Staff Profile
R.J. Richardson
PhD Researcher (Creative Writing), Casual Academic
I hold a B.A. (Hons.) from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, PGCE (English method) from the University of Bristol and M.A. (Distinction) from York St John University.
My thesis explores the concept of authenticity in historically-set, long-form drama, through the creation and analysis of the opening season of a series set in New York City in 1945, under the guidance of Professor Robert Edgar.
Alongside my series, I am currently developing two collections of short stories and a magic realism crossover-novel.
- School – School of Humanities
- Email – r.richardson@yorksj.ac.uk
Teaching
I teach on the B.A. (Hons.) Creative Writing degree in areas of scriptwriting, genre and dissertation supervision.
Research
Research interests lie at the intersection of historical events and fictional narrative, the nature of authenticity for a writer, the effect of music on the writing process, dialogue and accent, language as music and character psychology.
Previous work has traversed theatre and screen: performance, direction, dramaturgy and devising. My M.A. thesis explored the genre of Film Noir and my undergraduate thesis considered the use of musical motifs in the work of Stephen Sondheim.
Professional Activities
WRITER
'Decoy' (York Literature Festival, 2015) • 蛇体 'Jatai' and 'Dark Corner' (Beyond the Walls, 2015). • Commercial work (including pieces for Dulux / Orillo Films). • 'Ronald Reagan's 1984' (2024, Palgrave Macmillan) with Dr. James Cooper and Bailey Schwab. •
DIRECTOR
'Rat in the Skull' (Central) • 'A Clockwork Orange' (co-director, Central) • 'One Man's Heaven...' (Hampstead Theatre) • 'Merrily We Roll Along' • 'City of Angels' • 'Little Shop of Horrors' • 'Hamlet' (Tobacco Factory, Bristol) •
ACTOR
• At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: 'Kindertransport', 'Abducting Diana', 'Black Comedy', 'Alice', 'The Recruiting Officer', 'Widows', 'Once a Catholic'. • 'Myth Breakers' (Minack Theatre) • 'A Clockwork Orange' (Central). • Elsewhere: 'Cabaret', 'The Sound of Music', 'Kiss Me Kate', 'Sweeney Todd'.
FACILITATOR / EDUCATOR
• Visiting Lecturer at York St John University • Head of Drama (Secondary) • Teacher of English • Workshop facilitator (theatre and film).
Publications
Published
Richardson, R.J. 蛇体 ‘Jatai’ and ‘Blind Corner’ in Welsch, JT (ed.) (2015) Beyond the Walls, York, York St. John University.
In production:
Cooper, J., Richardson, R.J., Schwab, B. (2024) Ronald Reagan's 1984 Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. (currently in production, est. March 2024, reference to be confirmed).
