History and Heritage
Desperate Men are adept at bringing history, heritage and landscape to life, whether through large-scale events such as The Severn Project or by devising characters for history walks and performances.
We have previously worked for or collaborated with organisations such as English Heritage, Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, the British Council and even the Royal Marines! Our British Council commission DARWIN AND THE DODO has enchanted and educated audiences from the Natural History Museum to Hong Kong
Recent work includes creating historical walks for an event at Piercefield House near Chepstow. Commissioned by Save Britain’s Heritage, our work highlighted the plight of this beautiful 18th century building.
We can help you:
- Programme stunning events that make the most of a particular site
- Attract new audiences, engage with communities and increase visitors
- Enable people to experience history and heritage in a meaningful, inspirational way
- Set up arts projects that leave a real legacy
We are experienced at working with stakeholders including local authorities, schools, charities, youth projects and fellow artists, and at helping all these different parties link up.
The events we produce do more than simply entertain. We are highly skilled at engaging with community participants – even hard-to-reach ones – and bringing art to new audiences, as you can see from the testimonials below. Our work can also leave a lasting community legacy, attract visitors and help increase tourism to specific areas, boosting local economies.
Get in touch to discuss the options!
TESTIMONALS
“Thank you for a really great day on friday. You and Richard were fantastic and made it go with a swing. It was great for Marcus and myself that you were compering it – as it took the pressure off us and put everyone on an equal footing, which is so important when there are lots of people who don’t know each other. You warmed us up brilliantly. Thanks for the huge effort you put into it – it really paid off, and it was a good experiment for SAVE and one I’d like to repeat.”
Clementine Cecil – Director, Save Britain’s Heritage (PIERCEFIELD HOUSE EVENT)
“How can Weymouth and Portland ever thank you for what you did last night? It was MAGNIFICENT! And it will inspire all that took part or saw it for years to come”
Alan Rogers – Cultural Co-Ordinator, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council 2012 Operations Team (BATTLE FOR THE WINDS)
“Thank you for entertaining, enthralling and exciting us. Overhead lots of great comments from inside the crowd: ‘historic’, ‘once in a lifetime’, ‘tears in my eyes’, ‘wow!'”
Weymouth, Dorset Tourist Agency (BATTLE FOR THE WINDS)
“It was amazing … The place was thick with people, thousands of them. The Lydney Festival had been putting on music for the last few years, but this year they ambushed them with art. And it was fantastic. It was absolutely wonderful what they put on. The art content of the festival was very suitable; they picked up themes from the river and twisted them a little bit. It was not too off the wall [for the community].”
Commodore of Lydney Yacht Club – co-organizer of the community festival and community leader (THE SEVERN PROJECT)