Christopher Richards - Life and Career

Life and Career

Richards grew up in Markham 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 . 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 .