Pyros and Cate Blanchett in Big and Small at Théâtre de la Ville, Paris
Richard Pyros (born 7 April 1987) is a British-Australian actor, who first achieved fame in the hit Australian Channel Seven TV show, Big Bite (which was nominated for two AFI Awards) whilst still studying at drama school. Pyros was selected to create an array of characters including the memorably disheveled newsreader, 'Tee Pee Moses', and for his impersonation of personalities such as Rob Sitch, Michael Caton, Harry Potter and Detective Lennie Briscoe from Law & Order.
He starred in a feature film version of Hamlet (with Pyros playing the eponymous lead, Prince Hamlet), directed by Oscar Redding which had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival. His performance was critically acclaimed.[1][2]Alison Croggon, writing in The Australian Newspaper said, 'crucially, Redding has a brilliant Hamlet in Richard Pyros. There are times when his performance lifts the hair on the back of your neck: this Hamlet might be mad, but the method in it has a profound legibility, and his corrosive intelligence shines through every gesture.'[3]
Pyros was recently seen as Oberon/Theseus in Bell Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Night's Dream at Sydney Opera House, directed by Peter Evans and his performance was critically acclaimed, the Sydney Morning Herald noting, 'Pyros flourishes, casting spells with the rapture of the “little western flower/Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound” and “I know a bank where the wild thyme blows” speeches. These are like moments when a violin soars above an orchestra in a concerto.'[4]
Opera
Pyros has directed two operas, an immersive Hänsel und Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck at the Bussey Building, Peckham (South London) and Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at Kings Place, London. In 2023, he directed 'Chopin's Piano', for which he was also co-writer, adapting from the book of the same name by Paul Kildea. 'Chopin's Piano' toured to all the major concert halls around Australia.
Career highlights
From 2009–2012, Pyros was a member of the resident acting ensemble at Sydney Theatre Company,[5] selected by then Co-Artistic Directors, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton. In 2012, Pyros performed as Cate Blanchett's boyfriend, Alf in the award-winning production, Gross und Klein (Big and Small) by Botho Strauss adapted by Martin Crimp and directed by Benedict Andrews, which toured from Sydney to Paris, London, Vienna and Recklinghausen. His performance was described as, 'Pyros matched Blanchett blow-for-blow, in a scintillating, tour de force, acting matchup of heavyweight champions.'[6]
