Biography

RICHMOND SHEPARD has been involved with theatre and films for fifty years, as an actor, director, producer, Mime and writer. He built, owned and operated five small theatres in Los Angeles, starting what is now "Theatre Row" in Hollywood, where he produced over thirty shows, including the Los Angeles premiere of Ron Ribman's "Cold Storage," Elizabeth Swados' "Runaways," and Albert Innaurato's "The Transfiguration of Benno Blimpie, for which he won a DramaLogue award for directing. He also won one for producing ("Entertaining Mr. Sloan"), and for acting ("Cold Storage"). He produced Eugene O'Neil's "Long Days Journey Into Night," Elmer Rice's "Counsellor at Law," Tom Stoppard's "Travesties," and many originals including two musicals which he commissioned and directed: "Tinseltown" and "Captain Crash Vs. The Zzorg Women- Chapters 5 & 6." Each of these was recorded, and cast albums were released.

He directed and performed with two improvisational comedy troupes-- The L.A.Cabaret- 1967-77 and Noo Yawk Tawk- at The Village Gate- 1988-91. Noo Yawk Tawk reopened February 2003 and continues to play in clubs and cabarets in New York.

Richmond has written, produced and directed thirty short films and two features, the last "Gurneyman," co-starring David Arquette.

Richmond wrote, produced, directed and starred in five Mime shows with his company at The Mark Taper Forum in L.A. and one at The Westwood Playhouse in the '70's.

Earlier work, besides ongoing with his Mime troupe, included three years with The Living Theatre 1961-63, directing Jean Tardieux's absurdist "The Keyhole" 1964, directing "The Sound of Music" and "Briagdoon" at The Cain Park Playhouse, a 3,000 seat outdoor theatre in Cleveland, in 1965.

Richmond has an M.A. in Theatre Arts and a PhD in Communication, and has taught part time at California State University at Los Angeles and at The University of Southern California. For six years he taught Musical Theatre for The Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. He appeared on many television shows as a Mime and as an actor, including Kojak, The Jeffersons, That Girl, Dick Van Dyke (1990), etc., and has written and directed film, stage and television. His play (written with John Sinclair) "Lord Buckley's Finest Hour" played successfully in Los Angeles, London and Edinburgh and other cities. They also wrote plays "Designer Genes" and "I Could Be Short!."

From 1987 to 89 he was WNEW AM radio's "Critic-at-large" for theatre and film in New York; 1990- '94 he was reviewer for The Wall Street Transcript (92-94 for The Chelsea Journal). He edited the Performing Arts Insider for nine years and now reviews for them and for lively-arts.com. He taught at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City., and now teaches Screenwriting at St. John's University.

Summer of 2001 Richmond created a Mime troupe, and performed a dozen shows in Jakarta, Indonesia and two in Bali. 2002, he did a six person show in Los Angeles for six weeks, and then played in NY with a troupe of nine Mimes and three musicians. 2003 he created a troupe in Derry, Ireland, and performed with them. That summer he did his "Standup Mime" act in cabarets in Berlin for a month. April 2004 he created an improvisational comedy troupe in Derry, and performed with them and returned there June 2005, and April 2006. His new Richmond Shepard Theatre has just opened in New York.

Richmond's paintings have been exhibited and sold in galleries in NY and California.