A TWO man show about the absurdity of war is coming to the Lyric Theatre.

Desperate Men in a Double Bill of Desperateness is coming to the Bridport theatre on Saturday, October 5. This highly acclaimed Bristol based company have put together a special double bill and a masterclass for Bridport.

One of the UK’s most versatile and inventive outdoor arts companies, Desperate Men have a 39-year track record of creating original, challenging, and accessible theatre. Risk-taking and innovative, the company through theatrical interventions and comic interaction connect with all sorts of people in all sorts of places.

Their night at the Lyric will comprise of a two-man show and a film, as well as offering a masterclass in street theatre earlier in the day.

In their show, Slapstick & Slaughter, two men recklessly attempt to confront the absurdity of war in just 40 minutes, using their bodies, their voices and the surrealist toolbox of DADAism.

Playful, physical and blackly comedic, Slapstick & Slaughter examines how the barbaric chaos of the First World War manifested itself in the nihilistic, nonsensical art that grew from it. This show splatters big ideas on a small canvas, exploring art’s reaction to the war’s wholesale destruction of lives, the old order and old hypocrisies and finding echoes in equally absurd modern conflicts. This is followed by Desperate Men’s film, Washed Up, a bleakly comic study of a creative relationship in crisis. What drives two veterans of outdoor arts to keep making vital theatre when some days they are barely on speaking terms? The creative mechanics of Desperate Men's fractious but fruitful partnership are laid bare, as they reflect on personal and collective mortality, ecological precarity, and their unique legacy of desperation. Winner of a Gold Award at the Spotlight Documentary Film Awards 2018

In their afternoon masterclass on the same day, Jon & Richard from Desperate Men will explore how they start to make street theatre. With heart, head and a sense of downright naughtiness they will look at outdoor devices such as intervention, animation, site responsiveness and invisibleness. Bridport on a Saturday afternoon may never be the same... This is a unique opportunity to work with two theatre greats.

*Desperate Men, Lyric Theatre, Bridport, Saturday, October 5, 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Workshop at the Lyric Theatre, Bridport, Saturday, October 5, 2pm to 5pm. Places on the workshop are limited, £25 per person, and advance booking is essential from Bridport TIC. Professionals and beginners are all welcome; for ages 16+. Meet in the Lyric from 1.45pm ready to start promptly at 2pm. Wear weather appropriate clothing and footwear - the workshop will take place in all weathers!

Tickets for the double bill are £12 / £5 (12-18s), available from Bridport TIC: 01308 424901 / bridportandwestbay.co.uk and BearKat Café.