The Fox & Beggar Theater

You may or may not be aware, but there are dark and powerful forces in the universe that seek to break the willpower of artists through a slow war of attrition. 

Q: Yikes! What do these infernal monsters want?
A: Why, nothing more or less than to see us give up! To toss aside our youthful creative fire and get salaried jobs, so we may take out big loans on fancy cars and houses and begin filing away money for retirement.

Q: But aren't there national grants and foundations to support the arts?
A: Sure, but not nearly enough. Because of this, granters are pressured to reward the safest and most easily trackable organizations year after year, such as symphonies or ballets with six- or seven-figure annual budgets. 

Q: So what is to be done? Do we simply let young creatives toss aside their passion projects and get "stable" jobs that the world probably doesn't need?
A: No, we support them! But not the way a wealthy patron once supported a Renaissance painter. Because, when an artist depends on just a few large sources for income (aka, grants and large donors), their survival is dependent on these sources continuing to value them. This means that this artist is not making art for the world, they are making art for their patrons. Survival always comes first.

Instead, we must support artists the way a village supports a farm, with tiny amounts coming consistently from lots of people. Because, like a farm, art feeds people! And it feeds people best when it is free and independent and accessible.

Ok, now that we're on the same page, let's talk about who we are! [drum roll...]

The Fox & Beggar Theater tells stories about imaginary gardens with real toads in them.

[cymbal crash!]

We explore the spaces between street theatre, dance, circus arts and acrobatics, mask-and-puppet theatre, music, and illustration.

The FBT currently and happily resides at the Lookout Arts Quarry outside Bellingham, Washington and is a sponsored project of Allied Arts of Whatcom County. Founded in 2013 by Nat Allister, the FBT has performed on the East Coast at the Montford Park Amphitheater, The Orange Peel, The Diana Wortham Theatre, The UNSCA Stevens Center, The Bardo Performing Arts Center, 7 Stages Theatre, The Peace Center, The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as at LEAF Community Arts and Gratifly Music and Arts Festival. The FBT has performed on the West Coast at Oregon Eclipse Festival and Portland’s Alberta Abbey.

Our mission is to bring provocative, innovative, and enchanting storytelling to a troubled world, through a broad fusion of both performing and visual arts.