mayfest 2010 brochure

MayfestAdventurous theatre for playful people

7 – 22 May 2010mayfestbristol.co.uk

“A mix of work so tasty it makes you want to upand move to Bristol permenantly”The Guardian on Mayfest 2009

Mayfest is producedin collaboration with With funding from

Welcome to a fortnight of theatrical magic fromextraordinary theatre artists who are daring to dream.

In flourishing partnerships with Arnolfini, TobaccoFactory and our co-producing partner Bristol Old Vic,we bring you a feast of bold and beautiful new workfrom over 40 artists and companies in our mostplayful and audacious line up to date.

Some of these shows were made around the cornerfrom you, some come here from over the seas. Fromintimate encounters to wide-eyed spectaculars – wehope you will be as entertained, surprised and movedby these artists as we are.

Experience a fly by night hotel on Bristol’s Harboursidefor David Rosenberg’s astonishing Electric Hotel. Anddon’t miss Nic Green’s already legendary Trilogy in theBristol Old Vic Theatre. And as for all the rest….and yes, it is possible to see every show in thefestival… well, there are some real treats in store.

And remember to always keep an eye onmayfestbristol.co.uk for news of new things as theyunfurl. Because they always might…

Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin

The Mayfest TeamDirectors: Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew AustinProduction Manager: Jo CuthbertAssistant Producer: Pete PhillipsMarketing and Producing Intern: Dion Wilson

Hello

Mayfest is producedin collaboration with

With funding from

Media Partner

Festival Partners

TOBACCOFACTORYTHEATRE

A R N O L F I N I

Bristol Old Vic0117 987 7877bristololdvic.org.ukKing Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED10am – 8pmMon – Fri12pm – 8pm SatA 50p transaction fee applies to all credit/debitcard bookings and £2 for online bookings.

Tobacco Factory/The Brewery0117 902 0344tobaccofactorytheatre.comTobacco Factory Theatre, RaleighRoad, Bristol, BS3 1TFThe Brewery, 291 North Street,Bristol, BS3 1JU10am – 6.30pmMon – SatCard handling fee of 50p for 1 ticket or £1 for 2or more tickets applies for all card transactions.£2.50 fee per transaction for online bookings.

Arnolfini0117 917 2300/01arnolfini.org.uk16 Narrow Quay Bristol BS1 4QA9.30am – 6pm (telephone)11am – 6pm (in person)75p per ticket for online booking. Fortickets £10 and above the charge rises to£1.50 per ticket.

How to Book

A

There are some handy symbolswhich appear next to the events inthis brochure to show you where tobook your tickets.

Our thanks to: Emma Stenning, TomMorris,Nigel Gardner, Simon Godwin, Sharon Clark andall at Bristol Old Vic; Ali Robertson and all at theTobacco Factory; Tom Trevor, Sarah Warden,Jane Connarty and all at Arnolfini; Jan Winter atCiromedia, Bex Wade for the brilliant photosrunning through this brochure; Jill Paskins andLiesel Corp, Dan Pidcock and all at GlowMedia,Katie Keeler, Tanuja Amarasuriya, Mike Martins,Seth Honnor at Theatre Bristol, Dave Higgit andall at Venue, Claire Teasedale, Jennifer Crook,Phillipa Haynes at Bristol City Council, PhilHindson and Paul Goddard at Arts CouncilEngland, Residence, Belal Awad, EleanorWratten, Laura Márquez, TomWainwright, KatieLyle, Emmie Pryde, Fiona Watts, all ourvolunteers and ushers, and to everyone who hasmade this possible. You know who you are.

Sponsored by

MarkBruceCo

mpa

nyph

oto:Step

henBe

rkley-White.O

pening

Party

photo:RichardAn

dersen

3mayfestbristol.co.uk

CARNY VILLAGETHE INVISIBLE CIRCUS

Fri 07–Sat 08 andFri 14–Sat 15, from 8.30pmThe Island, Silver Street, BS1 2PYTickets: £12/£8Booking: bristolticketshop.co.uk

“A heady mix of acrobatics,vaudeville and wacky sideshows…downright spectacular” Venue

The Invisible Circus return as the latenight spectacle for Mayfest 2010.

Offering a selected showcase fromthe immersive extravaganza CarnyVille, the company have created itsroad show progeny Carny Village asa touring production for the 2010summer season.

As the sun sets the revels of theeternal night begin. The spectralstars of the golden age grace theboards for one last finale and theband stike up for one last cabaret!

With dazzling and gravity-defyingcircus acts and a plethora ofinteractive theatre installations, livemusic and DJs, The Invisible Circusinvite you into another world for thenight of your life…

LOVE AND WARTHEMARK BRUCE COMPANY

Fri 07 – Sat 08, 8pmTobacco Factory TheatreTickets: £10/£7 T

MAYFEST 2010OPENING PARTYFri 07, 7pm til lateBristol Old VicTickets: Free. Entry on a first-comefirst-served basis.

After last year’s riotous freeopening party, we thought we’d doit all over again. Join us at BristolOld Vic for a good old knees up toget things started.

Line-up to be confirmed, butwhatever happens it’ll be an awfullot of fun. Keep an eye onmayfestbristol.co.uk,twitter.com/mayfestbristol andfacebook.com/mayfestbristol

What is this picture?Find out on page 23…

“Bruce’s choreography has neverlooked more inventive, withclassically based moves twistedinto ferocious gestures ofdestruction or strung out intodecadent ennui” The Guardian onSea of Bones

In this heart-searching dance workof savage beauty, Mark Bruce usestheatre-in-the-round to plunge theimagination into a raw arena of theotherworld. Time shifts and figuresfrom myth and ritual collide; Godsemerge amongst frenziedcheerleaders, murderousstrangers, dogs of war andbedraggled homecoming queens.

Featuring a soundtrack whichincludes Sparklehorse, The WhiteStripes, Queens of the Stone Ageand Gyorgy Ligeti. The Mark BruceCompany are Associate Artists atthe Tobacco Factory and AffiliatedArtists of Merlin Theatre Frome.

FORESTFRINGEMICROFESTSat 08 – Sun 09, from 7pmBristol Old VicTickets: £10/£7One ticket gives you access to allperformances

Winners of a Herald Angel, FringeFirst and the Peter Brook EmptySpace Award 2009

From an old church hall in the heart of Edinburgh,Forest Fringe has spent the last three summerscreating a revolutionary new kind of space – run byartists for artists. A space full of wild ideas anddaring experiments. Its exciting and unpredictableprogramme has won it a cult following andnumerous awards.

This Spring Forest Fringe is going travelling, creatinga series of four weekend-long Microfestivals in fourdifferent cities – London, Glasgow, Swansea andright here in Bristol. Each event is a totally uniqueminiature festival, giving audiences a taste of themagic created in Edinburgh every summer.

Forest Fringe will be filling public and hidden spacesthroughout Bristol Old Vic with one-on-oneencounters, intimate performances, works-in-progress, audio and video installations, and much,much more. Grab a ticket and you’re free to explorethe building, discovering new artists and newexperiences as you go.

Artists include: Melanie Wilson and Abigail Conway,Peter McMaster, Stoke Newington InternationalAirport with their phenomenal Live Art Speed Dating,Search Party, Residence, Tim Etchells, TinnedFingers and Action Hero.

“This is the future”Neil Cooper, The Herald

“An ongoing miracle”Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

4 mayfestbristol.co.uk

DREAM-WORKBODIES IN FLIGHT

DREAM-HOMESPELL #7

Tue 11 – Fri 14, 8am, 9am, 10am &4pm, 5pm, 6pmMeeting Point: St James’ Place, BroadmeadTickets: £16/£12 (for both performances)£10/£7 (for one performance)See mayfestbristol.co.uk for full details

This year we are working once again with Arnolfini topresent three extraordinary new projects byinspirational artists. The first of these projects is acollaboration between Bristol-based Bodies in Flightand Singapore-based Spell #7.

DREAM–WORK8am, 9am, 10amTravelling through Bristol’s streets, this performancewalk explores the everyday thought patterns andconcerns of the half-asleep commuter. Wearingwireless headsets, watch and listen as performersuse movement, sounds and text to create a uniquesound world of the daily journey from dreamtime toreal time.

DREAM–HOME4pm, 5pm, 6pmDream-Home explores the return home at the endof the working day and how, once released fromwork, our desires and hopes transform ourimmediate environment into a space for adventureand possibility.

Limited capacity. Book early to avoid disappointment.Dress for the weather.

mayfestbristol.co.uk 5

INTERNALONTROEREND GOED IN ASSOCIATION WITHRICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS LTD

Sun 9 – Tue 11, various times from 2pm-9pmSee mayfestbristol.co.uk for full details oftimes and locationTickets: £10

We welcome back the genre-defying OntroerendGoed with another visceral and provocativeperformance experience. Here’s a letter fromthem to you…

Dear Spectator, We are five performers in search for apartner. We’d like to invite you to the next performance ofInternal, our individual playground, where you can get toknow us in a cosy and spontaneous atmosphere. Weguarantee you an intimate and highly personaltreatment. Please, inform us in time if you are unable tocontrol your feelings. We will provide an elegant anddiscrete solution. Yours sincerely, The Actors.

Presented with the support of the Flemish community, theProvince of East Flanders and the city of Ghent.Limited capacity. Book early to avoid disappointment.Age guidance: 16+

“A powerful, disarming exercise in humaninteraction … memorably different” The List

Show of the Year 2009 – BBC Newsnight Review

Tue 11 – Thur 13, 9pmA local boozer not far from Bristol Old Vic. Checkmayfestbristol.co.uk for venue detailsTickets: £10/£7

JOHN MORAN AND HISNEIGHBOUR SAORI…IN THAILANDMon 10 – Tue 11, 8pmTobacco Factory TheatreTickets: £10/£7

The stunningly original performances by New Yorkcomposer John Moran and his Japanese neighbourSaori were the sleeper hit of Mayfest 2009. Nowthey return from further adventures: this timeexploring the lights (and darkness) of Bangkok,Thailand. Music, dance and theatre fuseseamlessly in their now trademark style.

Don’t miss these special preview performancesbefore the world premiere at The Arches, Glasgow.

Co-produced with The Arches, Glasgow & Theater imPumpenhaus, Münster.

“I am convinced that there is no more importantcomposer working today, than John Moran. Hisworks have been so advanced as to beconsidered revolutionary” Philip Glass

“With a one-hour show, he has reaffirmed hisreputation as one of the most important figuresin the avant-garde” Time Out New York

Following their hugely successful show Hard HeartedHannah and Other Stories (Mayfest 2009), Cartoonde Salvo are back in Bristol with their new show PubRock. A unique rock ‘n’ roll theatre event set in alocal boozer not far from Bristol Old Vic.

For twenty years, One Trick Pony have been rockin’all over the UK, giving audiences exactly what theywant. So what makes tonight different? Leaps in thedark and guilty pleasures are on the set-list in thisintimate epic about a musician who can cover anytrack, except the track of his own tears.

Cartoon de Salvo is one of the country’s mostrespected theatre companies. Their cocktail ofscript-defying improvisation, live music andexceptional storytelling has won critical acclaim anda devoted following.

Cartoon de Salvo’s Hard Hearted Hannah and OtherStories was one of the Daily Telegraph’s Top 10Comedy Gigs of 2008.

PUB ROCKCARTOON DE SALVO

“There’s only one word to describe the gloriouslytheatrical Cartoon de Salvo – and that’s delicious”Wall Street Journal


6.0: HOW HEAP ANDPEBBLE TOOK ON THEWORLD AND WONDANCING BRICK

Mon 10 – Thur 13, 6.30pmThe BreweryTickets: £8/£6

The extraordinary story of two ice dancers in aworld without ice.

Dancing Brick return to The Brewery with a newplay about loss, sport and what happens whenour environment fails us. With poetic images,mime and comedy, 6.0 is a climate changeparable for our time, holding the sportsman up assomeone who does not accept defeat, whocontinues in the face of adversity, even when theirsport has melted into spring.

Winner of the Arches Brick Award and shortlistedfor a Total Theatre Award 2009.

“Brilliant… intelligent and poignant”The Guardian

�� Edinburgh Guide�� Fringe Review�� Three Weeks


THE FESTIVALLONE TWIN THEATRE

Wed 12 – Thur 13, 8pmBristol Old Vic StudioTickets: £13/£11

The final part of Lone Twin Theatre’s CatastropheTrilogy comes to Mayfest following a criticallyacclaimed run at The Barbican.

When two lives cross at a festival of music and song, achain of events discretely alters a private world todevastating effect. The Festival is a simple story of loveand expectation, of family and companionship, of themundane and the extraordinary.

Having begun with Alice Bell and continued with DanielHit By A Train, The Catastrophe Trilogy asks simply;what are the key events in a life and how do we showthem, on stage, in front of other people? Lone TwinTheatre have developed a style which is quietly joyful,moving and performed with a beautiful simplicity.

Commissioners: barbicanbite10, London; Kunstenfestivaldesarts,Brussels; The Point, Eastleigh; Uovo Performing Arts Festival, Milan; andthe Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster. Supported by the National Lotterythrough Arts Council England. Also supported by The Royal Exchange,Manchester; the Corn Exchange, Newbury and The Basement, Brighton.

The Festival will be BSL interpreted onWednesday 12 May

“The Festival is a triumph… and its blend ofsong, silliness and emotional acuity istheatrical magic” The Times��

“A delightful show from a company thatseems to have optimism, rather than blood,running through its veins” The Guardian


Photo:Fran

cisLone

y

An irreversible and chaotic shift in the world’sclimate system is already under way. A shadowycabal of the global elite conspires to bring about adrastic solution. An eminent primatologistdemonstrates the remarkable abilities of a newlydiscovered species - the Giant Mountain Bonobo.

Based on the claims of evolutionary psychology andset amidst the twin threats of Peak Oil and ClimateChange, this darkly comic new show combines liveaction, puppetry, a fact-packed text and strikingvisual effects in a provocative and compelling workof social-science-fiction.

Performed and devised by Silvia Mercuriali(Rotozaza) and Matt Rudkin, with direction fromDavid Woods (Ridiculusmus).

EVERYTHING MUST GOOR THE VOLUNTARY ATTEMPT TOOVERCOME UNNECESSARY OBSTACLESKRISTIN FREDRICKSSON

Thur 13 – Sat 15, 8pmTobacco Factory TheatreTickets: £10/£7

An athletic-puppetic duet between father anddaughter. Cinefilm, clowning, puppetry and hurdlingare used to explore a father’s life – from dosshousechildhood to dancing on graves. In this meditation onlove, loss, memory and play, we see Dad training forthe Olympics by day and dragging up by night. Withage his money-saving schemes become increasinglyelaborate, from the secrets of free water tonewspaper-stealing shoes. But eventuallyEVERYTHINGMUST GO.

Winner: Total Theatre Award (Devised performance)2009 and The Arches Brick Award 2009.

DEAN GIBBONS AND THEKNOWLEDGE OF DEATHOR THE DAY AFTER YESTERDAYINCONVENIENT SPOOF

Fri 14 – Sat 15, 6.30pmThe BreweryTickets: £8/£6

“Funny, inventive and touching” Time Out��

“I scanned the house for a dry eye but I couldn’tfind one anywhere ... Fredricksson evokes herfather so vividly and unsentimentally that by theend you feel like you know him; and for a momentor two, after the stage has gone black, you’ll grievehis passing as if he were an old friend” TheScotsman��


SPORADICALLITTLE BULB THEATRE

Wed 12, 9.30pmBristol Old Vic PaintshopTickets: £8/£6

AUSFORM

Thur 13, 9pmBristol Old Vic PaintshopTickets: £8/£6

Hold my hand, don’t let go. It’stoo dark, but don't turn back.We’re beneath a blue moon.

Welcome to Ausform – animaginary landscape full ofbeauty. An evening of puppetry,performance art, films, physicaltheatre and the extraordinary.

Since September 2009, curatorLina B. Frank has been stagingAusform Platform of Performanceat the Cube Microplex. For aspecial site specific Mayfestedition we welcome it into BristolOld Vic’s Paintshop.

Full line-up will be announced onausform.co.uk andmayfestbristol.co.uk

Come aboard the good shipOrbita and join our saltyseafarers, Dogger, Fisher andFaero – three sailors trapped ona boat, aimlessly drifting, lookingfor land. With a curiouscombination of animation,puppetry and sea shanties,Orbita take us on a voyage ofdiscovery to uncharted seas fullof adventure, romance andspindly killer fish.Developed in association with Mayfest. “Boundlessly enthusiastic,

insanely optimistic andinexpressibly charming”The Guardian

It’s the Welles-Ferry familyreunion 2010 and some ofthe more active membershave gone all out with thisyears’ entertainment. Arias,sea shanties, ballads andbeat poetry can only meanone thing… that’s right, anEpic Cardboard Folk Opera.

Mermaids will rot in brine, seacaptains will sport beards andbravado and runaway bridesdo what they do best. So graba drink and raise your glass asthe threads of the familyhistory are woven together ina glorious twist-laden climax.

DOGGER, FISHER,FAEROORBITA

THE LASTROMANCE CLUB(EVER)TINNED FINGERS

Join us for a double bill of work inprogress performances byexciting Bristol-based companies.

Tue 11 – Wed 12, 6.30pmBristol Old Vic BasementTickets: £5

We are hopeful. We are lookingfor love. We want to get lucky.We want to serenade yououtside your window at night. Wewant to give you our last rolo. Wecan’t sing, but for you, we’ll try.


Sat 15, 4pmBristol Old Vic PaintshopTickets: £6

In 1958 he jumped from therocks toward the sea, thephotograph catching himpartway down. In 2001, hewent cycling in the hills nearhis home, suffered a transientischemic attack, fell from thebicycle and for one hour,forgot his name, where hewas and where he lived. Afterthe fall he is increasinglyforgetful. This show is amodest attempt to give himsomething back. Inventingwhat we cannot remember,together we consider how toget better with age.

For Mayfest, father and sonPeter and Simon Bowes makea last return to the stage. In2009 Kings of Englandperformed at SPILL NationalPlatform, BAC, and celebratedPeter's 75th Birthday at ForestFringe.

WHERE WE LIVEAND WHAT WELIVE FORKINGS OF ENGLAND

WE ARE NOTHINGLIKE BIRDSTHE MASTER CHAYNJIS

Sun 16, 9.30pmBristol Old Vic PaintshopTickets: £8/£6

Tender, intimate, and all coveredin bird shit; The Master Chaynjisreturn to Bristol Old Vic for theirfirst live show in 2010.

After raising the roof at lastyear’s Mayfest opening party, thenoirish Bristol band willtransform the Paintshop atBristol Old Vic into an oversizednest to sing songs of loss,escape and redemption.

Developed in association with Mayfest.

FIVE FAT FISHJASMINE LOVEYS

Thurs 13 – Sat 15, 6.30pmBristol Old Vic BasementTickets: £5

I have always wanted to be asynchronised swimmer. I haveformed a team. The only problemis, it’s currently a team of one. Iam inviting you to join me for thefirst ever meet of the BristolSynchronised Swim Team. Weneed to overcome unthinkableobstacles to achieve our dreamsof international glory. Non-swimmers welcome.

Five Fat Fish uses a ‘make do’approach to transform theordinary, weaving personalexperience with fictionalnarrative to create a celebratoryand hopeful piece of theatre.Jasmine Loveys is a member ofBristol-based company TinnedFingers.

MasterC

haynjis

photo:RichardAn

derson


NO IDEALISA HAMMOND AND RACHAEL SPENCEWITH IMPROBABLE

Fri 14 – Sat 15, 8pmBristol Old Vic StudioTickets: £10/£7

This is a picture of Rachael and Lisa. They wanted tomake a theatre show but couldn’t think of an idea.So, armed with a tape recorder, Rachael and Lisawent on to the streets and asked people to take agood look at them and imagine what their show couldbe about.

Who should play the main character? Who should bethe funny one? What should the story be? Should itbe comedy, tragedy or sci-fi adventure?

What they heard and recorded was funny, heartfelt,sometimes jaw-dropping but always very revealingabout what we can (and can’t) imagine when we lookat someone.

An Improbable Associate Artist Project, directed byLee Simpson.

No Idea will have a BSL signed performance onSaturday 15 May. Please contact Bristol Old Vic forfurther details.

THE MOMENT I SAW YOUI KNEW I COULD LOVE YOUCURIOUS

Sat 15 6pm, 7.10pm, 8.20pm, 9.30pmSun 16 1.30pm, 2.40pm, 3.50pm, 5pmArnolfiniTickets: £10/£7

“A thousand beautiful moments…a rich andrewarding experience” Total Theatre

An atmospheric, disorientating and sometimesunnerving show in which film and live action mergewith sampled sound and siren song. The audience iscast adrift with only stories and half-rememberedtruths to sustain them. It’s about gut feelings; fight,flight and freeze reactions; impulse, love andundefended moments. Set inside the belly of a whale.

This is how I dream it. This is how it feels. And I am nota sailor. I cannot steer a craft. I cannot tie a reef knot. Icannot swim. But still, this is how it ends. I am outhere with the lost mariners, the castaways, theshipwrecked and the sea-swallowed.

Formed in 1996 by Leslie Hill and Helen Paris, Curioushave developed a reputation for edgy, humourousinterrogations of contemporary culture and politics.Their work as Curious has embraced performance,installation, publication and film.

Co-presented with Arnolfini.


CIRQUE DELÉGUME

Sun 16, 2pm & 6pmBristol Old Vic StudioTickets: £10/£7

50 minutes of absurd comicmayhem. Two idiots put on aCirque-du-Soleil type showusing only a chair and a box ofcast-off vegetables.

Marvel at the Veget-animal!Enthrall at the Leek of Power!Fantasize over the Onion StripTease! In these acts and morethe award-winning Cirque deLégume finds a hidden beautyin cast-off vegetables andshows us how beautiful lifecan be if we only stop to playwith it.

A hilarious love story betweentwo clowns, their vegetables,and us.

Winner Bewley’s TheatreAward at Dublin Fringe 2009.

THE POOFDOWNSTAIRSJON HAYNES

Sun 16, 8pm & Mon 17, 9.15pmBristol Old Vic BasementTickets: £8/£6

FAMOUS LASTWORDSGREG MCLAREN

Sat 15 – Sun 16,For details of where and when tofind Famous Last Words, visitmayfestbristol.co.uk.Tickets: £3, door sales only

An automatic gameshow-cum-cult induction ceremony,ingeniously built into aninnocuous looking caravan.

Famous Last Words explores thedesire for success and thelanguage of coercion by invitingcontestants to take part in agameshow that will change yourlife. There are no performers,each player is responsible for theascension of the other throughthe impossible seemingenvironments within the caravan.Can you make your way frombefuddled contestant toconfident host in only fifteenminutes? Do you want tosucceed? The answer is yes, ofcourse you do.

When Jeremy moves back intohis parents’ home he finds littlehas changed. He is stilldominated by a nagging motherand bewildered by a distantfather who dreams of goingfishing at Rhyl. In the conflict thatinevitably follows Jeremybecomes the focus of hisparents’ struggle for supremacy.

A circuitous and ambiguousblack comedy, The PoofDownstairs is the first play by theco-founder and Joint ArtisticDirector of the award-winningRidiculusmus. Commissioned byand developed at BAC.

“Very, very funny, a darkerdescendant of Tristam Shandywith Haynes putting in a magneticperformance that’s by turns dry,flamboyant, self-mocking andnear to the nuckle…exceptionallypolished” Time Out


Expect passion, beauty and up to 100 femalevolunteer dancers in this radical performance,delivered with relentless, raw energy.

Trilogy is a celebratory venture into modern-dayfeminism. This performance triptych examinesand interrogates the joys and complexities ofbeing a young woman today, whilst drivingsteadfast into the future with commitmentand hope.

Part anarchic celebration, part educationalpresentation, part reaction to the raucous,extraordinary 1970s feminist panel discussionTown Bloody Hall (featuring Germaine Greerand Norman Mailer), Green and her superbcompany give their all in a thrilling showdesigned to challenge, inspire and make wayfor positive change.

“Sometimes you see apiece of theatre thatmakes your heart sing …Nic Green's Trilogy issuch a work”The Guardian��

“Joyous, life-affirmingstuff” The List��

“It's a moment of sharedexperience that ismoving and joyful...tearscome more readily as dothe whoops and hurrahs”The Herald��

“This is the bravest, mostpowerful and trulysubversive show”Metro��

Herald Angel AwardWinner 2009. Shortlistedfor Total Theatre andScotsman Fringe FirstAward 2009.

Supported by Made inScotland and ScottishArts Council.

If you would like toparticipate in Trilogy, pleasecontact Dion Wilson [email protected]


THE ARCHES PRESENTS

TRILOGYNIC GREEN

Fri 14 – Sat 15, 7.15pmBristol Old Vic TheatreTickets: £13/£11

The flagship event of this year’sprogramme sees Mayfestcollaborate with Fuel and Arnolfinito stage our most ambitious andhigh profile outdoor event to date.

As night falls over the harbourside,the lights will go on in a uniquelydesigned, four-storey, fly-by-nighthotel, brought to vivid life throughdance and sound. Sitting on theoutside looking in, the audiencesnatch glimpses of the do-not-disturb lives unfolding behind thefloor to ceiling windows. Wearingheadphones to eavesdrop on theinternal spaces of the building theywatch the residents in their privaterooms: the natural habits andunnatural fantasies.

The privilege and thrill for thevoyeur is seeing the bigger picture.

Electric Hotel is brought to you bythe creative team of DavidRosenberg (director and co-founder of Shunt) and FraukeRequardt (choreographer, Picturesfrom an Exhibition at Sadler’sWells/Young Vic) with BörkurJónsson (designer, Woyzeck atBarbican, Metamorphosis at LyricHammersmith).

Commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and WithoutWalls. Funded by Arts Council England and aWellcome Trust Arts Award. Supported by theJerwood Charitable Foundationwww.jerwoodcharitablefoundation.org.Research supported by Jerwood Studio atSadler’s Wells and the UCL Ear Institute.Subsidised Rehearsal Space provided byJerwood Space. Developed at Cove Park.

Presented in Bristol in collaboration withArnolfini, with funding from Bristol City Council.

CONCEIVED AND DIRECTEDBY DAVID ROSENBERGCHOREOGRAPHED ANDCO-DIRECTED BY FRAUKEREQUARDT

Wed 19 – Sat 22, 9.45pmBristol Harbourside. Seemayfestbristol.co.uk for detailsTickets: £18/£15

Please note that this is an outdoorperformance. Dress for the weather.

FUEL PRESENTS

ELECTRICHOTEL

In collaboration with the celebratedClod Ensemble, legendary New Yorkperformance artist Peggy Shawtakes the audience on a journeyacross the landscape of her ownbody.

Renowned for her own genderbending autobiographical work,she recounts her extraordinaryexperiences of the medicalprofession from her currentperspective as a 65 year oldlesbian grandmother. MUSTweaves together the stories of alifetime - giving birth on the way toWoodstock, her mother’s electricshock treatment in 1950sAmerica, the loss of a loved one –with projected microscopic images,and live musicians performing apowerful score for piano, doublebass and violin.

By Suzy Willson and Peggy ShawPerformed by Peggy ShawDirected by Suzy WillsonMusic by Paul ClarkDesigned by Sarah BlenkinsopLighting by Hansjörg SchmidtMusicians include John-Paul Gandyand Calina de la MareProduced by Fuel

Supported by a Wellcome Trust People Award.This project is part of a nine-month UK-wideseason of activity about identity from theWellcome Trust. See theidentityproject.org.uk

MUSTPEGGY SHAW ANDCLOD ENSEMBLE

Mon 17 and Tue 18 May, 8pmBristol Old Vic StudioTickets: £10/£7

Image:Man

uelVasson

“Exquisite… This is open-heartsurgery of the artistic kind,performed without anaesthetic”The Guardian

THE INSIDE STORY

SS ARCADIASTAND AND STARE COLLECTIVE

Tue 18 – Sat 22, 7.30pmSat 22, 3pm and 7.30pmSecret City Centre LocationTickets: £10/£7

SS Arcadia is a floating dream town where luxury comes as standard.The life of royalty awaits you with our dazzling array of entertainments,decadent cocktail lounges and devilishly delicious cuisine. Totalescapism from the outside world, your safety is our utmost priority, sospoil yourself, set sail with us and leave all your worries behind.

Stand & Stare Collective invite you to enter their immersive world ofbizarre, wonderful and sometimes dark truths about love, lightentertainment and the state of humanity. Set in a secret location incentral Bristol, SS Arcadia layers theatre, art, music, dance, food andeven hairdressing.

Directed by Rob Tannion (Stan Won’t Dance, DV8, Complicite) and GregBanks (West End, Broadway, Minneapolis Children’s Theatre). With acast of international performers, this is Stand & Stare’s Bristol debut.Formed in Feb 2009 in Gloucestershire, the Collective has a fresh andattentive approach to making theatre, which has already attracted afollowing across the Southwest.

Developed in association with Mayfest.Limited capacity. Book early to avoid disappointment.

…FALLING FORYOUSYLVIA RIMAT & KATEASHMAN

Tue 18 – Wed 19, 6.30pmBristol Old Vic BasementTickets: £5

…the gentle fall of snow…a manfalling from the World TradeCentre…the fall of the BerlinWall…falling in love…fallingover…fallen from grace…

Performance artists Kate Ashmanand Sylvia Rimat set out to explorethe intertwined connections offalling on a literal, political,personal and physical level.(Re)creating and engaging withenvironments of falls, they searchto understand and learn from themoment of transition, the sense oftimelessness and the loss ofcontrol. A freefalling experimentwith an open-ended outcome.Anything can happen andsomething inevitably will…

Developed with the support of Arnolfiniand Mayfest.



TRIPTYCHWATTLE & DAUB FIGURE THEATRE

Wed 19 – Sat 22, 7pmThe BreweryTickets: £8/£6

Three stories about love, loss and letting go.A small, lonely figure is lured by the elusive anddangerous promise of flight; a witch within theheart of a tree demands a Faustian bargain for safepassage through her forest; and the oldest man inthe world stumbles into a Paris jazz club for onelast dance.

Triptych fuses innovative storytelling with adistinctive combination of visual theatre, puppetryand masks. Magical, lively and somewhat dark.

Wattle & Daub are a Bristol-based puppetry andvisual theatre company who play with strangestructures, striking visual imagery and theinterconnections between puppet and puppeteer.

Developed through Mayfest’s Taste, Bristol Ferment at Bristol Old Vicand the Tobacco Factory Theatre and Theatre Bristol’s Prototype.

KEEPERSTHE PLASTICINEMEN

Tue 18 – Wed 19, 8pmTobacco Factory TheatreTickets: £10/£7

Two hundred years ago, two men live and work in awooden box, seventy feet above the dark ocean…

Using little more than a ladder and a trapdoor, twoperformers and a musician conjure up the confinesof the infamous Smalls Lighthouse and the secrets itguards. A stormy tale of companionship and lossunfolds between the sweeping flashes of the lampthat the keepers tend each and every night.

The Plasticine Men are a collective of theatre-smiths,scouring the land for stories that beg to be toldonstage. They challenge themselves to simply createthe extraordinary worlds that lurk on the edge ofhearsay and history.They are Associate Artists ofNew Greenham Arts, Newbury, and supported by theNightingale Theatre, Brighton and the TobaccoFactory/Theatre Bristol Prototype initiative.


I’ve never had a happy time with computers. I’veavoided them for as long as I could but recently thishas become an impossible position.

This is a show about computers, by someone whoknows nothing about them. Lots of it isn’t aboutcomputers. It’s stories. It’s a cardboard cabaret. Askewed stand-up quest to the wiry heart of thecyber web, and into the reasons I once hit a 7 yearold girl with a stick (I was 6 and she was annoying).

Will Adamsdale is a Perrier and Fringe Firstaward winner.

A BAC Scratch Commission. Supported by ArtsCouncil England.

THE HUMAN COMPUTERWILL ADAMSDALE AND FUEL

Wed 19 – Thur 20, 8pmBristol Old Vic StudioTickets: £10/£7

Thur 20 – Sat 22, 6.30pmBristol Old Vic BasementTickets: £5

My gills are clogged with ink and I am drowning.Finally. About time.

Different every night – a show of fireworks orperhaps self-immolation. An unstoppable flow oflava. A dinner party. A car crash. Or somethingbeautiful. From a pit of snakes that bite differentlybecause they are questions, squirming over eachother, demanding answers, I write to tell you –I don’t know anything.

A snap shot, a blurred and out of focus ultrasound,a smudged impression. A faltering and a fumbling.I promise to try my best. To leave everything onstage. I’ll be honest with you: Th-th-th-that’s all folks!

The final part of a trilogy of shows which began withTen Ways to Die on Stage, and continued at Mayfest09 with The Middle Bit. Edward Rapley is a Bristol-based performer, Arnolfini Associate Artist andmember of residence.org.uk

Developed in association with Mayfest and Bristol Ferment.

WHO KNOWS WHERE?EDWARD RAPLEY

“Poetic and poignant as well as extremely funny”The Times

“Adamsdale is creating a body of work that ridesroughshod over the boundaries between comedyand theatre, making us laugh even as it asks thebig questions” The Guardian��

Human

Compu

terimage:Sh

eilaBu

rnett

CUTTING THE CORDFLYING EYE

Fri 21 – Sat 22, 7pmSat 22, 3pm and 7pmBristol Old Vic PaintshopTickets: £8/£6

Where do you come from? Where are you going?When you are miles away from the place of yourbirth, can you ever feel truly at home? Confused,fatalistic, loyal, Sachi is a young Japanese womanon a personal journey to find a ‘home’.

Inspired by true life stories, Cutting the Cord revealsSachi’s comedic yet sincere need to belong.Humorous, touching and delightfully understated,this intimate solo show is performed up close,personal and partly promenade. With magicaltheatricality, Flying Eye invites us all – whatever ourbackground - to celebrate this universal humanaspiration.

“This magical piece made us feel like the luckyfew to catch a glimpse of a mini masterpiece….”OneTaste

STAY!+ AROUND THE WORLD IN A LUNAR DAYSTACY MAKISHI

Fri 21 – Sat 22, 8pmBristol Old Vic StudioTickets: £10/£7

A dinner party has had one drink too many and nowElizabeth Taylor lifts the petticoats of a love affairthat’s gone to the dogs. Film noir collides with PetRescue in this hilarious examination of co-dependence, malicious domination and thesubversion of the natural order. STAY! draws itsinspiration from the paintings of Paula Rego, Who’sAfraid Of Virginia Woolf and Lassie Come Home.

Stacy Makishi is a Hawaii-born, London-based artist.Whether she takes on a horror film, fashion show,immigration border, or psychic intervention, herwork is infused with surreal humour.Developed with Lyric Hammersmith.

…And we’re very lucky to be getting a sneak peak ofa work-in-progress of Stacy Makishi’s new show…

AROUND THE WORLD IN A LUNAR DAYAn upliftingly sad and elegiac tale of love, loss andmoonlight.

“Stacy Makishi was simply astounding… sheruptured the building…bringing the audience tocreative climax. Makishi took us on a journeythrough a rollercoaster excavation of modernanxieties and ironies” EAR Magazine

“Incredibly funny and immensely touching”Edinburgh Festival Magazine 2009


Everything Falls Apart follows the story of two boys smuggled into theUK hoping for a better life and one man’s focused pursuit of justice atall costs. Exposing hidden stories from the murky depths of NewEurope’s black economy, join us on the London Underground for acompelling clash of cultures and the explosive end of two dangerousjourneys.

Featuring the Total Theatre and Herald Angel award-winning NIE’strademark mix of physical theatre and live music, this show exploresthe stories behind the headlines and the place where theycatastrophically collide.

Limited capacity. Book early to avoid disappointment.

EVERYTHING FALLS APARTNEW INTERNATIONAL ENCOUNTER

Fri 21, 6.30pm & 9pmSat 22, 4pm & 8pmTobacco Factory TheatreTickets: £10/£7Promenade performance.

“NIE has distinguished itself as themaker of really exciting multilingualmusical theatre.” The Stage

“This exceptional ensemble combines exquisite, highly physical actingand wonderfully integrated live music.” Daily Telegraph on The End ofEverything Ever


KITCHEN SINK DRAMAONCE–ARTS&CEREMONIES

Fri 7 – Sat 22, £15

WONDERMARTROTOZAZA

Fri 7 – Sat 22, £5

Wondermart takes a mischievousswipe at the dominance ofsupermarket culture andconsumerism. This interactiveaudio tour takes you on a journeyof rediscovery through thefamiliar surroundings of yourlocal supermarket. Wearingheadphones, you are guidedaround the aisles immersed in aprivate world, as the carefullyconstructed soundscape overlaysa fictional world that blurs thereal with the imaginary.

Rotozaza return to Mayfest withanother playful audioperformance experience.

Book your audio tour by visitingmayfestbristol.co.uk or by callingBristol Old Vic or Tobacco FactoryBox Office. You can eitherdownload the specially createdtrack onto your MP3 player, orborrow one off us. For moreinformation, visit the Mayfestwebsite.

By Silvia Mercuriali withTommaso Perego and MattRudkin.

Once – arts & ceremoniespresent a new piece in their TableTop Theatre series… You willreceive a mystery parcel in thepost containing all you need foryou and a friend to create aunique miniature performance inyour own kitchen.

A voyage from plughole to rollingseas, Kitchen Sink Dramatransports players and theirkitchen sinks out of the humdrumand onto enchanting journeys –turning your washing up into ameditation on your ambitions andplace in the world.

Once are creators of poetichappenings and magicalperformances, marking the day today and the extraordinary of ourlives. Their Table Top Theatreseries also includes Valentines for2, which begins when twostrangers meet on a train; Picnic,an outdoor British seasideadventure; and On a Winter’sNight, a woodland fable.

Book delivery of your parcel bycalling Bristol Old Vic Box Office ororder online from once.uk.com


No theatre, no actors, no set. Running throughout thefestival are two performance experiences which placeyou centre stage. Wander through the aisles of asupermarket or create a miniature performance with afriend in your kitchen sink…

This being a festival, there will of course bea hive of additional activity taking placearound and about the shows detailed in thisbrochure. Live music, workshops, post-showdiscussions, artists breakfasts, secretparties and more will all be bursting ontothe performance calendar this May.

Sounds great - how do I find out what’sgoing on?

Regular updates on mayfestbristol.co.uk,facebook.com/mayfestbristol andtwitter.com/mayfestbristol will flashbreaking news of what each day and nighthas to offer including ticket deals,impromptu performances/interventions andany other important information. A strand of

discussion events curated in collaborationwith Theatre Bristol – all free - will bepopping up left right and centre. And asprinkling of skills-based workshops led bysome of our visiting artists will also be onthe menu. So if you fancy getting involved insome of these, or you just want to comealong and meet the artists - we’ve laid it allon.

You can join us on pretty much any web 2.0buzz site there is: Facebook, Twitter,YouTube, MySpace, Vimeo and Flickr.

But as ever, the best way to find anythingout is to pop into one of our host venuesand ask us. See you there.

Get Involved

p2-3:Mayfest Office

p4-5:Corridor atBristol Old Vic

p6-7:The Brewery

p9:Barrel in the barTobacco Factory

p10-11:Bristol Old VicPaintshop

p12:Arnolfini

p13:Royal Crest atBristol Old Vic

p17:Noticeboard atTobacco Factory

p18-19:Rollerdoors atThe Brewery

p20-21:Bristol Old Vic

p22:The TobaccoFactory Theatre

p23:Rehearsal roomat Bristol Old Vic

What Is That Picture? Those places and spaces revealed…

boxoffice +44 (0)117 922 3686 www.colstonhall.org

wednesday 7 april

jerry dammers’spatial a.k.aorchestra

jerry dammersand his 19 pieceorchestra pay tribute

to the cosmicjazz of sun ra andspiritual reggae of

cedric ‘im’ brookes.

tickets: £21, £19,£17, students £10

friday 30 aprilrokia traoré andsweet billy pilgrim

‘arguably the most

exciting, mostthrilling live african

music show around.’

time out

tickets: £17.50

saturday 1 maylee ‘scratch’ perry

reggae’s mostinfluential fatherfigure and musical

trailblazer. catchhis thrilling liveshows while he’s still

touring.

doors 8.30pm,tickets: £25

friday 7 maythe passion ofjoan of arc

adrian utley(portishead) and will

gregory (goldfrapp)

plus special guest

musicians perform

their new score for

the classic 1928silent film.

8pm, tickets: £17, £5

Event Management · Production Services · Theming · Special Projects

FRIDAY 7 SATURDAY 8 SUNDAY 9 MONDAY 1

Arnolfini

Bridewell Island Carnyvillage, 8.30pm

Bristol Old Vic Basement

Mayfest 2010Opening Party, 7pm

Forest Fringe Microfest, from 7pm

Bristol Old Vic Paintshop Forest Fringe Microfest, from 7pm

Bristol Old Vic Studio Forest Fringe Microfest, from 7pm

Bristol Old Vic Theatre Forest Fringe Microfest, from 7pm

The Brewery 6.0: How H

Tobacco Factory Theatre Love and War, 8pm John Moran

Site-specific Internal, 2pm - 9pm

Site-specific

Site-specific Wondermart / Kitchen Sink Drama

SATURDAY 15 SUNDAY 16 MONDAY 17 TUESDAY 1

Arnolfini The Moment I Saw You..., various times

Bridwell Island Carnyvillage, 8.30pm

Bristol Old Vic Basement Five Fat Fish, 6.30pm Jon Haynes 8pm Jon Haynes 9.15pm …Falling Fo

Bristol Old Vic Paintshop Where We Live... 4pm We Are Nothing... 9.30pm

Bristol Old Vic Studio No Idea, 8pm Cirque de... 2& 6pm MUST, 8pm

Bristol Old Vic Theatre Trilogy, 7.15pm

The Brewery Dean Gibbons, 6.30pm

Tobacco Factory Theatre Everything Must Go, 8pm Keepers, 8

Site-specific SS Arcadia

Site-specific Famous Last Words, various times

Site-specific Wondermart / Kitchen Sink Drama

Diary Ticket Deals and OffersRemember to keep an eye onmayfestbristol.co.uk,twitter.com/mayfestbristol andfacebook.com/mayfestbristol forticket deals and offers.

10 TUESDAY 11 WEDNESDAY 12 THURSDAY 13 FRIDAY 14

Carnyvillage, 8.30pm

Dogger, Fisher, Faero/The Last Romance 6.30pm Five Fat Fish, 6.30pm

Sporadical, 9.30pm Ausform, 9pm

The Festival, 8pm The Festival, 8pm No Idea, 8pm

Trilogy, 7.15pm

Heap and Pebble Took on the World and Won, 6.30pm Dean Gibbons... 6.30pm

n and His Neighbour Saori, 8pm Everything Must Go, 8pm

Dream-Work / Dream-Home, 8am, 9am, 10am & 4pm, 5pm 6pm

Pub Rock, 7.30pm

18 WEDNESDAY 19 THURSDAY 20 FRIDAY 21 SATURDAY 22

or You 6.30pm Who Knows Where, 6.30pm

Cutting the Cord, 7pm Cutting the Cord, 3& 7pm

The Human Computer, 8pm STAY!, 8pm

Triptych, 7pm

8pm Everything Falls Apart, various times

, 7.30pm (matinee 3pm Saturday)

Electric Hotel, 9.45pm

Bristol Old Vic0117 987 7877bristololdvic.org.ukKing Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED

10am – 8pmMon – Fri12pm – 8pm SatA 50p transaction fee applies to allcredit/debit card bookings and £2for online bookings.

Tobacco Factory0117 902 0344tobaccofactorytheatre.comRaleigh Road, Bristol, BS3 1TF

10am – 6.30pmMon – SatCard handling fee of 50p for 1ticket or £1 for 2 or more ticketsapplies for all card transactions.£2.50 fee per transaction foronline bookings.

Arnolfini0117 917 2300/01arnolfini.org.uk16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA

9.30am – 6pm (telephone)11am – 6pm (in person)75p per ticket for online booking.For tickets £10 and above thecharge rises to £1.50 per ticket.

BSL interpreted performance

mayfest 2010 brochure

Documents