Wednesday 20th until Saturday 30th January 2010 @ Bristol Old Vic, Bristol

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!

www.bristololdvic.org.uk

Matt Whittle