S T R O L L I N G P L A Y E R
A B O U T
The Show
"Memory is a complicated thing. A relative to truth, but not its twin"
From entranced boy at his father's theatre to actor bringing Shakespeare to the White House, through death and divorce, Oscar Wilde and Harvey Fierstein, falling off the stage and falling in love, Richard Sheridan Willis recounts the passions and absurdities of one actor's life.
The Programme
Strolling Player is a kaleidoscope of vivid personal memories from a long vibrant career and hectic personal life, with speeches from Shakespeare, Webster, Shaw, Wilde and more commenting on the action. Cast list includes filmstars, knights of the United Kingdom, an American president and a number of ex-wives. Strolling Player provides a unique personal journey through the magic of story-telling, drama and theatre.
About Richard (Sheridan) Willis
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon on purpose, Richard Sheridan Willis was given the Complete Works of Shakespeare as a christening present and dedicated to the theatre by his actor-director parents. He was on stage from the age of six, and after a TV and film career as a child actor, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. From London's West End to Off-Broadway and the White House, he has performed Shakespeare, Ibsen and Wilde, through to Morris Panych, David Mamet and Tom Stoppard. Television appearances include Dr. Who, Law & Order, and Flashpoint. Love brought him to Canada, where he performed most recently in the Toronto production of The Railway Children. Richard's Full Bio here
Creative Team. Click on photo for bios
HEIDI REIMER
Co-Writer
ROBERT RICHMOND
Director
RICHARD SHERIDAN WILLIS
Writer & Performer
DOUGAL ROSE
Composer
LUCAS WILSON
Technical Director
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Sound Clip
Dark Beauty by Dougal Rose
LISA DENT-COURTIER
Producer
LEAH REIMER
Designer
The Program
About Strolling Player
Strolling Player is a creative project with a utilitarian inspiration. When English actor Richard Willis married Canadian writer Heidi Reimer, they applied for his Canadian permanent residency. A particularly grueling immigration form asked him to list everything he had done and every place he had been, every month since he turned eighteen. His eighteenth birthday was a long time ago. His location and activities had been in constant flux, dictated by the vagaries and upheavals of an actor’s life. The task was massive.
Strolling Player began as a blog post giving the heart behind the bare facts on the government form, and metamorphosed into theatre when producer Lisa Dent-Couturier asked him to perform a one-man show at two art galleries in Norfolk and Brant Counties. Together Richard and Heidi shaped this accounting of one actor’s life into a kaleidoscope of memories and a celebration of theatre.