that she knows how to find her way to the source, that she’s already had her mind blown and that she’s about to blow ours. Kate the Tempestuous totally commands the main stage from the word go, she almost doesn’t have the right to be there, she’s so young and so street, but she is completely present and seems to have come armed with the zeal of Patti Smith and the energy of Janis Joplin as sword and shield. Joplin’s motto “Don’t compromise yourself, you are all you’ve got” could just as well be Tempest’s.

Bath Fringe Festival pt 2 Various venues, Bath (24 May­9 June) Click here for part one of John's review. Now, on…

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07.06.2013

Bedlam Fair Sawclose/Kingsmead, Bath (Sun 2 June) For once the Bedlam Fair gets the weather it…

With her band providing a hypnotic live score, Tempest speaks, sings, raps and incants her way through ‘an everyday epic’ that leaves the listener breathless – “The thing is we are still mythical/every single person has a purpose in them burning.” ‘Brand New Ancients’ is a plea for humanity and small heroes in a world where celebrities are the New Gods: “We don’t know the names of our neighbours/but we do know the names of the rich and famous”…. “If they’re quick to know ya they’ll be quick to forget ya.”

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She might look and sound like she works down a Lewisham launderette, but don’t be deceived: this poetess has fire in her belly and iron in her words, the heart of an Amazon and enough headstream of soulful imagery to sluice clean any Augean stable. With ‘Brand New Ancients’, Tempest single­handedly reclaims the power of myth – and the mythological power of Woman – on behalf of a whole generation who are in danger of forgetting and who are hungry for meaning. A stunning tour de force and a bullseye for MAYK for bringing her to Mayfest. (Rina Vergano)

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www.venue.co.uk/theatre-reviews-m/20641-mayfest-2013-pt-1

08.06.2013

04.06.2013

The Dug Out Tobacco Factory, Bristol (until Sat 15 June) It's a legendary name in the pantheon of…

04.06.2013

Bath Fringe Festival pt 1 Various venues, Bath (24 May­9 June) This week I have mostly been

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6/24/13

MAYK for bringing her to Mayfest. (Rina Vergano)

Mayfest 2013 pt 1

seeing music: right…

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31.05.2013

Beady Eye: Cooking Ghosts Tobacco Factory (21­23 May) Using family documentary material in the form of old photos, projections, toys, children’s books, the suicide of a mother is examined in this very personal and moving piece from the (now adult) children’s point of view. It uncovers the depth of the shame and taboo surrounding a suicide in the family, something unimaginable to anyone who hasn’t been there themselves. The piece paints a tender, almost idyllic, picture of family life as seen through snapshots and super 8 film of toddlers taking their first steps in the garden, tottering around with teddies in arms, while their mother looks on lovingly as she basks in the sun. ‘Cooking Ghosts’ is at its best when it’s at its most conceptual: three children play out a Punch and Judy­style puppet show in a dream­like light box made of gauze, using weird cats to represent the ‘psycho twins’; a small intricately grotesque puppet emerges from a handbag to play out a tyrannical chain­smoking grandmother in the far stages of dementia; a naked masked Eve (mother as temptress) invites men from the audience to take a bite of her apple. The piece becomes patchier when the performers come out from behind their masks and objects and address each other and the audience directly, and when they attempt more figurative depictions such as playing small children in romper suits.

The real strength of this piece lies in the primary decision to go back and look at what happened in the first place, to resurrect painful memories and to summons the mother back into life, in order to understand. Kristin Fredricksson does this with great courage and a complete lack of vanity, as she channels her mother’s unfettered wildness exacerbated by mental illness. The sense of incomprehension and devastation amongst the children to her suicide is palpable and very finely drawn using real testimonies. This show is not without its flaws, but it is very brave, extremely evocative and full of content: it contains a whole life. (Rina Vergano)

Mayfest: Still Night – Bristol

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City Hall, Bristol (21­23 May) Berlin, Nevada’s ‘Still Night – Bristol’ is guided tour to…

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29.05.2013

Mayfest: Trash Cuisine Tobacco Factory, Bristol (24­25 May) The connection between food­ related grotesquery and…

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29.05.2013

Mayfest: Kate Tempest – Brand New Ancients Mayfest, Bristol Old Vic (Fri 17 & Sat 18 May) “Thanks for coming, I think it’s wicked…

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24.05.2013

PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 NEXT

Banana Bag and Bodice: Beowulf: A thousand years of baggage Trinity (17­19 May) This was a refreshing blast of straightforward storytelling with minimal production values in terms of set and costume, but blistering values in terms of a witty, wry, intelligent script.

It also had great songs, wonderful voices, impeccable music, sound quality and mixing.

The 13 performers were slick, talented, spiffy, sexy and superb. Trinity was a great venue for them and they used the space very well, with a menacing but vulnerable Grendel elegantly sliding about in the pillars above the radiators, teasing Beowulf with taunts of “Screw you, Bambi!”

The show was introduced by a trio of ‘academics’ who became the monster Grendel, his mother and the Dragon during the course of the show. The mother complained to Beowulf that, having ripped her son’s arm off and killed him, he should really take a look at what he considered to be right or wrong and that her son wasn’t really a monster, just misunderstood: “He was slightly retarded and you murdered him, you filthy fascist!” The script was comic and fun, with astute references to contemporary psychoanalysis and tongue­in­cheek pokes at feminism, new men and mothers.

The epic battle between Grendel and Beowulf was signalled with huge anticipation and dark music, but then turned out to be no more than a childishly intense game of thumb war. The band were hot and the arrangements rocking with clever harmonies and spick and span timing ranging from droll ballady rock ‘n’ roll to squinky jazz and blues, and the backing singers sung their hearts out while doing brilliantly ironic sassy dance steps.

Some say it was retro and so what? Bring it on – or back! Bloody lovely, funny, clever and cool. Gissa part! I could do that. (Grilho Parafuso)

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6/24/13

Mayfest: Goodbye to Thailand

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REVIEWS Ballet Central Brewery, Bristol, (Tue 21­Thur 23 May) John Moran returns to Mayfest with the concluding part of his trilogy of portrait work. A moving, funny, thoroughly engrossing piece about the unravelling of Moran’s relationship with his Thai lover, Eye, ‘Goodbye to Thailand’ opens a door to a surreal past.

An invisible door, of course. Moran is, first and foremost, a painter of invisible landscapes: he sprawls on armchairs that aren’t there, opens non­existent doors and closes them carefully behind him, winces at imaginary sunlight coming through an equally imaginary window. His signature silent choreography is an empty glove morphing into a hand by the insertion of the painstakingly synchronised soundtrack superimposed on the action.

Having created the sets in which the action unfolds, Moran populates them with a multitude of characters, all embodied by him – embodied being the operative word. It is almost disconcerting, the ease with which Moran appears to leave his body, his own personality entirely vanishing to make way for the personality of the character he creates.

His body language, the way his facial muscles move, and of course the voice, every aspect of a person is seamlessly brought together in a minutely detailed portrayal of the protagonists of the story. Moran is merely a vessel inhabited by each person in turn, each character moving about in the performer’s body and speaking with the performer’s mouth.

This aspect of Moran’s work is especially interesting in this particular play, as it brings to the fore the question of language. Can we really ever be inside a person’s head? Of course not, but we have even less of a chance to do so if the person’s native language is not our own. Most of us define our world through language, much the same way as Moran conjures up and defines his Thailand through sound. As such, the breakdown of communication is not simply due to a lack of knowing the words – rather it is the inability to define our world with the same words the person next to us uses to define theirs.

For this reason, the poignancy of the last spoken part is all the starker, recited as it is by the disembodied voice of an internet translator: ‘I am using this translator because I need you to understand me. This is important. […] We are in trouble. […] I am very worried about what you will do.’ When Moran has to explain to Eye that they will never be able to accomplish her dream of a life together, he realises the importance of at least attempting to get the message across in Thai. The tenderness of the feeling expressed is rendered excruciating by Moran’s awareness of his inability to communicate it.

There is considerable use of video in this piece, perhaps as a means to bridge the potential gap of knowledge on Thai culture, as well as breaking the work down into chapters by providing titles for each episode. Poignantly, the last word of the trilogy remains unuttered, appearing only on the screen: Goodbye. (Regina Papachlimitzou)

Copyright Regina Papachlimitzou 2013

Merlin Theatre, Frome (Fri 7 June) When the late Christopher Gable established the…

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11.06.2013

Bath Fringe Festival pt 3 Various venues, Bath (24 May­9 June) Click here for part one and here for part two of…

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11.06.2013

Fanny & Johnnie Cradock Cook The Great American Songbook Hen & Chicken, Bristol (6­9 June) Last summer, Bristol company Show of Strength launched…

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08.06.2013

Bath Fringe Festival pt 2 Various venues, Bath (24 May­9 June) Click here for part one of John's review. Now, on…

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07.06.2013

Bedlam Fair Sawclose/Kingsmead, Bath (Sun 2 June) For once the Bedlam Fair gets the weather it…

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04.06.2013

The Dug Out Tobacco Factory, Bristol (until Sat 15 June) It's a legendary name in the pantheon of…

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04.06.2013

Bath Fringe Festival pt 1 Various venues, Bath (24 May­9 June) This week I have mostly been seeing music: right…

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31.05.2013

Mayfest: Still Night – Bristol City Hall, Bristol (21­23 May) Berlin, Nevada’s ‘Still Night –

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6/21/13

Giant doily hung under Easton railway bridge | Western Daily Press

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Yarnbomber strikes at Bristol railway station

By Western Daily Press

Friday, June 14, 2013 Follow A mysterious giant crocheted doily which has appeared under a railway bridge has left people in the Easton area of Bristol scrathcing their heads.

The 12ft (3.6m) diameter "spider web" underneath Stapleton Road railway bridge was created by two Cornish artists working with people from the area.

1. ​ The giant doily underneath the railway bridge at Stapleton Road in Easton 2. ​ The giant doily underneath the railway bridge at Stapleton Road in Easton 3. ​ The giant doily underneath the railway bridge at Stapleton Road in Easton • • • Made with rope and a giant crochet needle, it is one of many similar displays set to appear across the city as part of the Hook, Skip, Repeat event organised by Theatre Bristol and Mayfest.

The artists ­ Heidi Dorschler and Jeremiah Krage from Cornwall ­ invited passers­by to help them weave the doily.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered... myprint­247 Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint­247.co.uk Contact: 01858 468192 Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013 View details Print voucher "It's hugely important to us to work in spaces and venues outside of the city centre and this opportunity was too good to pass up," said Matthew Austin, co­artistic director of Mayfest, the city's contemporary theatre festival.

The group was set up in February 2011 to tackle the negative perception of the road and to bring together residents and traders to improve the neighbourhood.

The massive white creation follows in the vein of the rising trend for yarnbombing ­ and comes days before the area opens its front doors for the Easton Arts Trail.

Open houses and venues will open from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Yarnbomber-strikes-Bristol-railway-station/story-19284407-detail/story.html

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[/polopoly_fs/mayfest_flaneurs_1_2188671!image/3384771577.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/3384771577.jpg] Flaneurs will be performed during Mayfest.

Contemporary theatre in Bristol Sarah Robinson [Mailto:sarah.Robinson@Archant.Co.Uk] Friday, May 10, 2013 12:13 PM Recommend

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MAYFEST, Bristol’s annual festival of contemporary theatre, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the Tobacco Factory Theatre is hosting an exciting programme across its theatre spaces. [] Comments [#article­comments] Email [#sharinganchor] Print [#none]

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Among the productions is Cooking Ghosts, a brand new show from Total Theatre award­winners Beady Eye Theatre.

It tells the moving story of a woman who has no choice but to leave her children, fusing visual storytelling, puppetry, achieve film footage and a specially composed score.

Trash Cuisine is an innovative and moving drama where food becomes a metaphor for life, death, morality and human endurance.

The production uses live music, choreography and stunning visual imagery to explore the issues behind imprisonment and torture.

Jenna Watt’s Flâneurs is a new piece of theatre that attempts to explore why people choose to intervene or not when someone is attacked.

And John Moran’s play Goodbye Thailand (Portrait Of Eye) presents the story of Eye who struggles to find a safe place for herself in Bangkok.

Moran is know for creating theatre performances fusing precise choreography and sound and on this occasion he is accompanied by live composer and electronic musician Daniel Williams.

Made In China presents a new production called Gym Party, exploring the psychology of winning and the nature of pride.

The plays run at the Tobacco Factory Theatre, Raleigh Road, between May 16­26.

For more information or to book tickets visit

www.tobaccofactorytheatre.com or call the box office on 01179 020344.

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6/24/13

Local festivals | weston-super-mum street

weston-super-mum street local parents out and about

Local festivals MAYFEST Bigmouth - Mayfest – Bristol Old Vic It’s Mayfest!

Half a dozen microphones and a few glasses of water sit upon an empty table of the Studio Pit at the Bristol Old Vic. A screen above displays a catalogue of names and dates – Pericles, 431 BC; Malcolm X, 1964, Ann Coulter, 2001 – in total, a list of 20 orators from History.

Valentijn Dhaenens enters the stage and begins to chant the chilling Biblical litany of the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, followed by a speech unleashed by the Grand wsmumstreet.wordpress.com/festies/

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6/24/13

Local festivals | weston-super-mum street

Inquisitor himself. That this is conducted in Dhaenens’ native Flemish with subtitles in English is a (very short-lived) worry – surely this communication would have been delivered originally in Latin or Spanish; would we be subject to over an hour of reading from a display? But no, onto the heart-breaking plea, in English, as it would have been in 1927, of the soon to be executed Italian anarchist Nicola Sacco, appealing to the Supreme Judicial Court.

And the monologue continues – some speeches are comical, some familiar, some devastating. But they all powerful and delivered with fluency, mostly in their original languages, Dhanens affecting mannerisms and accents close to those of the Originals.

Goebells is creepy, Paton is repulsive, Lumumba victorious, GW Bush puppet-like. Each and every one convinces us of the power of words, at times twisting truths, at others crying from the heart. From Osama bin Laden, 1996, to F Van Heche, 2004, we become aware of how believable individuals can be, manipulating the spoken word in an attempt achieve sometimes unobtainable aims.

If Bigmouth sounds like hard work, it isn’t. I certainly don’t know the works or, in some cases, even the identities, of every one of these historical characters. It doesn’t matter, Dhaenens’ voice, song and choices, coupled with impressive lighting and sound by Jeroen Wuyts, tells the story for us.

Excellent! Well done, Mayfest - Review by Becky Condron Zero - Mayfest – Bristol Old Vic

As part of Mayfest, Clod Ensemble presented Zero at the beautiful Old Vic in Bristol. It is directed and choreographed by Suzy Wilson and the music is by Paul Clark.

As I took my seat there were various people meandering around the stage, some in suits and some in evening dresses, all barefoot. They all sat down and a hush descended among the audience, the lights dimmed and the production began.

I can’t begin to explain the plot or story that was being told on the stage in front of me other than it was in five acts. Not because it was so deep and meaningful that language could not wsmumstreet.wordpress.com/festies/

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6/24/13

Local festivals | weston-super-mum street

do it justice but because I am still bewildered and slightly bemused.

Just to help you empathise with my bemusement: The piece began and finished with a lady in a suit walking slowly across the back of the stage, walking sticks around her neck and a tripod of sticks in each hand for support. An insect buzzing noise accompanied this.

I do not want to take anything away from the talent that was obvious before me. The ten dancers on the stage captivated and made me smile with their Lindy Hop. Some of the dancers looked ballet trained with the finesse and strength of movements. I was wowed by the music accompanying the piece a mixture of blues, jazz and soul (I think). The voices of both the male and female vocalists were superb, the songs divine. The connection between the movements and the dancing was mostly lost on me. There were members of the audience with far more incite than myself and the young man on my row whooping at the end was a sign to me I had missed something quite significant. I also overheard a young lady describing the piece as ‘just amazing’.

A trip to the theatre should be entertaining, right? Well I felt entertained so it definitely ticked the box. It would not be something I would recommend but I don’t feel it was a waste of my time. I did, dare I say it, enjoy it on a superficial level.

- Review by Cat Daynes Fuelfest - Bristol Old Vic Inua Ellams’ The 14th Tale

Inua Ellams’ white t-shirt is soaked in … what is that? Blood? Yeah, it probably is; he tells us right from the beginning of his monologue that, like his father and grandfather before him, he’s a trouble maker. A bad one, always getting caught.

Ever since he was a young boy, growing up in Nigeria, he has struggled with authority, his child’s hands attracting lashes of the cane for improvising in bible class, receiving the whip at his boarding school for his propensity to disregard the rules. His tolerant father understands, doesn’t berate him. This troublesome behaviour is, after all, part of Inua’s paternal legacy.

So, imagine his glee when, after having been torn from his homeland, crying all the way from wsmumstreet.wordpress.com/festies/

3/5

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What’s on in Bristol this weekend ­ City events 17­19 May

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What’s on in Bristol this weekend ­ City events 17­19 May 17 May 2013

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What’s on in Bristol this weekend ­ City events 17­19 May As the weekend approaches Guide2Bristol has been taking a look at what’s going on in the city this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to come up with a few suggestions for you to consider.

Mayfest, Bristol’s annual festival of contemporary theatre opened on Thursday 16 May and has a packed programme for its first weekend. Highlights include Kate Tempest’s Brand New Ancients at Bristol Old Vic; Banana Bag & Bodice’s presentation of Beowulf ­ A Thousand Years of Baggage at the Trinity Centre; and Circomedia­trained Ockham’s Razor’s Not Until We Are Lost at Circomedia.

For further information, including the full programme, visit www.mayfestbristol.co.uk.

Wonka­Vision will be hosting a special party at Motion on Friday night, to herald the start of the festival season. The line­up of DJs and live acts includes Jack Beats; Hot Cakes Live; DC Breaks; Rack N Ruin; Reso; Slamboree; and many more. Tickets are priced from £15 to £18 and are available from Resident Advisor, Motion, Bristol Ticket Shop and local shops. For further information visit www.motionbristol.com.

MoveGB, a new Bath­based company offering its subscribers a passport scheme that allows them to access a wide variety of fitness venues, will be hosting a free fitness taster day in Millennium Square on Saturday. Visitors to the event, which runs from 10AM until 4PM, will be able to take part in a range of activities including pole dancing, Zumba, MMA, Watt Bike fitness tests, Salsa and more. To find out more visit www.movegb.wordpress.com.

A B Careers are running a careers workshop at The Coach House in Upper York Street on Saturday. Visitors will be able to build a structured career plan, have their CV reviewed by a recruitment professional, obtain interview tips and advice, and share their ideas and experiences regarding the Bristol job market. The event will run from 9.30AM until 12.30PM and will cost £20 per person. For more information email info@abcareers.co.uk.

The Refectory at City of Bristol College, off Ashley Road, will be the venue on Saturday for an Antiques and Vintage Craft Fair. Visitors will find around 30 stalls selling antiques and collectibles, vintage clothing and accessories, retro items and homeware, jewellery, arts and handmade crafts, upcycled furniture, and more. Snacks and light refreshments will be available. Admission costs £1 for adults and there is free car parking for up to 200 cars.

Hot Buttered Soul will be joined by Stevie Bear and Lee Jones for Force Plus Four at The Bank in Stokes Croft on Saturday night. The event will run from 10.30PM until 4AM and admission costs £2 to £3. To find out more visit www.taskandbear.com.

Visitors to the University of Bristol Botanic Garden at The Holmes, Stoke Bishop on Sunday will be able to discover the secrets of their garden at its Fascination of Plants Day when the garden becomes a living science lab for the day to explore the hidden world of plants. The garden will be open from 10AM until 4.30PM. For further information, including admission charges, visit www.bristol.ac.uk/botanic­garden.

This weekend’s theatrical offerings in the city include One Night of Elvis with Lee ‘Memphis’ King at the Bristol Hippodrome on Friday night; Rolf Harris Live at the same venue on Saturday night; Tosca at the Tobacco Factory Theatre; How to Curse at Alma Tavern Theatre; and Westenders, a musical extravaganza celebrating 80 years of musical theatre presented by BLOC Productions at the Colston Hall on Saturday and Sunday.

These are just a few suggestions for things to do in the city over the next few days, for further information and more ideas visit the events pages at www.guide2bristol.com and however you choose to spend your weekend in Bristol we hope you have a fantastic time.

Kate Tempest

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6/21/13

'Yarn bombers' hit Bristol as bizarre 12ft knitted spider's web appears beneath underpass - Yahoo! News UK

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'Yarn bombers' hit Bristol as bizarre 12ft knitted spider's web appears beneath underpass The huge spider web under Stapleton Road railway bridge in Bristol is believed to be the work of 'yarn bombers' or 'guerrilla knitters' - street artists who make decorations by knitting or crocheting wool, or turning yarn into pom-poms.

Yahoo! News – Fri, Jun 14, 2013

To some it's a giant nylon spider's web, to others it's a 12ft doily.

Whatever the bizarre art statement is, bemused motorists have no idea how the rogue knitting project turned up beneath an underpass in Bristol.

The huge spider web under Stapleton Road railway bridge in Bristol is believed to be the work of 'yarn bombers' or 'guerrilla knitters' - street artists who make decorations by knitting or crocheting wool, or turning yarn into pom-poms.

The huge doily was spotted by Gail Boyle as she drove into work on Thursday morning.

'I've no idea who is responsible, it might be 'yarn bombing', but I crochet and I know that they are proper crochet stitches,' she said.

The intricately put-­together web project (SWNS)

uk.news.yahoo.com/yarn-bombing-bristol--nylon-spiders-web-doily-stapleton-road-railway-bridge-bristol-152953375.html#1HLvWs6

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6/21/13

'Yarn bombers' hit Bristol as bizarre 12ft knitted spider's web appears beneath underpass - Yahoo! News UK

Spider's web or giant doily? The inspiration for the project is unclear (SWNS)

'It's a massive piece of crochet and the nylon cord must be up to an inch thick.'

Last year guerrilla knitters in Bristol made a huge cloak for a Queen Victoria statue in College Green.

'This latest piece of guerrilla crochet is beautiful - it shines like a little white beacon,' added Gail.

More pictures of the week:

Lightning strikes the Willis Tower in Chicago during extreme weather earlier this week (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) 1 / 12

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