Based in Vancouver, Canada, Richard is a specialist in contemporary theatre and performance who’s directed seven Canadian premieres of major international work including Taylor Mac’s Hir, David Greig’s The Events, Ayad Akhtar’s The Invisible Hand, Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange, Wil Eno’s Thom Pain (based on nothing), Rafael Spregelburd’s Stupidity and Jez Butterworth’s Mojo. He’s also an experienced director of plays in translation having directed English versions of plays originally written in Spanish, French, Mandarin, Japanese, German and Russian. As a director / dramaturg, six of the eight new play premieres he directed have been published – by Talon Books, Anvil Press and Scirocco Drama.
His Vancouver productions have received 67 nominations for outstanding artistic achievement in professional theatre. Other items of note include:
- Key Note Speaker LMDA 30th anniversary conference, Columbia University, NYC (2015)
- 2 Jessie Richardson awards – Outstanding Director (2014,2015)
- John Moffat & Larry Lillo Prize given to a mid-career West Coast Theatre Artist (2014)
- Jessie Richardson Award – Outstanding Production (2013)
- Jessie Richardson Award nomination – Significant Artistic Achievement (2009)
- 5 Jessie Richardson Award nominations – Outstanding Director
- 5 Jessie Richardson Award nominations – Outstanding Production
- Ray Michel Award – Outstanding Body of Work by an Emerging Director
- UBC – Stuart J. Keate scholarship for outstanding work in Graduate Program
Richard is a past President of the Canadian president of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA Canada) and has served as a caucus chair for the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). He’s taught and directed at several universities and private theatre schools around Canada including: the University of British Columbia, Kwantlen Polytech, the University of the Fraser Valley, Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and Studio 58 in Vancouver. Richard is a member of Lincoln Center’s Directors’ Lab in New York where he directed a workshop of Thornton Wilder’s The Drunken Sisters. He also participated in the Directors Project at the Shaw Festival where he directed J.M. Synge’s Riders to the Sea featuring Jenny Phipps as Maurya.
Richard’s MFA thesis at the University of British Columbia was based on an original translation and production of Georg Buchner’s Leonce and Lena (1836).
For a copy of my complete CV, or for more information of how I may be able to help you bring your project to life, please contact me through the Contact page.