As we were toasting the start of last year’s Mayfest, the nation was ushering in a new government. Since we last saw you, there have been momentous shifts in the UK’s cultural landscape. So, as once again we smash the proverbial bottle of champagne on the bow of the good ship Mayfest, the importance of festivals is felt more keenly than ever – in a time of flux and vulnerability they are an opportunity for people to come together as a temporary community, to celebrate, be challenged, provoked and moved. We hope that this year’s Mayfest programme will do just that.
From magical encounters in small rooms, to a semaphore soap opera for the city, Mayfest champions difference, playfulness and new perspectives. This year we launch a new producing organisation, MAYK, which is the consolidation of our partnership as Artistic Directors of Mayfest and the vehicle for what will be a rolling programme of celebratory theatrical events that extend outside this heady two weeks in Spring and across the calendar year. You can find out more about MAYK by visiting our temporary home
mayk.posterous.com
As ever we are hugely grateful to our producing partner Bristol Old Vic, who generously invest in the festival in many different ways, and provide the space for us to be brave and ambitious. We are also thankful to Arts Council England for their continuous support, to Bristol City Council, Arnolfini, Tobacco Factory, Theatre Bristol, Watershed and our various partners across the city.
Mayfest is a festival for Bristol, a city which we love, and which continually surprises us. We hope you enjoy it.
Kate and Matthew
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