Desperate Men Archive
Overview
Desperate Men have been inviting people to play since 1980, creating, performing and producing ground-breaking theatre and events in the UK and internationally.
From their beginnings in Berlin, via Amsterdam, London, Devon and finally Bristol, the company produced original, comic and musical performances, both outdoors and indoors. Never political with a big ‘P’, they nonetheless set out to challenge, disrupt and shine a light on the issues of the day - whether it was the arms trade (In the Arms of an Angel, 1995) the Millennium hoo-ha (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1999/2000) refugees (The Miracle Show, 2005 - 2008) or the absurd barbarity of WW1 (Slapstick and Slaughter, 2015- 2022).
They also developed and toured extensively a host of roving street ‘animations’ including The Pipe People, The Film Crew, The Pirates and The Rubbish Heads.
Founded by Richie Smith and Jon Beedell in 1980, the evolving/revolving personnel included Shirley Pegna as musical director and performer from 1992 and Richard Headon as writer and performer from 1995. These four became the company directors. Richard then became co-artistic director with Jon from 2005 until Jon’s sad and untimely passing in 2022, when Richard operationally steered the company till the present.
Always just a bit too provocative, they were unshackled by the constraints of regular funding and were celebrated as free thinking pioneers and for the diversity of their work.
Latterly, as creative producers, they worked on large-scale outdoor community art projects both in Bristol - Wild Street (2001), Wild Street in Foster Street (2004), Pearl Farm (2009), The Nativity Cycle (2015); and wider afield Richard and Jon were hugely skillful and creative producers of The Severn Project (2006 - 2009), were co-artistic directors of The Wye Valley River Festival (2014 - 2022) and the ‘Battle for the Winds’ mega-project for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad to celebrate the opening of the Olympic sailing in Weymouth & Portland, Dorset.
All massive collaborations with numerous local artists, local authorities, organisations and technicians. And all attracting major critical acclaim.
Jon and Richard’s award winning film ‘Washed Up’ (Rough Glory Films) was completed whilst working on the 'Bristol Loves Tides’ project as part of Bristol’s year as European Green Capital in 2015.
What the collection holds
The Desperate Men Archive consists of production files, publicity and marketing material, administrative documentation, as well as photographic and audiovisual documentation. The collection is currently uncatalogued, so please contact us for further information regarding its contents and access.
Further information
To find out more about Desperate Men and to view performance footage please have a look at the Desperate Men website
Article: 'Best of British: 25 Years of Desperate Men' by Edward Taylor in Total Theatre