As part of my MA in Creative Producing, I worked as a part of the MAYK team on placement, mainly assisting in the production and delivery of Mayfest 2018.
Mayfest is a biennial theatre festival, turning the city into a stage for 10 days by bringing innovative and thought-provoking work to both established venues and unusual spaces across the city. This year’s festival included bringing the audience onto the Bristol Old Vic stage for a fully-accessible orchestra and dance piece by the British Paraorchestra, a live binaural audio experience based on Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers in a Weston-Super-Mare chip shop, and the incredibly moving immersive documentary experience Now is The Time to Say Nothing by Caroline Williams and Reem Karssli, which left not a dry eye after every performance.
My key duties in the build-up to the festival included venue research and artist hospitality, putting together a detailed information pack, securing freebies and discounts from a number of local businesses and arranging suitable accommodation on sometimes stretched budgets.
During the festival I was on-the-ground help throughout – helping across social media, Front of House, volunteer management and artist liaison.
Matthew Austin, co-director of MAYK, had the following kind comments to say about my time with the organisations: “Siân is resourceful, diligent and committed. They have an inquisitive and thoughtful approach to everything they have worked on, and we have been impressed by their thoroughness and determination.”
