Desperate Men Theatre Company
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.jpg) Street theatre performance at the 2007 Brighton Festival | |
Company type | Theatrical troupe |
|---|---|
| Industry | Street theatre |
| Founded | January 1, 1980 |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people |
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| Website | desperatemen.com |
Desperate Men Theatre Company is a street theatre company founded by Richie Smith and Jon Beedell in 1980,[1] and is the UK's longest-running street theatre company. Now based in Bristol, England, the company aims to produce original, accessible comic theatre, and offers a variety of street animations,[2] bespoke work,[3] and creative consultancy.[4]
In 1985, Smith and Beedell appeared in Vivian Stanshall and Ki Longfellow-Stanshall's Old Profanity Showboat production of Stinkfoot, a Comic Opera. Smith played the part of Buster and Beedell played Screwy. Richard Smith reprised his role in the 1988 London production at the Bloomsbury Theatre.
Desperate Men have a history of producing work that deals with social and environmental issues, such as littering – the Rubbish Heads,[5] recycling – Eco-Pirates[6] and the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth – Darwin and the Dodo.[7] In 2007 they were artistic leaders on the Severn Project,[8] one of the UK's largest outdoor arts projects.
Desperate Men have also worked internationally, including in Beirut[9] and in Hong Kong.[9] They also developed a project as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the South-West of England,[10] and featured in the 2014 and 2016 Wye Valley River Festivals.[11]
The name 'Desperate Men' comes from a poem by John Donne – 'Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men...'[12]