Cody Renard Richard Opens Doors for Future Theater Leaders

For Houston native Cody Renard Richard, a life in the theater was never part of the plan. “None of my family saw this coming. I don’t even think I saw this coming,” he reveals. “My entire family are cowboys and cowgirls. I was sort of birthed into the rodeo culture.”

Indeed, Richard imagined a future that looked much like the one around him. But that changed when a high school counselor encouraged him to channel his energy into something new. “I was sort of like the class clown,” he recalls. “My counselor told me I need to pick up an extracurricular activity, and they led me to the theater club.”

His initial reaction to that club was profound. “I just felt at home there. It gave me a sense of purpose that I didn’t really know I was looking for.” That led Richard to pursue theater more seriously, eventually landing him at the Alley Theatre for an internship just before college.

Although he was nervous about taking that internship because of his “very humble beginnings,” the experience grounded him in the realities of professional theater and gave him a critical early boost. “They really took me under their wings and showed me what it’s like to work in a professional theater,” he says.

Years later, Sara Mills, his first connection to the Alley Theatre, would open the door to his first major opportunity in New York. “She remembered my work from The Alley,” he says about her offering him a stage manager job with Cirque du Soleil. “You have the perfect disposition for this show. I think your energy would fit this team. I know you’re a good communicator. The rest we can figure out,” she told him.

Today, Richard has worked on more than 20 Broadway productions as both a stage manager and a producer, including Tony Award-winning shows like A Strange Loop and Parade. “To be able to realize my dreams, but then to do it 25 times over, it’s really kind of remarkable,” he says.

For Richard, the work has never been just about the show itself. It is about the people behind it. “I want to work with humans who care about humans and who have similar morals and goals as me,” he explains. That perspective is especially evident in his work this season, where he has stage-managed both the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Ragtime and the Broadway transfer of CATS: The Jellicle Ball.

“It’s tiring. It’s exhausting. It’s rewarding. It’s amazing. It’s epic,” he says of balancing both productions. Yet, at the center of that work is a philosophy that guides everything he does. “I would say my job is really just to care for the individuals.”

That care manifests differently depending on the production. In Ragtime, it means supporting artists through material that is historically and emotionally resonant. In CATS: The Jellicle Ball, it means creating space for performers to fully embody themselves.

“This is the first time that a production has featured a prominent number of trans women,” he explains about CATS. “Offering the care and the space for them to be free to do the thing that they do is my main job.”

More broadly, Richard sees stage management as the connective force that keeps a production moving forward. “Putting on a Broadway show is a team effort. It’s a team sport,” he points out. “One of the main jobs as a stage manager is to bring all of these different worlds within the production together and to make sure that we’re all talking.”

As a Black queer creative in a role that traditionally exists behind the scenes, Richard has also made a conscious decision to be visible. “There’s no other way to live,” he says, “I have no interest in not being myself all the time.” That decision is rooted in his own experience growing up without seeing himself reflected in the industry.

“I never saw someone like me doing the thing that I wanted to do, so I really didn’t know it was possible,” he explains. Now, he understands the importance of representation not just as an idea, but as a responsibility. “I think it’s important for me to show up, open the door, and bring somebody else in,” he adds.

That commitment extends beyond Broadway. In 2020, Richard and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition launched the Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program to provide opportunities for young leaders of color. Now the initiative operates in partnership with the Black Theatre Coalition and has supported more than 60 students and awarded over $500,000. “I wanted to give students the resources that I didn’t have, and remind Black and brown students that they have a place in this industry,” he says.

The program also allows him to stay connected to Houston, where several recipients have come from. “Any time I see a 713, 281, or 832 area code,” he says, “I think, ‘Ah, home!’”

With Tony season approaching, Richard finds himself in a moment of reflection and momentum. Both Ragtime and CATS: The Jellicle Ball have become two of the most talked-about revivals of the season, and he is deeply connected to both. “These are both my babies,” he emphasizes. “I’ve given so much to both of these productions.” Still, he is clear about what matters most. “No one makes art to win a Tony Award, but it is amazing to be a part of a season that is uplifting really beautiful work.”

For Richard, the journey from Houston to Broadway is not just a story of success. It is a story of purpose, visibility, and making sure the path forward is wider for those who are coming next.

Keep up with Cody Renard Richard on Instagram @codyrenard.