Richard Croxford is the Artistic Director at the Lyric Theatre which this year reopened its doors following a much heralded rebuilding project. Having plenty of experience of ‘treading the boards’ himself after studying at drama school in England, the Liverpool-born actor and director is overseeing a new era of drama productions at the Ridgeway Street theatre.
I was born in... Liverpool
I grew up in... Liverpool and Edinburgh
I now live... in Glenavy
I was educated at... Liverpool College, George Watson’s College, Edinburgh, Southampton University and East 15 Drama School, London
My earliest memory is... from when I was three years old playing with our old boxer dog, Rocky
When I was a child I wanted to be... an actor
I actually became... an actor and a director
Worst job you've ever had... a dreadful tour of Cinderella just after I left drama school. The kids threw things at us and the director stepped in for an actress who was ill. She drank half a bottle of sherry before the show and wreaked havoc. She shouted things at us from the wings, slurred her words and turned a duet into a solo song by pushing the other person off the stage!
Best job you've ever had... my current one
The bravest thing I've ever done... paraglide off a 6000 ft high mountain
The stupidest thing I've ever done... swim fully clothed after a few drinks only to discover my iPhone was still in my pocket
The biggest thing I've yet to do... tidy the bedroom
The person/people who inspired me most is/are... my parents
The most important thing in the world is... love and respect for others
I'm very bad at... keeping things tidy
I'm very good at... keeping a cool head
I'm most proud of... my 24 year relationship with my partner
My best friend would say I... procrastinate
I like to relax by... doing Bikram yoga
My favourite saying/quote is... “The world is a stage but the play is badly cast” Oscar Wilde
The last book I read was... The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
My favourite movie is... The Sound of Music
The actor that would play me in a movie of my life would be... Colin Firth
The song that makes me dance is... Bad Romance, Lady Gaga
The song I would have played at my funeral would be... The Prayer by Andrea Boccelli
The best place I've ever been... Machu Picchu, Peru
The place I have to visit before I die is... The Taj Mahal
The last person I talked to on the phone was... my partner
The last text message I received was from... James D Reid (co-composer of The Little Prince)
If I was a politician I would... fund the arts better and ensure people understood their importance
If I won the lottery I would... travel the world and set up an arts foundation to support theatre
If I could describe myself in five words they would be... positive, friendly, vague, trustworthy and empathic
If I could invite five people (living or dead) to a dinner party they would be... Shakespeare, Marilyn Monroe, Simon Callow, Joan Rivers and Will Smith
If I could change one thing about South Belfast it would be... to have a bus route past the Lyric
My favourite thing about South Belfast is... The Lyric Theatre
