Desperate Men Theatre Company Explained

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. 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]

References

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

Notes and References

1. Commedia Dell'arte: A Handbook for TroupesBy John Rudlin, Olly CrickPublished by Routledge, 2001, 978-0-415-20408-8
2. http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/print.php?sid=5854{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
3. Web site: Fairy tale or horror story - join the debate | RUDI - Resource for Urban Development International. rudi.net. 2014-12-02.
4. http://www.desperatemen.com Welcome to Desperate Men – Desperate Men – Street Theatre, Outdoor Events & Commissions
5. Web site: North Devon Journal Online | NorthDevonJournal.co.uk. thisisnorthdevon.co.uk. 2014-12-02.
6. http://www.poole.gov.uk/go.php?structureID=U45f582bd5dfd9&ref=N46B1F3E2B4EE4
7. Web site: Darwin 200: Celebrating Charles Darwin's bicentenary - Darwin and the Dodo.
8. Web site: Severn Project. severnproject.com. 2014-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716043428/http://www.severnproject.com/2007/the_artists.html. 2011-07-16. dead.
9. Web site: Santona Residence. santonaresidence.com. 2014-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20120218101928/http://www.santonaresidence.com/news_desc.php?id=20. 2012-02-18. dead.
10. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/documents/projects/phpNUC7eb.doc{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
11. http://www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk/index.php/wye%20valley%20%20river%20festival%202016 wye valley river festival 2016 at wyevalleyaonb.org.uk
12. Book: The Complete English Poems. Donne, J.. Smith, A.J.. 1971. Penguin Books Limited. 9780140422092. 2014-12-02.