Richard’s latest book, I Am Herod, explores the inner workings of the country’s largest Passion play (a play which details the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ). From the controversial choice of casting to the bizarre life in rehearsal, this glorious behind-the-scenes look at one of Canada’s strangest theatrical spectacles also confronts the role of religion in contemporary life and the void left by its absence for non-believers.
In the tradition of tragic luminaries such as David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Goldstein, and David Sedaris, Richard gives his congregation of readers unparalleled access to the players of the Passion: there’s Judas, who wears a leather jacket even when it’s 30˚C; the Chief Sadducee, who is ostracized for his fanaticism; Pilate, the only actor who swears; the Holy Spirit, who is breaking ground as the role’s first female actor; and the understudy Christ, the previous year’s real-deal Christ who was demoted to backup and now performs illicit one-man shows backstage.
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- “Footprints in the Sand” in Taddle Creek.
- “The Young Taxidermist of Alberta” in Taddle Creek.
- “Mother’s Day” on CBC Radio’s The Doc Project.
- “The Christmas Village Dictator” on CBC’s The Doc Project.
- “Through the Aquarium Glass” in The Walrus.
- “Sweeping It under the Carpet” in The Walrus.
- “Life After Late Fees” in The Walrus.
- “Playing God” in The Walrus.
- “The Other Side of Lost” in MONTECRISTO Magazine.
- “The Curse of Nostalgia on Millennial Television” in This Magazine.