Wowza! So that was Bristol
Ferment; an abundance of brand new theatre being showcased by some of Bristol’s
very best writers, actors, dancers, musicians, poets, puppeteers, directors and
producers throughout the Bristol Old Vic in a hectic and crammed two weeks. Some
days had up to six different work-in-progress pieces on show for members of the
public to come and share their thoughts on and with each and every performance
packed out by eager crowds, there was the real feel of a festival about the
building.
The idea behind Bristol
Ferment was simply to welcome the theatre makers of Bristol to share with
audiences the scripts, ideas or productions they have been working on. It was a
fantastic opportunity for shows to get road-tested on an audience, to find out
what is working and what isn’t, and an equally fantastic opportunity for
members of the public to come along and engage with and be part of the theatre
making process.
The range of theatre on
during Bristol Ferment was staggering: From the impromptu and wild style of Ed
Rapley, who practically invited the audience to sit in on one of his lively
rehearsals, the abstract and darkly comic one-and-a-half-man-show, Mouth, by
Tom Wainwright, right the way through to the polished and very nearly finished
Grandmother’s Footsteps, a show which writer, Toby Hulse, told us beforehand he
had been working on for over 7 years and this was the first time it was being
shown to its target audience of children. The exciting thing all the
productions had in common though was an open and friendly eagerness to share
and debate, which was satisfyingly matched by the appetite and support for new
theatre by the Bristol public who really did turn up and engage in their
droves. In fact the whole event went so well there is already talk of Bristol
Old Vic doing the same thing during the summer so watch this space!
