Richard Delaney FRSA

What’s OUT for 2026:

Lists declaring what’s in and out for 2026.

(It has Spotify Wrapped energy, and with that in mind I am staying firmly unwrapped and unsubscribed.)

Forgot how basic 80s/90s trailers were until I rewatched Exorcist III just now.

That deep voice, four images, a mood - done.
I knew they’d changed but seeing that stark functionalism again is actually startling.

Modern trailers are entire emotional journeys by comparison - complete with spoilers.

Not BBC News citing Simone de Beauvoir’s feminist critique of Bardot while misgendering her.

Live TV is unforgiving—but the irony is almost too perfect. Misgendering the author of The Second Sex while discussing her analysis? Shows how deep these assumptions run.

Fantastic to see BA Acting: Collaborative & Devised Theatre grad, Shannon Ong, reach the finals of the British Comedy Guide Stand-Up Competition! Even better knowing stand-up wasn’t on her radar until Comedy Term. Love seeing our training open unexpected creative pathways.

Our 3rd Year CDT company moves into the theatre today for Grimm Tales Tech after weeks of graft, exploration, and bold thinking.

Devising with 19 people while reimagining old tales for today is no small ask. So proud of the process they’ve built with director Rachel Valentine Smith.

Excited to take on Inclusive Pedagogy and QAE Lead for Performance at Central alongside my Programme Leader role. About shining light on existing good practice, sharing the wealth, and working to improve inclusivity and quality across our provision.

Grateful for the opportunity.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I’ve just learned of the passing of Andrew Jarvis, one of the Acting tutors during my training at Mountview. A true inspiration whose Shakespeare classes were legendary. So many of his insights remain in my mind, finding their way into my own teaching.

What a legacy, Andrew. Thank you. Rest well.

The past 2 weeks have been a joy at Central, to see 3rd year Acting & MT students’ first public productions. MT’s production of Mary Stuart – thrilling confidence. Last night’s The Kitchen – extraordinary stagecraft.

Next week, CDT students open their adaptation of Grimm Tales and I can’t wait.

Slightly obsessed already!

#DownCemetaryRoad

Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN had a beautiful, sumptuous, epic feel. Perfect Saturday evening fare for me. The flourishes of melodrama he brought to this gothic tale made for a cracking watch. He absolutely knows how to handle excess.

@netflix.com @realgdt.bsky.social

I just downed a Mezcal Margarita.

Like a shot.

In one.

Clearly it has been a week.

Public attitudes, housing, employability Podcast Episode · The Wonkhe Show · 30/10/2025 · 54m

Amid talk of housing & employability, the new WonkHE podcast touched on creative access and course “branding.” Fleeting mentions, but they signal deep shifts in how we measure value in HE. STEM dominates; the case for STEAM must stay loud.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Loved visiting Oxford School of Drama yesterday to run workshops with their Foundation students. Such an open and curious group! Great to share a bit about what’s happening at Central and to feel that sense of collaboration between schools — more of this, please.

Student Burnout, Time Poverty & The Perfectionism Trap. With Dr Ayan Panja & Richard Delaney Podcast Episode · This Is A Voice · 28/10/2025 · 28m

Delighted to contribute to This Is A Voice (S12 E2) with Dr Gillyanne Kayes & Jeremy Fisher on student burnout & the perfectionism trap in creative education. Systemic issues we must navigate as educators.

Highly recommend the podcast if you haven't listened!

Fantastic to see another BA Acting (CDT) alumna recognised! Congratulations to May Munuo, shortlisted for Best Performance: New Voice at The Speakies.

Always brilliant to see Royal Central School of Speech and Drama alumni making their mark across so many different sectors and genres.

Public hugely overestimate graduate regret and underestimate the economic value of universities while being wrong about tuition fees – new study - HEPI The public hugely overestimate how many graduates regret going to university and significantly underestimate the importance of higher education to the UK economy, according to a new study into percept...

Public debate on universities is shaped more by myth than reality. This new survey shows just how far perception diverges from fact — from graduate regret, to tuition fees, to the scale of universities’ economic impact.

Worth a read:

www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/publ...

When Celebrity Replaces Substance: The Shared Crisis of Art and Politics I have been struck recently by how both politics and the arts appear to be facing the same difficulty. In different ways, each is being…

Both acting and politics are being warped by celebrity culture. Merit and competence fall away in favour of charisma and spectacle.

In my latest blog, I reflect on how this shift is eroding substance — and how we might resist.

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

A Dramaturgy of Pleasure: Compass, Craft, and Curiosity in Actor Training It is nine in the morning. A skills class is due to begin — voice, movement, text work — but the atmosphere is sluggish. Some students are…

Why do students rush to rehearsals but drag their feet to voice class?

New blog: pleasure as both compass AND craft in actor training. Learning to transform the “boring” into play.

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

Wrestling with Uncertainty: Actor Training in a Post-Pandemic World Introduction: A Different Texture of Anxiety

“Students arrive with a deep hunger to learn, but also with a fierce resistance to making mistakes."

New piece on how pandemic anxiety meets educational marketisation in the actor training studio - and what we might do about it.

Wrestling with uncertainty as both challenge and craft requirement.

Why The Queer Must Queer Itself To stay radical, queerness must resist becoming settled — even when the performance of progress looks like freedom.

Not everything that looks like progress is liberation.

When queerness becomes a brand, a vibe, a legible performance—it risks losing its radical edge.

So what does it mean to queer queerness?

My new blog:

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

Collective Fringe is back Jan 2026! 🎭

Last year’s festival saw Phoebe Waller-Bridge funding & Bush Writers’ Group invites. Now they’re looking for writers & producers with plays in development.

Free space, dramaturgy, filmed recording & 70% box office.

collectiveactingstudio.co.uk/collective-f...

The £216 Price of Hope: How Spotlight’s Monopoly Exploits Britain’s Actors How Spotlight’s casting monopoly creates a two-tier system where struggling actors pay the most for the least access.

I’ve spent the last 48 hours thinking about what the Spotlight ruling means for actors.

The fees keep climbing, opportunities keep shrinking — and the people who can least afford it are paying the most.

Here’s my take.

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

On the Edge of the Possible: Reform UK, Farage, and the Future of Higher Education and the Arts Why neutrality is no longer an option for higher education and the arts under a potential Reform government.

Silence isn’t neutral. Neutral isn’t action. And action is now nothing but urgent.

Farage and Reform UK’s rise poses an existential risk to higher education and the arts.

🔗 Full piece:

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

On the Edge of the Possible: Reform UK, Farage, and the Future of Higher Education and the Arts Why neutrality is no longer an option for higher education and the arts under a potential Reform government.

Silence isn’t neutral. Neutral isn’t action. And action is now nothing but urgent.

Farage and Reform UK’s rise poses an existential risk to higher education and the arts.

🔗 Full piece:

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

Burnout by Design: Why UK Higher Education Needs a Student Basic Income Why student burnout is a matter of policy design, not personal failure.

UK higher education demands full-time hours.

But students are forced to work nights to survive.

Burnout isn’t inevitable. It’s designed.

Here’s how we fix it:

medium.com/@mrricharddd...

Trump’s rebrand from Dept of Defense to Dept of War is deeply concerning.

Words matter in diplomacy and leadership—this linguistic shift from defensive to offensive posture sends a clear signal globally.

The 1949 change to “Defense” was intentional, post-WWII healing. This reversal is troubling.

Rayner was right to resign, but Labour is much weaker without her authentic working-class voice against populism. With Reform and Farage surging, losing that connection to Labour’s base - & beyond - feels like a critical blow.

Hope the deputy leadership brings someone who can speak to the left.

Interesting to see voices and commentators claiming that @equityuk.bsky.social’s pursuit of this court case has been a waste of members’ fees. To have not pursued it, for me, would have been a dereliction of duty by @paulwfleming.bsky.social et al.

The only question in my mind now, is what next?

Now, this is the kind of strategic thinking I can get on board with!

Your priorities are spot on!! 🍸