With swearing, some sexual content and adult themes, Bristol Ferment returns to the Old Vic with its two-week long showcase and producer Emma Bettridge’s first public foray into this twice-yearly festival.
Bristol Ferment is a strange creature which works, often very informally, with the wide-ranging community of artists in Bristol and across the region. Some of the work is just the bare bones of new ideas and other pieces are almost ready to be called “finished”.
“Ferment Fortnight gives people a chance to see work as it emerges and to tell us what they think of the work we’re presenting” says Emma Bettridge so this is a rather wonderful opportunity for the audience.
Highlights from the two weeks include: The Wasp, the first twenty minutes of a play by London’s writer of the moment, Bath based Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Ablutions, a new show from award-winning FellSwoop Theatre, based on the first novel from US writer Patrick deWitt (writer of “The Sisters Brothers”) and Ours was the Fen Country, a piece of dance-theatre from Dan Canham whose last Ferment show 30 Cecil Street toured internationally to huge acclaim.
This year there is a designated Ferment bar, The Cellar Bar which promises to be an underground saloon of all things Fermentified, and on the first Saturday, Coopers’ Gallery will be transformed into a mini farmers market.
If you need even more encouragement to visit Ferment, there is a price offer of five shows for the price of four. Oh and make Ablutions, 19 July, one of your five – it’s the one that includes the sex and swearing.
Bristol Old Vic
Wed 18 -Sat 28 July.
Times vary
£4
0117 987 7877
Twitter: @bristolferment, &
Ephemeral digest 
Leave a Reply