Four things to watch at Mayfest

Selina Thompson’s Salt

May 12-13, Arnolfini

"Selina is from a live art background and she’s just come back from a journey on a cargo ship. She was on a cargo ship for two months which went from Ghana to Jamaica and back. Salt is about race and colonialism and our awkward relationship with that history. With theatre Bristol we put out an open call for submissions and Selina’s proposal was amazing. It is really interesting that she’s making this work in Bristol, a city with a very troubled connection to slavery."

Still House's Of Riders and Running Horses

May 19 – 22, Secret location

"We’re bringing Of Riders and Running Horses back to Mayfest. It was in the festival last year and it’s a big outdoor dance piece. It's completely joyful and brilliant and last year everyone loved it and it’s the first time we’ve brought a show back so really excited about that."

Theatre Skam's Fashion Machine

May 21 to 22, Arnolfini

Fashion Machine is one of the most unusual pieces in the festival.The company are Canadian and are coming to Bristol right at the beginning of the festival to do a series of workshops with 9 to 13 year-olds. They'll be teaching them how to sew, mend and alter clothes. Then basically when you turn up to Fashion Machine it's a kind of Heath Robinson tent thing. If you are up for it you get to wear a sticker that says 'I’m In', and you might get picked to give up the clothes that you’re wearing. You then wear a bath robe and they interview you and then they have an hour to re-do your clothes and then there’s a fashion show at the end, it’s totally brilliant.

We have 28 kids doing this and it's completely lovely as an experience but half way through you suddenly realise you are essentially looking at child labour.

Dead Centre's Chekhov's First Play

May 12 to 14, Bristol Old Vic

Chekhov's First Play is an example of a show that is the kind of work that Bristol Old Vic would never programme. Dead Centre are an Irish company and they did Lippy here last year and it really divided audiences. I think this is probably less divisive, but they have really struggled to get anywhere to take it in London, so it's a real coup to get the premiere in Bristol. It is European in style and has a very polished aesthetic and it will be on the main stage at the Old Vic. In the first half you think you're watching a straight Chekhov play, but you're wearing headphones. Then that breaks down and by the end there's an audience member onstage and they've ordered a Chinese takeaway. It's bonkers.

Mayfest runs from 12 to 17 May.

Read our interview with Matthew Austin here

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