"A Rich Mix of Surrealism, well-observed Teenage Gaucheness and high-speed Madcappery"

Veune have reviewed three other Mayfest shows, Operation Greenfield which you can read here, The Guild of Cheesemakers which is here and Fortnight readable here.

Reviews - Operation Greenfield and The Guild of Cheesemakers

For anyone who missed the thrill of Operation Grennfield or The Guild of Cheesemakers at Mayfest this year, never fear as online theatre magazine Exeunt have reviewed them both, here and here.

A “Roaring” Success

To say the first ever night of The Blind Tiger went quite well is like saying that Operation Greenfield is quite a good show. Punters who attended both last night will be smug in the knowledge that they witnessed something rather special.

Buoyed by the sheer excellence Little Bulb’s opera of adolescence, the doors of The Blind Tiger were swung open at 9.30pm and the Mayfest public flooded in to revel in the Tiger’s dark Parisian interior, complete with bar, lampshades, odd pictures on the walls and countless sexy corners.

The Blind Tiger’s main attraction is its tiny stage which throughout Mayfest will be used to host open-mic-esque performances. Stage set then, the first ever performance in this new space came from Arthur Duncan who regaled the packed tables with a couple of songs from a show he was in over forty years ago, the most memorable being the heartbreaking Close The Coal House Door Lad.

With a short break to set up, it was soon the turn of the amazing Little Bulb. Not content with absolutely blowing everyone’s minds with Operation Greenfield less than an hour before, this troupe of five sickeningly talented performers provided The Blind Tiger with a night of sensational sea-shanty folk numbers, each sung with the company’s characteristic warmth, humour and charm using a plethora of harmonicas, guitars, bongos, accordions, xylophones, basses, clarinets, flutes, bells, drums and mandolins.

The whole night was an unmitigated success and a riotous good time. Make sure you visit soon because who knows what other wonders The Blind Tiger has in store for us all?

Venue's Top Mayfest Picks

Save Me - Harbourside (Thur 5-Sun 15)
• Every Mayfest boasts one or two stand-out, off-the-wall delights – shows boasting Herculean staging demands (like last year’s ‘Electric Hotel’) or promising to subtly alter the emotional co-ordinates of all who see it (see last year, again, and the emotional, intimate ‘Internal’). This year’s eye-catcher is ‘Save Me’, a semaphore soap opera performed, using giant flags, by Bristol performance duo Search Party. Performers Pete Phillips and Jodie Hawkes will converse over 11 days using the flag semaphore system, building up a narrative over time: audiences, bystanders, commuters and city strollers are invited to get involved and steer the story. “Often the audience try to manipulate the piece into a love story, offering advice on how we should make up or hold out for an apology,” says Pete, reflecting on past performances, including a session on London’s South Bank. “The mood is always very hopeful – the audience are willing the connection to succeed.” SP will spend Mayfest on the Floating Harbour – Pete at Cascade Steps, Jodie on Pero’s Bridge – and will invite audiences and passers-by to decode messages and send their own. “You can engage with the performance in various ways – visually it’s quite arresting, which makes a nice contrast with the often day-to-day nature of the conversation.” Pete recommends returning to the piece often over its 11-day run, to engage with its distinctive rolling narrative. Audiences are also invited to leave their own stories of when they have been apart from someone. “We provide tags and pens for people to leave their own stories as a memorial to the people they miss, which we’ll weave into the dialogue.”

Meet The Mayfest Crew: Holly McGrane

What is your job at Mayfest?
Producing Intern

Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year's Mayfest?
I am really looking forward to Sex Idiot by Bryonny Kimmings - I have heard some fantastical rumours. If even half of these are true....heck!
I also am gagging to see Operation Greenfield by Little Bulb as I am apparently the only person on the planet who hasn't experienced this extraordinary company's work yet and I feel decidedly left out and sulky.
Also, not strictly a show, but I am going to be all over the Mayfest Opening Party like wet on a flannel. Sambucca? Bacon sarnies? Robots? YES.

I love Mayfest because...
It is a celebration of Bristol as a hub for contemporary theatre and it often challenges people to engage with their city in a whole new way.

Sum up Mayfest in 3 shiny words.
Invention. Experience. Exploration.

Meet The Mayfest Crew: Matthew Whittle

What is your job at Mayfest?
Mayfest Blogger / Blog Editor

Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?
Operation Greenfield - funny, engaging, beautiful, original.
Sex Idiot - looks like a riotous good time.
The Blind Tiger - this has the potential to be amazing and unique every night!

I love Mayfest because…
It is one of the only times during the year in Bristol you get to see such a variety of new and exciting theatre all together and everything that comes with that; the atmosphere, the people, the stories, the hangovers.

Sum up Mayfest in 3 shiny words.
Exciting. Excruciating. Essential.

Elvis, Forest Fruits squash and Stokely’s Annual Talent Competition

Here's a little teaser trailer for Little Bulb's utterly fantastic rock opera about faith and friendship, Operation Greenfield.

Action Hero’s Top Mayfest Picks

James Stenhouse is one half of Action Hero, a Bristol-based live art and performance duo who, since 2005, have been creating work that links audiences together and unifies them as part of the live event, building a temporary community.


Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?

Operation Greenfield - Little Bulb's work is amazing. They are ridiculously talented and this show is extraordinary.

Save Me - I'm biased cos they're my best buddies but this is a beautiful piece. It works best if you dip in and out over the course of the festival (it’s free!) or over the course of a few hours. From a very simple action there is a really amazing depth of ideas and feeling. Love it.

The Blind Tiger - I occasionally find the theatre a bit of an inconvenient barrier between me and a night of merry drinking so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to combine the two this year. I also love art/music/performance that is rough and ready, slightly shoddy and spontaneous so The Blind Tiger really appeals to me.

Meet the Mayfest Crew: George Monro

What is your job at Mayfest?
Producing and Marketing Intern

Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year's Mayfest?
I am chomping at the bit to see Little Bulb's highly anticipated Operation Greenfield. My friends that have seen it appear to say it is simply er-mazing. The Ice Book looks completely innovative, beautiful and magical. One of those “I wish I’d thought of that” kind of shows – cannot wait. Sam Halmarack & Miserabilites will be fantastic too - who doesn’t love a bit of inspirational interactive stadium pop in May?

I love Mayfest because…
It is ten days of fun filled theatrical delights that cater for a host of different audiences. There really is something for everyone! Mayfest also provides many (free – I might add!) opportunities for artists and audience members to meet, chat and make robot costumes together – is that a good enough reason?

Sum up Mayfest in 3 shiny words.
Eclectic theatrical adventures!

Toby Farrow's Top Mayfest Picks

Toby Farrow is a photographer, writer and Creative Director of Farrows Creative.




Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?

Operation Greenfield: I missed their last show, which according to most of the Bristol theatrical community was one of the highlights of the year. As a born follower, I will definitely be checking this out so that I can pretend I have my finger on the pulse of popular culture - and people will like me much more because of it.

Sam Halmarak and The Miserabilites: I've done various photo shoots with Sam over the years - he's a been a dead usher in a cinema, a punch drunk gentleman farmer bundled into the boot of an old Volvo, the usual kind of thing. I'm a big fan of his music and his lyrics are fantastic - he's also got the rock star stare down to a T.

The Summer House: Anything containing stuffed beavers and Vikings is worthy of my full attention.

Tom Wainwright's Top Mayfest Picks

Tom Wainwright is a writer, performer and theatre maker based in Bristol. Tom makes solo work (he's currently touring his show Pedestrian); writes plays (his first play Muscle has been produced by both Bristol Old Vic and Hull Truck and is under commission to write another for Hull Truck) and collaborates with artists from all disciplines. Tom is currently working on a collaboration with Sam Halmarack (of...and The Miserablites) through the Ferment development programme at Bristol Old Vic.

Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?

My top 3 are all unlike anything I have ever seen before:

Operation Greenfield is heart-breakingly smart and so funny, epic and joyous it made me want to jump out my seat and roar when I saw it (twice) in Edinburgh 2010.

Ousia is terrifying and beautiful. And way cool.

And Fortnight. I was a guinea pig for trials for this show and all of us lab rats became completely obsessed with it. I don't mean to sound like a nob but it's very romantic.

Ali Robertson's Top Mayfest Picks

Ali Robertson is Director of the Tobacco Factory Theatre, Southville’s dynamic and innovative performance venue and one of the primary theatres of Mayfest 2011.



Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?

I’m excited to see Tales of a Sea Journey and Operation Greenfield because they’re two of my favourite companies in the world. The Opening Night Party will be a fab night too; the start of a special fortnight.

Operation Greenfield

Little Bulb Theatre
8pm, Friday 6th until Sunday 8th May 2011 @ Bristol Old Vic Studio

We were amongst many basking in the glory of Operation Greenfield at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, amidst glowing reviews, standing ovations and a buzz like no other show at the festival. Little Bulb have an infectious energy and disarming skill which it’s hard not to be won over by, and we’re delighted that they’re back at Mayfest for the third year running.

Somewhere in middle England four unlikely teenagers are preparing for judgement day with ladders, Elvis and Forest Fruits squash – Stokely’s annual talent competition is nigh. With a stage full of instruments and an eclectic mix of recorded music, Little Bulb Theatre capture the confusing, awkward and beautifully naïve time of adolescence. The time when the once simple beliefs you held dear need re-adjusting to face the complexities of adulthood. A bizarre and visually fantastical exploration of music, faith and friendship.

Herald Angel Award winners 2010

“Recklessly talented ...insanely brave” The Guardian