Richard trained as a playwright at The University of Portsmouth and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His training continued as a member of The Royal Court’s Young Writers Program, The Hightide Advanced Writers Program and an internship with The Hampstead Theatre’s Literary Department. He went on to co-found Frequency Theatre, an audio theatre company which created short plays from writers across the world. Since 2013 he has been playwright in residence of Lakeside Theatre in his home town of Colchester.
Richard’s first full stage production, The Girl and The Moon, opened at the Courtyard Theatre in January 2018. The play explored the impact of caring for someone with a mental illness. Other works include a radio short for Menagerie Theatre and BBC East and two pieces featuring in The Pulse Festival.
In 2016 Richard, along with two fellow writers, were commissioned by Essex County Council to create a series of site-specific theatre performances which would encourage perpetrators of domestic abuse to seek help. Richard’s play, Surprise, explored domestic abuse within a newly retired couple. Isolated and their abuse fuelled by loneliness. Over two hundred and fifty people saw the plays live and to date online viewing has passed a million views. At least two people identifying as perpetrators sought help during the live performances of these shows.
Moved by the study by Stonewall which cited 49% of gay and bi men have experienced at least one incident of domestic abuse from a family member or partner Richard continued to write about the subject, now exploring abuse unique to LGBT relationships. In 2018 he wrote Hold, a full length play sharing the experience of controlling and coercive behaviour in a male gay relationship.
In 2020 Richard began work on his novel, The Empty Reminder, mentored by Faber Academy. His story incorporates caring for someone with mental illness with teachings from Triratna Buddhism.
Frequent in Richard’s work is how shame forms a barrier to those who wish to find help. This appears in his writing on previous projects such as mental illness, domestic abuse and porn addiction.
Richard lives in Colchester and continues to develop new projects.