# Rick Boland > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rick_Boland > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rick_Boland.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Boland > Source revision: 1309550259 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) '''Richard Michael Boland''' (August 7, 1953 – January 30, 2024) was a [Newfoundland](/source/Newfoundland_(island)) actor, director, and activist.{{cite web | title=Rick Boland, driving force in N.L. arts and left-wing politics, dead at 70 | website=CBC | date=2024-01-31 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/rick-boland-nl-obit-1.7100593 | access-date=2025-08-31}}{{cite web|url=https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/extension/id/68/|title=The Arts Interview. Rick Boland : On Stage}} ==Early life and education== Richard Michael Francis Peter Aloysius Boland was born in [Curling](/source/Curling%2C_Newfoundland_and_Labrador), [Newfoundland](/source/Newfoundland_(island)). His family later relocated to [Corner Brook](/source/Corner_Brook), where he joined the improvisational group Youtheatre.{{Cite news |date=2024-02-18 |title=Newfoundland actor Rick Boland engaged in activist theatre in the hope of changing lives |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-newfoundland-actor-rick-boland-engaged-in-activist-theatre-in-the-hope/ |access-date=2025-08-26 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}} In 1971, Boland enrolled at [Memorial University of Newfoundland](/source/Memorial_University_of_Newfoundland) to study cultural anthropology and became active in the university's Drama Society. He left his degree program to tour with the Newfoundland Travelling Theatre Company before joining the Mummers Troupe. ==Career== With the Mummers Troupe, Boland participated in the creation and touring of collective productions that addressed local issues, including ''Buchans a Mining Town'', ''Gros Mourn'', and ''What's That Got To Do With the Price of Fish?'' During the early 1980s, he worked with the [Resource Centre for the Arts](/source/LSPU_Hall) to develop plays based on oral histories, such as Terras de Bacalhau and Makin' Time With the Yanks, for which he archived interview and script materials.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-newfoundland-actor-rick-boland-engaged-in-activist-theatre-in-the-hope/|title=Newfoundland actor Rick Boland engaged in activist theatre in the hope of changing lives|date=February 18, 2024|via=www.theglobeandmail.com}} In 1978, Boland co-founded Rising Tide Theatre with Donna Butt, David Ross, and others. He was a regular performer in the company's annual political satire, Revue, which began in 1984. He also co-authored the ''New Founde Land Trinity Pageant'', a historical walking tour in [Trinity](/source/Trinity%2C_Newfoundland_and_Labrador) created in response to the [1992 cod moratorium](/source/Collapse_of_the_Atlantic_northwest_cod_fishery) to promote cultural tourism. The production's success supported the establishment of Rising Tide’s summer theatre season in the town. Boland's film credits include ''[Finding Mary March](/source/Finding_Mary_March)'', ''[Extraordinary Visitor](/source/Extraordinary_Visitor)'', and ''[The Divine Ryans](/source/The_Divine_Ryans)''. His television appearances included roles in ''Yarns From Pigeon Inlet'', ''[Up at Ours](/source/Up_at_Ours)'', and the series ''[Hatching, Matching and Dispatching](/source/Hatching%2C_Matching_and_Dispatching)''. ==Activism and archival work== Boland was involved in political and social activism. A supporter of the [New Democratic Party](/source/New_Democratic_Party) (NDP), he served as a campaign manager and was a candidate for the party in provincial by-elections in 2003 and 2007. He was also active with the [LGBTQ](/source/LGBT) community, the [Native Friendship Centre](/source/Native_Friendship_Centre) (now First Light), and the Newfoundland and Labrador AIDS Committee. In 1982, Boland co-founded the Newfoundland Performing Arts and Archives Project at [Memorial University](/source/Memorial_University_of_Newfoundland). In 2009, he was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Hall of Honour. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{imdb name|0092692}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Boland, Rick}} Category:1953 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Male actors from Newfoundland and Labrador Category:20th-century Canadian male actors Category:21st-century Canadian male actors Category:Canadian male film actors Category:Canadian male stage actors Category:Canadian male television actors Category:Canadian theatre directors Category:20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Category:Canadian gay actors Category:People from Corner Brook Category:Candidates in Newfoundland and Labrador provincial elections Category:Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party politicians --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rick Boland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Boland) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Boland?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.