"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.

Meet The Mayfest Crew: Arthur Tibbs

What is your job at Mayfest?
Canine Co-ordinator (aka Kate's pet and regular fixture of the Mayfest office)

Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?
I am very excited about Astronaut by Sleepdogs, because I am: a) constantly inspired by the awesome vastness of outer space; and b) because I am often, myself, a very sleepy dog.
The Guild of Cheesemakers from has me salivating - I am something of a connoisseur of fine cheeses. Only the other day did I find a very fine morsel of Cheshire Blue behind the sofa.
I am barking mad about Faulty Optic and I'm sure that Flogging a Dead Horse will be right up my street. I have never flogged a dead horse. I did gnaw a dozing cat once, but that is another story entirely.

I love Mayfest because…
It is a fabulous and inspirational celebration of new modern theatre that I love more than my best squeaky chew toy.

Sum up Mayfest in 3 shiny words.
Big. Brash. Beautiful. Come on, what are you waiting for? Schnauzer chance!

Tom Morris’ Top Mayfest Picks

Tom Morris is a director, producer and the Artist Director of the Bristol Old Vic, Mayfest’s busiest venue with a wealth of shows in the Studio and Basement this year as well as the host of the Mayfest Opening Party.

Which 3 shows are you most looking forward to at this year’s Mayfest?
It’s very hard to make picks from a programme which is so beautifully balanced and which is characterised by a spirit of curiosity and exploration. Some of my all time favourite artists and companies are present in the programme – Faulty Optic, Guy Dartnell and Will Adamsdale to name but three. I know that their work will be astonishing, engaging, strange and (with luck) might even jog the goggles through which you view the world. That, after all, is the point of seeing any artist’s work: to see the world for a moment through their differently gifted eyes.

However, my recommendations are for the shows I know least about – where I can trust the curatorial instincts of Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin to lead me on a journey of discovery which I never suspect. So book early and book often for The Guild of Cheesemakers by the Stand+Stare Collective (in fact I do know them having been startled out of my wits by SS Arcadia last year). On no account miss Music Circus by the strangely compelling clown-maestro Peter Swaffer-Reynolds, and in any free moment you have go to The Blind Tiger for unimaginable nightly japes and fandangles.

Whichever show you begin with, the chances are it will develop into a journey through the collective imaginations of an astonishing range of artists. Be sure to start your journey early, on 5th May, so it has time to unfold.

Best Welsh Cheese

Meet Maugan and Kim Trethowan, king and queen of Trethowan’s Dairy on Gorwydd Farm, just outside the village of Llanddewi Brefi deep in the heart of rural Wales. Maugan and Kim are famous for producing their Trethowan’s Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese, a mature Caerphilly made to a traditional recipe using raw unpasteurised milk and other ingredients which are combined and worked by hand. The cheese is matured on the farm for two months, exhibits a fresh lemony taste with a creamy texture to the outer and a firmer but moist inner, and it won Best Welsh Cheese at the 2010 World Cheese Awards.

If this is getting you salivating then maybe you should draw your attention to Stand+Stare’s latest show which is coming to Mayfest 2011, The Guild of Cheesemakers. With the help of Trethowan’s Dairy, Stand+Stare are putting on a wonderful evening of world class cheeses, fine wines, fresh breads and a theatrical mystery to uncover the truth behind the inscrutable 198, a cheese some say come from space!

Harriet de Winton’s Top Mayfest Picks

Harriet de Winton is a Bristol-based theatre designer who has been primarily designing for Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory during the past 3 years. She is also Creative Editor of Cloth Magazine.


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

Mayfest this year means cheese, pop-up books and Dame Barbara Cartland:

I certainly won’t be passing up the opportunity to join The Guild of Cheesemakers for an evening of cheese, bread and wine and what I'm sure will be a gripping evening of cheese code cracking.

I'm looking forward to Igor Corvette's Dirty Little Secret because it combines a series of performers who have been working in Bristol for quite some time, and who can claim to have brought burlesque to Bristol in the 90s, including a memorable Dame Barbara Cartland tribute.

The Ice Book's Mayfest trailer left me spellbound and regardless of my interest in design, it promises to be a breathtaking and moving piece like nothing I have seen before.

The Guild of Cheesemakers

Stand And Stare Collective
7.30pm Friday 6th, and 2pm and 7.30pm Saturday 7th May 2011 @ Secret Location

Stand+Stare with Bristol’s finest cheesemakers, Trethowan’s Dairy, invite you to become esteemed members of The Guild. Join them at a secret Bristol location for a very important meeting. You will taste artisan cheeses, fine wines and bread and, over the course of the evening, uncover the mystery of the inscrutable 198.

Rumours abound about this particular cheese. Some say it comes from space, some profess it is an elixir of youth and others simply think it’s a rather good vintage.

Twenty quid may sound dear, but the ticket price reflects what you get: cheese, wine, expert knowledge and a show all rolled into one.