Tutor in Acting

Richard is an established actor, voice artist, director and facilitator who graduated from Mountview Theatre School in 1999. He has worked in drama schools and dance colleges and is the creative director of Future Legend Media Ltd

As an actor he has toured all over the world including The Wizard of Oz, Taming of the Screw, Abigail’s Party, Alice in Wonderland and Blood Wedding. As a voice artist he has voiced hundreds of adverts, documentaries, audiobooks, explainers and computer games. He is also a founding member and lead singer of the tribute band The Rolling Stones Now, est.1998.

On a local level Richard has been involved in many projects with the BCA, The Culture Challenge and the Harpur Trust including, Culture Clubs, Dan Albone / Shuttleworth Collection, Airship Dreams, Risk Takers and History Makers, From Bunyan to The Brickworks, Women are Warriors, HT awards ceremony. He also joint founded and co-ran Bedfringe from 2007 – 2013.

Richard is an Acting Tutor and teaches across the BA (Hons) Acting and Performing Arts courses

Qualifications

• Diploma in Acting and Musical – Theatre Mountview Theatre School (1996 - 1999)
• BA Hons Performance – East Anglia University (1996 - 1999)

Membership of Professional Bodies and Learned Societies

• Higher Education Academy (Fellow) – 2022
• Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills – 2012

Teaching Expertise / Taught Modules

• Staging New Writing
• Acting in New Repertory
• Teaching and Community Practice
• Devising for Performance
• Professional Practice in Performing Arts

Professional Practice

• The Rolling Stones Now (1998 – present) Founding member and lead singer Mick Jagger in the acclaimed tribute band. Performed 100’s gig all around the UK in festivals, theatres, clubs and pubs. 25 years of strutting, pouting and rock’n’rollin’!
• Crimson Sails (2023) Guitarist in a new collaborative project with storyteller Mark Steinhardt. Initially performed as part of the Bedfringe festival, Quarry Theatre, Bedford.
• Task 7 Maximum Security (2022) Wrote and performed in a mocumentary following the security guard Terry Gilbertson as he implements his new training regime at a university in East Anglia. This is the fourth mocumentary following Terry, the previous filmed at Kings Cross, London in 2001, 2012 and 2015. Produced by Future Legend Media Ltd.
• The Discovery of 7 (2021) Led and compered a collaborative performance / lecture with Michael Joseph, Jamie Spirito and UOB graduates as part of the Bedfringe festival, Quarry Theatre, Bedford.
• Jack and the Beanstalk (2020) Played Fleshcreep in the professional pantomime at the Cresset Theatre, Peterborough. Directed by Stuart Morrison.
• The Master Diaries (2020) Performing as The Master in a comedy podcast paying homage to Doctor Who in the 1970’s/1980’s. Written and Produced with Jimmy Mann and recorded, edited and mixed at The Voice Lab.
• Hansel and Gretel (2019) Played Candy Cane Cackles, the androgenous witch in the professional pantomime at the Quarry Theatre, Bedford. Directed by Miles Leven.

Theatre work prior to 2019:

• Platonov (The Gatehouse)
• The Method (Oval House)
• Abigail’s Party & The Taming of the Shrew (Middle East tour)
• No Such Thing (European tour)
• Blood Wedding (Diorama Arts Theatre)
• Byzantium (Union Chapel)
• Alice in Wonderland & Frog Prince (Wimbledon Theatre)
• Stung (Theatro Technis)
• Squatting (Pleasance Theatre)
• Spooked (UK tour)
• The Glenn Miller Mystery (UK tour)
• An Old Fashioned Girl (UK tour)
• Robin Hood, Aladdin, The Wizard of Oz & Jack and the Beanstalk (The Elgiva)
• Hansel & Gretel (Quarry Theatre)

TV & Film work prior to 2019:

• A Slice of Cake
• Task 7
• Shot in the Forest
• Senseless
• Up the Hill Backwards
• True Identity
• The Ghost Walker
• No Smoke
• Cybergeist
• The Last Flight
• Terry’s World
• The Bees Cometh
• The Mick Chronicles

Community / Collaborative Projects

• The Best of Us (2023). Outreach project working with Sadie Hunt and Jamie Spirito with the Pathways students at Bedford College to produce a podcast though workshops.
• The Preppers (2023) Adapting a short play which I wrote, into a film for 3^rd year acting students. In collaboration with Jamie Spirito.
• UOB Performing Arts Intro Video (2022) Short lighthearted film project working with Jamie Spirito introducing the Bedford Campus to new students.
• Bedfringe Advert (2022) Creating and presenting a promo video for the local performing arts festival Bedfringe. Creating an advert each year since 2012 in collaboration with Future Legend Media Ltd and The Quarry Theatre.
• The Shuttleworth Collection (2022) Film project and workshop to students from various primary schools in Bedfordshire. Playing Dan Albone, who invented the first safety bike and tractor. Working with Bedford Creative Arts.
• UOB Spring into Action (2022) MC for a community arts day at the Bedford campus. The event was organized by Sadie Hunt.
• Airship Dreams (2020) Creating and facilitating a video-based project with Shortstown Primary School on the airflight of R101 in collaboration with BCA.
• Art Awards Ceremony (2020) Introducing and presenting awards to local Bedford school children. Working in collaboration with the Harpur Trust. Produced by Future Legend Media Ltd.
• Women Are Warriors (2019) Film project capturing a new song by the BM senior choir, Bedford. Working in collaboration with the Harpur Trust. Produced by Future Legend Media Ltd.
• Have a go Day (2019) MC for an outside community arts festival in Bedford park to the local community and highlighting dance and singing from various schools in Bedfordshire. Working in collaboration with the Harpur Trust.
• Risk Takers and History Makers (2018) Directing a local film with 6^th form drama students from St Thomas More School, Bedford. Collaborating with a local playwright and with We Are Bedford. Produced by Future Legend Media Ltd.
• What’s Your Story? (2018) Creating a short film with 2^nd year acting and performing arts to promote books and storytelling.

Contact Details

University of Bedfordshire
Bedford campus
Polhill Avenue
Bedford, MK41 9EA
E: Richard.Mann@beds.ac.uk