Richard Lord papers

Collection

Identifier: BC-1995-070

Scope and Contents

Papers document the professional and personal activities of Richard Lord, a twentieth-century American playwright and Boston College English professor. Materials include correspondence, clippings, course materials, drafts of plays and poetry, Lord's graduate student work, and theater ephemera. The predominantly personal correspondence offers insight into Lord's life in Boston during the 1970s and in London in 1980. His time at Boston College is represented through his graduate school work, as well as his teaching materials as a member of the English department. Lord's creative and professional work is documented through play scripts, a poetry booklet, published reviews and articles, and theater ephemera, such as fliers and playbills.

Dates

Creation: 1970 - 1983

Creator

Lord, Richard, 1949- (Person)

Language of Materials

Predominantly in English with some German.

Access Note

Collection is open for research. Contains some university records dating after 1968, which are closed per university policy. Access for the university records is with permission of the originating office.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note: Richard Lord

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Richard Alan Lordt (Lord) was born on March 15, 1949, to Dorothy M. (Speese) and Antione Lordt, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Sometime in the early 1970s, Lordt simplified the spelling of his surname to Lord, possibly for his emerging professional career. He graduated from Villanova University in 1971, where he also contributed to The Drummer, an underground counterculture newspaper based in Philadelphia. That same year, Lord enrolled in Boston College's master's program in English. After receiving his MA, he taught English, drama, and film at Boston College, worked as a freelance journalist specializing in film and theater criticism, and served as associate editor of CHOMP, a food and dining periodical. In 1978, he co-founded the Boston Fringe Theatre Company, where he directed five productions.

Richard Lord moved to England in 1979. In May 1980, The Mouth & Trousers Company produced his show, Night Shift, at the York in London. During this time, Lord also taught English and Creative Writing for the University of Maryland—European Division. Around 1990, Lord moved to Germany, where he wrote about the Frankfurt dining scene for Main City, taught business and technical English for the German electronics company AEG, and taught financial English for the Deutsche Bundesbank. He was also the co-founder of two pub theater companies in Frankfurt, Germany, the Mainstream Theatre Company and Just Us. He married Lyn Alindogan, and they had two children, Simon and Timothy Lordt. Lord also published numerous books, including a volume of poems about Berlin, Beyond Walls: Berlin Views (1988). From February 2019 until December 2021, he was the lead performing arts reviewer for the Philadelphia Free Press and University City Review.

Sources:

"About the author". Google Books. August 15, 2008, https://books.google.com/books/about/CultureShock_Germany.html?id=k_hSDAAAQBAJ.

"About us". Performance Font PA. Accessed October 28, 2026, https://performancefont.com/?page_id=138.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Obituary. Dorothy Lordt. January 23, 2020, https://www.donohuefuneralhome.com/obituaries/dorothy-lordt.

"Reunion 2026". Villanova University. Accessed October 28, 2026, https://na.eventscloud.com/website/89961/reunioncommittees/.

Full Extent

2.625 Linear Feet (3 containers)

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers document the teaching and creative professional career of Richard Lord, a twentieth-century American playwright and Boston College English professor. Materials include correspondence, clippings, course materials, drafts of plays and poetry, Lord's graduate student work, and theater ephemera.

Arrangement

Organized in five series: I. Correspondence; II. Education; III. Personal ephemera; IV. Professional; and V. Teaching.

Provenance

Because the current accessioning system was not used until January 1986, it is not possible to know exactly the dates of acquisition of materials received before that time. Records on file indicate that Richard Lord transferred a portion of the materials in 1980.

Related Materials

Francis W. Sweeney, S.J. papers, MS.2002.003, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

John H. Randall III papers, BC.2014.056, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Paul C. Doherty papers, BC.2005.036, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Samuel J. Miller papers, BC.1999.022, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.