Desperate Men Theatre Company

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 forthcoming bicentary 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 recently in Beirut^[9] and later this year in Hong Kong.^[9] They are also working to develop a project as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the South-West of England.^[10]

The name 'Desperate Men' comes from a poem by John Donne – 'Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men...'^[11]

References

• Commedia dell'arte: A Handbook for Troupes By John Rudlin, Olly Crick. Published by Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0-415-20408-9, 978-0-415-20408-8
• Street Theatre and Other Outdoor Performance. By Bim Mason. Published by Routledge, 1992. ISBN 0-415-07050-3, 978-0-415-07050-8
• "In situ, European artists on the road", CARNETS DE RUE collection, editions l’Entretemps, 207 p. ISBN 2-912877-53-9