SOME BACKGROUND
Beau Jest is a New England-based physical theater company known for their imaginative productions and a joyous physical acting style. Winners of the 1995 Boston Theater Critics Circle Award and the 2010 Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award, they have long been recognized for their iconoclastic approach to theater. It is an artist-run organization with a forty-year history of exploration and investigation into the role of the actor as creator, and the uses of movement and text to spark theatrical immediacy. Whether taking a full year to create an original work or interpret an existing script, the company brings their trademark blend of physical imagery and innovative staging to every show.
A strong streak of optimism runs through Beau Jest's work, and a willingness to experiment with multiple forms. Masks and puppets, historical events, cabaret artists, cartoonists, tap dancers, choreographers, and composers have been but a few of the influences on the company's collaborations. Their deep dive into the absurd world of Tennessee Williams' later works came about through a productive partnership with the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival which included three world-premieres of unknown works by Mr. Williams and imaginative re-stagings of rarely produced plays in five appearances from 2009-2025.
The artistic strength of their work has carried them to appearances around the country at prestigious festivals, three Off-Broadway runs, and hundreds of shows in theaters in the New England area. The desire for artistic freedom and a total personal investment by the actors in the quality of the work are major reasons for the company's existence. They only make a show when they want to - when an idea or event sparks everyone's excitement and fuels another deep dive into a project driven by joy and theatrical imagining. Beau Jest productions have been chosen Best of the Year by numerous papers and organizations over the decades.
Beau Jest is based in Boston, where new works are premiered before touring to theaters, colleges, and festivals around the country. One of the first companies to practice "devising" before there was a word for it, Beau Jest has always been a proud sponsor and supporter of all things physical. Actors who have worked with Beau Jest have gone on to found their own companies, to teach at colleges and universities, and to return to make a show with the company whenever possible because once a Beau Jester, always a Beau Jester.
The company is led by Davis Robinson, Artistic Director and founder. Davis began training and performing with Tony Montanaro at the Celebration Barn Theater and continued his studies in Paris with Jacques LeCoq. He has studied improvisation and choreography with Mark Morris, Pilobolus, Bill Irwin, and Lotte Goslar, as well as mask work with Ralph Lee. He has an MFA in movement education from Boston University, and a BA from Hampshire College in directing and improvisation. Mr. Robinson is on the faculty at Bowdoin College in Portland, Maine, where he teaches acting, directing, and physical comedy. He also frequently leads workshops at the Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris, ME.
Founding member of the company Lisa Tucker has continued writing and performing with Beau Jest since its inception.
Books by Davis RobinsonThe Physical Comedy Handbook
A Practical Guide to Ensemble Devising