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“Being a younger stage manager of color, I want younger people to know that they can do this. Especially when they come from a small town like I did.”

Cody Renard Richard, traded a life of Texas rodeo for a career on Broadway. Growing up in Houston, Richard never expected to find a home in theater, until a high school mentor gave him his first of many big breaks. Carrie Wood, theater director at Waller High School, noticed Richard’s natural leadership skills and introduced him to stage management.

Reflecting on his time as a high school thespian Richard remarks, “I was a kid who was good at a lot of things, but I wasn't great at anything. With [Wood] making me her stage manager, her go-to person that she couldn’t do a show without, I felt important.”

After completing a stage management conservatory program at Webster University, and snagging some temporary gigs in New York, there are few successful queer, Black stage managers working on Richard’s level. His numerous credits include classics like The Lion King, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, and Freestyle Love Supreme. More recently, Richard served as co-producer on the Broadway play, Thoughts of a Colored Man.

Richard knows the value of paying it forward, and is determined to leave the theater industry more vibrant and inclusive than he found it. After being outspoken about his experience with racism in the theater world on such outlets as CNN, WNBC, and NY1, Richard founded The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program to support aspiring BIPOC theater makers.

“One of the reasons why we don't talk about diversity backstage is because we don't see it,” he told Forbes. “When people come to see a show, they see the actors, but they don't physically see the people backstage. Creating something visible is vital to move the needle.”

Richard partnered with the Broadway Advocacy Coalition to support 15 to 25 college students pursuing degrees in theater management fields, one of few programs diversifying Broadway’s talent pipeline. Now in its third year, scholarship recipients receive access to financial resources, mentorship, and essential skill-building workshops.

After being featured by Variety Magazine as one of their 2020 Broadway Players to Watch, and Out Magazine as a 2020 OUT100 honoree, you’re likely to see Richard journeying ahead on his own terms and centering Black joy where possible.