"Such a Rich and Moving Dialogue without one Word being Uttered"

Exeunt have reviewed Mayfest 2011 as a whole here, with particular praise for Save Me and The Blind Tiger.

The Blind Tiger goes into Hibernation

Friday 13th May, a distinctly lucky night for all in attendance at the last appearance of The Blind Tiger in 2011. Hilarious acoustic songs from Hazel Winter, interesting improvised dance from A38, all singing all dancing comedy from Desperate Man Jon Beedell, a fascinating physical dance drama from Probe's Antonia Grove, some side-splitting banjo numbers from Publick Transport's Angus Barr (including the riotous Ballad Of A Plastic Bag) and a collection of poetry from Rina Vergano - the purr-fect way to end this widely loved Mayfest addition.

Endangered Species

These tigers are rare beasts you know, they won't last forever. Tomorrow Bryony Kimmings comes to reclaim the Bristol Old Vic Basement for all theatre-kind and so tonight is your last chance to enjoy the fantastical, unique and memorbale delights of Mayfest's Blind Tiger. Get yourself down there between 9.30pm and 12am. Who know's what the big cat has in store this time?

Neil Young like you've Never Heard him Before

Last night was another great one in The Blind Tiger featuring acapella performances from Bristol Old Vic's Artistic Director, Tom Morris, and local writer Rina Vergano; however, the real show stealer was Guy Dartnell. Fresh from performing his latest show in the Bristol Old Vic Studio, Something Or Nothing, Dartnell climbed the stage and regailed the gathered masses to a memorable version of Neil Young's Only Love Can Break Your Heart. Here's some raw footage of the performance:

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?

Building The Blind Tiger

Tonight at 9.30pm Mayfest's very own festival speakeasy, The Blind Tiger, will open its doors for the very first time to the public. Located in the Basement of the Bristol Old Vic, the Tiger's cubs have been hard at work over the past few days frantically putting this new bar/venue together. Here's a little taster of the Basement's transformation and a look around what promises to be one of the real unique highlights of Mayfest 2011:

 

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.

The Blind Tiger's Call for Artists

Come and show us your claws!

As you may well have heard, this year we are introducing The Blind Tiger to Mayfest proceedings which is our very own late night bar/cabaret/speak-easy type affair. We don’t want to define it too much, because ultimately you, the artists of Bristol, will bring the ingredients needed to give it its own unique flavour. But here’s the info you need…

What's it all about?
The Blind Tiger is in the Basement of the Bristol Old Vic will be open from 9.30pm til midnight on the 6th–8th and on the 11th–13th May. Each evening there will be open slots for you to come and delight and entertain our most discerning of audiences. We call for performers, musicians and magic-makers of all kinds to pitch up, take to the stage, and have some fun.

How do I get involved?
There will be a Blind Tiger sign up sheet resident in our Mayfest Café at The Parlour on Park Street. If you fancy a slot you just need to pop along and scribble your name down at some point during the day. At 6.30pm each day we will then chalk the acts up on the ‘Blind Tiger Presents’ board outside the Basement, and any remaining gaps will remain up for grabs until 9.30pm that evening.

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.

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.

Say Hello to Fierce Desmond

This is Fierce Desmond, mascot of The Bling Tiger, Mayfest's festival speakeasy, drawn by the fabulous Bristol illustrator Lucy Smith.

Don't be put off by those sharp claws and the fact his name is "Fierce" Desmond, he's a very friendly feline really. He’s asleep in his basket in the corner of the Mayfest office at the moment but make sure you're around when the big cat awakens on 6th May in the Bristol Old Vic Basement. It's gonna be special.

Introducing The Blind Tiger

9.30pm till late, Friday 6th until Sunday 8th and Wednesday 11th until Friday 13th May 2011 @ Bristol Old Vic Basement

Another new element of Mayfest 2011 is The Blind Tiger, our very own festival speakeasy. Come in, have a seat, our barman will bring you a drink. The Blind Tiger is where we’ll while away the dark hours with music, cabaret and liquor. Our tiger is a seedy beast who prohibits the po-faced.

Musicians and performers: slots will be available for sign up on the night. Mayfesters: Just turn up and see.

We are particularly excited about this new venture as anything can happen in here, and it probably will.

Keep an eye firm eye on Mayfest Twitter and Mayfest Blog for more information.