Born in Albany, New York, Richard Morris Jennings relocated to
Cleveland, Ohio, with his family in 1997. Jennings - who at this point
had taken the nickname, Rick, despite strong opposition from his mother
was somewhat of a social misfit in his new environment. By senioryear of high school, he gave up showering more than once a week and
would frequently be seen wearing sweat pants, in a show of total social
hopelessness.
Despite his awkwardness, Jennings found ways to quietly express his
genius as an actor, a director, and most importantly, as a writer. His
cameo in the film, Coda, showed his grace and subtlety in front of a
camera, while the characters he portrayed in his high school theatre
program gave audiences a glimpse of the versatile young man he was to
become. After graduating from Shaker Heights High School in the spring
of 2003, Jennings returned to his native Albany to study at the
University at Albany.
By now it is almost a cliche to compare Rick Jennings to a good cult
movie, but that is as apt an analogy as there is, for it was not until
after his departure from Cleveland that his genius was truly
recognized. Students who had been associates of Jennings began taking
interest in his writing, particularly his one act play, 'Oh' - a
scathing attack on society and the growing power of international
political bodies, specifically the United Nations. It wasn't long
before past teachers took notice of this powerful script and made it
required reading for playwriting students.
Gradually, the reputation and influence of Jennings became increasingly
visible. On his first visit home from college, Jennings, to his
surprise, was greeted by others his age who wanted to be his friends
and artistic partners. Many of these peers got their wishes, and many
still work with Jennings to this day. In the past two years, he has led
them on such notable artistic projects as producing an improvisational
comedy show, writing the pilot for a new sit-com, and - perhaps the
most ambitious of his projects - making a concept art piece in which a
shopping cart was converted into a sled.
Currently, Jennings is a student at the University at Albany. He is
also planning on making a bid for Shaker Heights City Council in
2005.
