Richie Cannaday is a Roanoke, VA native and an MFA student in Hollins Playwright’s Lab. He was a member of Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble from 2007 to 2020, where he was a resident director, actor, designer, playwright and artistic visionary. Many of his original plays saw their regional premiere there, including The Landlover: A Pirate Musical, Ancient Greek Idol, and Birthday Showdown at Penguin Pete’s Pizza Emporium. Richie’s touring adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a 2015 recipient of the NEA’s Shakespeare in American Communities award. He is the founder of the drama club inside North Central Secure Treatment Unit for incarcerated teens. Two of his original family plays (The Dragon Butcher, Mud Summer) have been featured in Hollins’ Summer/Winter Festivals. He has served as the chair of The Southeastern Theatre Conference’s Charles M. Getchell new play award. He moonlights as a teacher at Virginia Children’s Theatre, teaching kids the basics of storytelling. Richie is a proud recipient of an Arts Matter Grant in Roanoke City, where he lives with his three kids and their two cats, Bruce and Veronica.