Mayfest

The tradition & historical record

Mayfest is an annual contemporary theatre festival that takes place in Bristol for two weeks in May. It is best known for presenting contemporary theatre but also dance, site specific, experimental, interactive and participatory theatre as well as music events. The festival hosts national, international and local artists and is run across various venues throughout the city of Bristol, including Bristol Old Vic, Arnolfini, Tobacco Factory Theatre, Circomedia and others. Mayfest has received funding from Arts Council England through Grants for Arts. It is co-produced by Bristol Old Vic. It was described in 2012 by The Guardian as "the place to go to see work that pushes hard at what theatre can be" ¹

Mayfest was established in 2003 by the then Artistic Directors of Bristol Old Vic David Farr and Simon Reade, and between 2003 and 2006 was largely based in Bristol Old Vic's Studio Theatre. In 2007, the festival was taken on as an independent venture by Kate Yedigaroff and Matthew Austin, produced in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic. In 2011, Yedigaroff and Austin launched a producing organisation, MAYK, which continues to produce the festival with Bristol Old Vic. There has been no Mayfest since 2020. List of companies and artists who have performed in Mayfest: ¹

The Suitcase Royale, Banana Bag and Bodice, Kieran Hurley, Kae Tempest, Ockham's Razor, Richard Allen, Jo Bannon, Benji Bower, Lucy Cassidy, Laura Dannequin, Sam Halmarack, Kathy Hinde, Tom Marshman, Sleepdogs, Tom Wainwright, Jeremiah Krage and Heidi Dorschler, Sleepwalk Collective, Jo Hellier, Stand+Stare, Jenna Watt, Andy Field, Tumbling Hat Theatre, Hannah Sullivan, Stephen Voake & Troy Orchard, James Wheale, Chris. Dugrenier, Amy Louise Webber, Carrie Rhys Davies, Il Pixel Rosso, Ridiculusmus, Ontroerend Goed, John Moran, Beady Eye, Berlin Nevada, Ella Good & Nicki Kent, Neon Neon and National Theatre Wales, Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe, Paper Cinema, Made in China, Chris Goode and Company, SkaGeN, Clod Ensemble, Jane Packman Company, Rik Lander, Belarus Free Theatre, The Beautiful Machine, Bodies in Flight, Heatsick. ¹

Andrew Dawson, Andy Field, Belarus Free Theatre, Bryony Kimmings, Chris Goode and Company, Frauke Requardt, Gary McNair, Jo Bannon, John Moran, Kieran Hurley, Kindle Theatre, Little Bulb Theatre, Mark Bruce Company, Melanie Wilson, Mercurial Wrestler, National Theatre of Scotland, Richard Allen, Stand+Stare, Tania El-Koury, The Other Way Works, Tom Marshman, Wardrobe Theatre ¹

Bryony Kimmings, Dan Canham, Darren Johnston, Debbie Pearson, Dora Garcia, Faulty Optic, Greg McLaren, Guy Dartnell, Jo Bannon, Leo Kay, Little Bulb Theatre, Made in China, NIE, Probe, Prototype Theater, Sam Halmarack, Search Party, Sleepdogs, Stand+Stare, Sylvia Rimat, Will Adamsdale. ¹

Ausform, Beady Eye, Bodies in Flight, Cartoon de Salvo, Curious, Dancing Brick, Edward Rapley, Forest Fringe, Jasmine Loveys, John Moran, Jon Haynes, Kings of England, Little Bulb Theatre, Lone Twin Theatre, Mark Bruce Company, Nic Green, NIE, Ontroerend Goed, Orbita, Peggy Shaw, Requardt & Rosenberg, Stacy Makishi, Sylvia Rimat, The Invisible Circus, The Master Chaynjis, Wattle and Daub, Will Adamsdale. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mayfest (Bristol)”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Mayfest is theatre festival in Bristol, England, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²