Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th May 2010 @ Bristol Old Vic, Bristol
Showing as part of Mayfest 2010, Bristol’s festival of contemporary theatre

I’m genuinely unsure where to start in describing the Forest Fringe Microfestival…The whole shebang took place in various areas of the Bristol Old Vic theatre and ranged from the vaguely confusing to the utterly bizarre. Part art exhibition, part interactive theatrical production, part gig, part magical mystery tour, there was plenty to see and plenty to involve yourself with (depending on how willing you were to let yourself get swept up in the madness).

It took me at least half an hour to work out what the hell was going on and to build up the confidence to immerse myself in it. On first inspection there seemed to be very little there but odd corners of a large space taken up with peculiar sounds and objects, but by the time I had got into the spirit of things, it was all over! I was enjoying a glass of wine and trying to make some sense of the map I was given on my arrival when an oddly dressed man slipped a postcard under my glass and scampered off. The card instructed me to follow the bird, and find the peacock trapped at the bar. Riddle me this! I found the peacock feathers in a vase upstairs and was whisked off by a man who had answered a phone ringing in the corner of the room who had been told to gather us all and lead us into town and find a man called George.

George then took us on an “urban safari”, which led to us being escorted out of Tesco by security, hugging trees and rummaging through bins in the street. I was also led into a living room with ten other bemused strangers where we were equipped with goggles, directed to a tool box full of hammers and saws, and after a little uncertainty, we got over our politeness and all ten of us smashed everything in the room to hell, then rebuilt it into what we all agreed was a symbol of hope - which for some reason oddly resembled Short Circuit with a dog. We then drank some cider and sang Old Lang Syne, left the room and resumed our wandering.

I also visited an ideas factory and submitted a postcard to a sporadically singing secretary with a large leather-bound ledger who rang the price of your idea through a twenties style till and filed it. The secretary and her setting was terrifying - lurking in a dusty corner, lit like something from a hammer horror film, singing to herself and going about her business as if you weren’t there and she could see right through you.

I listened to a man dressed as a rabbit bang a tambourine while his lady-friend wailed at the top of her lungs. I got comfy on a chez longue in the sound library and listened to the last words of twenty Americans who had been executed. After all the fun and games, I headed to the Party of Ill Repute at the tiny Milk Bar in St. Nicholas’ Market, danced by the red light at the in house sperm bank, drank some beers and wandered my bemused self home.

I realise that this review makes little sense but neither did the evening! Beforehand I had reservations about the event being horribly pretentious, but in fact, it was a lot of fun! An evening that really had to be seen to be appreciated, the Forest Fringe was like tumbling down the rabbit hole - initially totally confusing, but once I left my reservations behind, and just gave into the madness. It was a novel, unique and memorable evening. If ever the Fringe crew are back in town, I suggest you leave any expectations of normality at the door and get involved.

www.mayfestbristol.co.uk

Natalie Burns