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The Rife Team

Pick of the Week: Mayfest

Castlerock

Find out what’s happening this week on Rife Guide, including Bristol’s brilliant and unique festival of contemporary theatre- Mayfest. 

Step into another world. Forget the Bristol you used to know, for it has now been transformed into a playground of activity over the next eleven days. Mayfest is a wonder-filled festival brimming with playful, fresh and daring new theatre. Popping up all over the city, the festival isn’t limited to big old stuffy theatres- expect to see performances in parks and woodland, libraries and even on the top of multi storey car parks.

Artisitic Directors Mathew Austin an Kate Yedigaroff have put in the leg work and travelled far and wide to find the very best theatre performers. It took them months attending festivals and theatre performances worldwide (must have been tough) to invite the very best shows to come along to Mayfest.

Have a look at the programme to get a feel for the range of performances- there really is something for everyone. Step into the Fashion Machine and dare to have your clothes customised by kids, see Of Riders and Running Horses- the live band is the rider and the group of female dancers are the horses, or go and see ‘Fake It Till You Make it- about being in love, what it means to be a ‘man’ and the wonders and pitfalls of the human brain.

Starting on Thursday 12th the festival is on everyday and carries on all the way into next week- so there’s no excuse not to see something. If you’re a bit worried that art festivals are too arty farty for under 25s then fear not- Rife Magazine content creator Sham thought the same. But after visiting Mayest 2015 he wrote about how inclusive it was for a younger audience.

Dates, times, venues and prices all vary, so it’s best to have a look at everything that’s on going on and then pick something you fancy. Some events are free, but most range from £5 to £12 with concession tickets available on all performances.

Which show will you be seeing at Mayest? Or are you getting your culture fix elsewhere? Let us know on FacebookInstagram or Twitter.

More events this week:

Learn new skills and make new friends at acta’s Youth Theatre Taster Session

Chat about books, meet new people and have tea and cake at Off the Record’s Young Person’s Book Club