Christopher Richards
Encyclopedia
David Christopher Richards, best known as Christopher Richards (born November 29, 1961 in Scarborough
, Ontario
) is a Canadian
actor, playwright and theatre designer.
and later Astorville. Richards studied acting at York University
between 1982 and 1986, working as a dresser at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival during summer breaks.
After graduating from York in 1986, Richards formed a drag troupe, The BoHo Girls. Taking on the mantle of Artist Director and Designer, Richards honed a style of visual comedy which would inform later works. In 1994, Richards and John Wimbs Jr. authored Molly Wood, a full length play about Alexander Wood
, Toronto's "first" gay man. Initially thought of as a vehicle for the BoHo Girls, Molly Wood, developed into a full-length theatrical production after the depth of the subject matter was fully researched. Opening at the Bathurst Street Theatre
, Molly Wood garnered Richards Dora Awards for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production of a Play, Large Theatre division in 1995 http://www.tapa.ca/doras/past_winners_90-99#a1995. Following the break-up of the BoHo Girls, Richards began collaborating with a group of Toronto comedians, whose efforts produced a series of mini-musicals. The end result of this creative teaming was The Drowsy Chaperone
. The Drowsy Chaperone was first staged at The Rivoli
on 1998, followed by a run at the Toronto Fringe Festival
in 1999. Writing in Variety, Mira Friedlander cited the production values of this version as incentive for further productions. The Variety article caught the attention of Mirvish Productions and the musical was again staged at the Theatre Passe Muraille
in 1999. Richards was nominated for a Dora Award for his Costume designs on this production. The Drowsy Chaperone was then added to the Mirvish subscription series with a production at Toronto's Winter Garden
in 2002.
Throughout the 1990s Richards was a frequent contributor to Xtra!
. Other entertainment credits include casting for TV and Feature Films http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0724017/.
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor, playwright and theatre designer.
Life and career
Richards grew up in MarkhamMarkham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
and later Astorville. Richards studied acting at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
between 1982 and 1986, working as a dresser at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival during summer breaks.
After graduating from York in 1986, Richards formed a drag troupe, The BoHo Girls. Taking on the mantle of Artist Director and Designer, Richards honed a style of visual comedy which would inform later works. In 1994, Richards and John Wimbs Jr. authored Molly Wood, a full length play about Alexander Wood
Alexander Wood (merchant)
Alexander Wood was a merchant and magistrate in Upper Canada who was the center of a sex scandal in 1810.-Early life and career:...
, Toronto's "first" gay man. Initially thought of as a vehicle for the BoHo Girls, Molly Wood, developed into a full-length theatrical production after the depth of the subject matter was fully researched. Opening at the Bathurst Street Theatre
Bathurst Street Theatre
The Bathurst Street Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at Lennox, one traffic light to the south of Bloor Street, Honest Ed's, the Bathurst Street Subway Station, and across Bathurst from...
, Molly Wood garnered Richards Dora Awards for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production of a Play, Large Theatre division in 1995 http://www.tapa.ca/doras/past_winners_90-99#a1995. Following the break-up of the BoHo Girls, Richards began collaborating with a group of Toronto comedians, whose efforts produced a series of mini-musicals. The end result of this creative teaming was The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone
The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It debuted in 1998 at The Rivoli in Toronto and opened on Broadway on 1 May 2006. The show won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score. It started as a spoof of old...
. The Drowsy Chaperone was first staged at The Rivoli
The Rivoli
The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario. The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and musical performers have played on its stage, including The Kids in...
on 1998, followed by a run at the Toronto Fringe Festival
Toronto Fringe Festival
The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual theatre festival, featuring uncensored plays by unknown or well-known artists, taking place in the theatres of Toronto. Several productions originally mounted at the Fringe have later been remounted for larger audiences, including the Tony Award-winning...
in 1999. Writing in Variety, Mira Friedlander cited the production values of this version as incentive for further productions. The Variety article caught the attention of Mirvish Productions and the musical was again staged at the Theatre Passe Muraille
Theatre Passe Muraille
Theatre Passe Muraille is a theatre company in Toronto, Canada.-Brief history:One of Canada's most influential alternative theatres, Theatre Passe Muraille was founded in 1968 by director and playwright Jim Garrard, who started the company out of Rochdale College.Its radical intention was create a...
in 1999. Richards was nominated for a Dora Award for his Costume designs on this production. The Drowsy Chaperone was then added to the Mirvish subscription series with a production at Toronto's Winter Garden
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a pair of stacked theatres in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden theatre is seven stories above the Elgin Theatre....
in 2002.
Throughout the 1990s Richards was a frequent contributor to Xtra!
Xtra!
Xtra! is a gay magazine, on newsprint in tabloid format, published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History and content :...
. Other entertainment credits include casting for TV and Feature Films http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0724017/.
Plays
- Molly Wood (1994), Lovers & Madmen, directed by Ned Vukovic
- The Boho Girls (2012)
Drag Shows
- All-Beehive Revue Salute to Mother's Day (1989) Pimblett's
- Multi-Medea (1889) 249 A Gerrard Street, Rooftop
- Make-over Massacre (1989) Pimblett's
- The X-mas Show (1989) Chaps
- Beach Party BoHo (1990) Chaps
- Scary-Boo BoHo (1990) Chaps
- The Greatest BoHo Story Ever Told (1991) Chaps
- Go-Go Mary (1991) Buddies In Bad TimesBuddies in Bad TimesBuddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company.Based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, Buddies in Bad Times is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical expression"....
(George Street)
- Vive Lava Difference (1991) Chaps
- Lost In Time (1994) Chaps
- Secret Agent Show (1995) Woody's
- Pooky Goes to Hell (1995) Woody's
- Lady Winter (1996) Woody's
- Pooky Goes to Hell (1996) The Rivoli
Costume Design
- Molly Wood (1994) Lover's & Madmen, Bathurst Street Theatre
- The Misfit (1995) Lovers & Madmen, Bathurst Street Theatre
- Rock That Rainbow (1996) Brock & John Productions, The Rivoli
- Short Leave (1997) Brock & John Productions, The Rivoli
- The Drowsy Chaperone (1998) The Rivoli
- The Drowsy Chaperone (1999) The Toronto Fringe Festival, The George Ignatieff Theatre
- The Drowsy Chaperone (1999) John Karastimatis, Theatre Passe Muraille
- The Drowsy Chaperone (2002) Mirvish Productions, Winter Garden
- This Could Be Love (2003) Brock Simpson, The Poor Alex
Awards
- 1995 Dora Mavor Moore Award Outstanding New Play or Musical - Molly Wood
- 1995 Dora Mavoe Moore Award Best Production of a Play or Musical - Molly Wood