Dr Richard Cuming

Biography

Richard’s teaching focuses on theories and practices of contemporary performance, especially in devised and cross-disciplinary practice. He brings his practice based research in clowning, circus and street arts into his teaching on the BA Performing Arts, BA Drama, BA Street Arts, and MA Devised Performance programmes. Of vital importance to his teaching is that he is a student himself, currently undertaking PhD research into the contemporary clown and the clown’s relationship with a range of institutions and institutional practices. This research and his teaching have both informed each other.

His publications include: reviewer for Total Theatre Magazine; many articles for Total Theatre Magazine; The Funnybones Project (ACE 1999). In addition he is Chair of the Board of ‘Platform 4 Theatre Company, a member of the Editorial group of ‘Total Theatre Magazine’, an Associate Artist for La Companie Sac a Dos (Belgium), and member of the steering committee of Winchester Hat Fair. In 2005 he was a member of the selection panel for the ‘Total Theatre Awards’ at the Edinburgh Festival; and in 2009 he was a judge for the ‘Total Theatre Awards’.

He has given papers at numerous conferences, both nationally and internationally; most recently in December 2009, at the Janacek Academy of Music and Drama, Brno, Czech Republic. His paper was entitled Fooling the Prison. The paper analysed a production of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi, which took place in HMP West Hill, Winchester in 2007, in which prisoners and students took part, and for which he was clown dramaturg.

Areas of expertise

• Clowning
• Devising
• Circus

Publications

Apart from his PhD research, Richard's outputs have been mainly performance based. The emphasis of his work is on devised performance which takes place in unusual spaces, and employs contemporary clown practices with visual performance, live-art, and site-based performance. Projects over the last decade have included:

• The Village Fete (2009)
• Café Lente (2005 6)
• The Misguided Tour (2002-8)
• The Family Outing Caravan Holiday (2000)

From 1978-2000 he was actor, devisor and director for a large number of performance projects in the fields of clowning, circus and physical theatre. He has also been an actor in the West End and other venues in the UK. He is an advisor and consultant on performance to professional companies and circuses.

He was a founder member of clown company, Zippo & Co with whom he performed from 1978 - 1985.

Between 1978- 2000 did a great many radio and TV interviews when he was a practitioner.