We Create Unique, Engaging, Celebratory Street Theatre from the Heart, in the Spirit of Invention, with just a Hint of Recklessness.
Reckless Invention perform walkabouts & shows internationally. We started making walkabouts in 2002 and in 2004 we made our first street show.
Previous Artistic Director, Tom Bell, started Reckless Invention at drama school in Manchester training for years with Artizani. Tom spent his younger years skateboarding, breakdancing, graffitiing and running a pirate radio station. “I have always performed on the street. The street is where normal people have to perform, it’s all they have. Swimming pools become skateparks, trains become billboards and the airwaves become alive with music you can’t hear on mainstream radio. I like the fact that people transform their environment. I like it so much, I decided to train professionally so I could make it my career.”
In 2006, as Reckless became bigger, Tom brought in fellow drama school graduate and Artizani alumni, Mike Justice who took over as Artistic Director in 2018. Following success as a stage actor Mike quickly discovered that he preferred performing in the streets as no one is excluded, “nowhere do you have a better engagement with the audience, because the work is in their towns and in their spaces. No pretence and no safety of a stage dividing you. It keeps what you do honest”.
The name Reckless Invention came from an American paper documenting the history of flying trapeze in the 19th century. ‘A Reckless Era of Invention’ spoke about how acts were developed in the early days of circus with a high level of risk by the artists creating them. Anarchy has always been an essential part of creation as it has risk.
Reckless Invention have stayed true to that spirit of within the comedy shows that we create. The comedy is anarchic yet thoughtful. It’s not easy to make an 8 year old and an 80 year old laugh at the same thing. The trick is not to patronise. Old people are young and young people are old.
You can never make assumptions; you can only be yourself and make yourself the best performer you can be.
We pride ourselves in being very adaptable. To survive in outdoor events, you have to be. You also have to be very hard working and willing to work in any weather.
We make comedy shows, so the audience must laugh or else it’s not comedy. We guarantee that we will make your audience laugh.
Street Theatre, Walkabout
Additional Areas of Focus
