An End to Desperation

It’s time to put an end to desperation.

In 2020, we will mark forty years of Desperate Men. Too many people live in quiet desperation and Desperate Men have been reflecting this in their work for nearly four decades, but now it’s time to turn the tide.

Since the company was formed in 1980, our work has expanded like the universe after the Big Bang.

We started with Jon and Richie’s two-man show, using the absurd, the surreal, smashed eggs and exploding tomatoes to explore the possibilities of live art.

Now our projects encompass huge events like the Wye Valley River Festival, which engages communities along 45 miles of the River Wye, incorporates 1000s of performers and attracts audiences of over 30,000 people. We are ‘elder statesmen’ of outdoor arts, working with new and emerging artists to help them shape their own explorations of performance. Collaboration is key to our creations.

But although the scope of our work has changed, the core of it – the B of the Bang – remains the same. We invite people to play. That play sparks laughter, reflection, horror, tears, confusion, love, anger and ACTION.

To celebrate 40 years of this kinetic energy, we plan to collaboratively produce a series of shows around the theme of an End to Desperation. A full year of optimistic, positive, constructive, and affirmative events. Inclusive, collective ideas for a future free of desperation.

We want to envision a better world free of despair. A future that safeguards our children from climate change, to realise the greatest potential of humanity, humanism, and the planet. We will be inviting people to experiment with their own capacity for action and positive change.

So Desperate Men say – A bas les désespérés. People without hope rise up! You have nothing to lose but your desperation!

Watch this space for updates and notes on future direction.

How does the universe end …?

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