Richard Shannon is a playwright, radio drama director and lecturer,
working mainly in theatre and radio. He read English at New College, Oxford and
studied theatre direction at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He is a Fellow
of the Royal Society of Arts and teaches radio drama and documentary at
Goldsmiths, University of London and playwriting at Warwick University. Richard
is the Chair of the Myanmar Group at Goldsmiths. This group is working to
create links with arts organisations and universities in Myanmar.
In 2010 Richard adapted Smile as They Bow by Nu
Nu Yi, an award winning Burmese novelist, for the Burmese
Theatre Workshop. The script-in-hand performance took place at
the Drill Hall. It is hoped that this production will
tour in 2011/12.
In 2008 Richard set up a new production company with Robert Gordon Clark
of the London Communications Agency. This collaboration
grew out of their work on the launch of St. Pancras International in 2007.
The company’s first project was a festival of Opera and War poetry
staged at St.Pancras International to mark Remembrance Sunday. The latest
project is Olympic Dreamer – the story of the English
founder of the modern Olympics – Dr William Penny Brookes. The company
aims to stage this large scale project in 2010.
In 2008 Richard was commissioned to rewrite his play – Sabbat
– the story of the Pendle witches. This was produced at
the Duke’s Theatre, Lancaster in 2009 and was a
sell-out. The theatre extended the run for the first time in its history.
This production will now be restaged in 2012 to mark the 400th anniversary
of the execution of the Pendle witches. It will open at the Dukes and
then tour the region for four weeks.
In 2008, Richard wrote a short film to launch the super cruiser Ventura, starring
Jonathan Pryce, Samantha Bond, Roger Moore, Peter Firth and Patricia Hodge.
From 1998 to 2008 Richard worked as the Literary Manager and
then Associate Director (New Work) at Polka Theatre.
His productions at Polka include: Shouting, Stamping, Singing
Home by Lisa Evans, Bear Stories
by Martin Waddell, Boy the boyhood of Roald
Dahl by Mike Kenny, Christmas Carol
at the Mansion House, A Palace of Gold by Richard
Shannon at the Guild Hall and Dazzling Medusa
by Geraldine McCaughrean.
Richard has directed for the BAC, The Cockpit,
The Young Vic, Commonstock Theatre Company
and a showcase of new work at the Cottesloe (Royal National Theatre).
Richard was Co-director of Independent Radio Drama Productions,
based at LBC Radio. His production of Paul Sirett’s
Vissi D’Arte was Highly Commended at the Prix Italia.
He has directed work by Simon Beaufoy and Martin
McDonagh and a number of classic serials for National
Public Radio (USA) including The Hound of the Baskervilles
starring Edward Petherbridge and Dracula starring Don
Henderson and Kenneth Haigh.
For IRDP, Richard has written over 30 radio plays and
his stage plays include: Sabbat (The Actors’
Centre), El Salvador Nativity (pub.
Christian Aid), Star Gazer (Polka tour
to the US) and Going Underground (Commonstock).
His credits as writer/director also include: The Lady of Burma
(The story of Aung San Suu Kyi), which premiered at the Old
Vic in London and went on to the Assembly Rooms
for the Edinburgh Festival 2007, ran in London at the
Riverside Studios and toured nationally. The play has
been published by Oberon Modern Plays.
In June of 2006, he wrote An Audience with William Barlow (deceased)
to celebrate the work of the Victorian Engineer, William Barlow, starring
David Calder. It was produced by London and Continental Railways
for the Architecture Biennale. Other scripts for LCR
include: All Our Hellos and Goodbyes John Betjeman and the saving of
St.Pancras starring Julian Glover and the Royal opening of St.Pancras
International, starring Timothy West as William Barlow.
Richard has directed four short films and worked as First Assistant Director on the pilot for
the feature film, The Legend of Billy the Kid.
In 2005, he directed Chuckwudubelu Preserved of God by Justin Butcher, starring Ben Okafor for BBC Radio 4.