Episode 9: Bad Actor

Last Seen

WBUR

True Crime, Missing, Mystery, Boston, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 March 2022

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

People will tell you Richard Bento is a good actor — on and off the stage. Over the past decade, he's been a pillar of the New England community theater scene - acting in and directing countless productions, and fostering the love of theater in other thespians.

But lately, he's been at the center of some real life dramas swirling behind the scenes, involving accusations of fraud, embezzlement, and other kinds of scams. After disappearing from one local theater for a time, he's been known to pop up at another and pull his stunts all over again, leaving a wake of mistrust and missing funds behind.

Reporter and producer Quincy Walters (WBUR) investigates Bento’s con artistry and his most recent vanishing act.

Tell us what you think of Last Seen! Please fill out our short survey.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and
0:05.9	tools together in one place. It's your digital HQ where you can increase productivity,
0:11.1	enable flexibility and automate workflows. Plus, Slack is full of game-changing features
0:16.7	like huddles for quick check-ins or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners
0:20.9	inside and outside of your company. Slack, where the future works. Get started at
0:26.9	Slack.com slash DHQ. Spread some joy these holidays with my
0:32.8	Fuji film. Capture the million big and little moments and bring your images to life with
0:38.5	personalized photo gifts and premium prints. From photo books, framed prints and wall art
0:44.8	to mugs, wrapping paper and greeting cards. There's something for everyone this Christmas.
0:50.2	Get up to 30% off selected gifts until 20th December. Learn more at myfudifilm.co.uk
0:56.9	Last scene is made at a public radio station. WBUR in Boston, which means it's made possible
1:05.6	by you, the listener. If you want the show to keep going, support it. Give in any amount
1:11.1	at WBUR.org slash pod power. That's WBUR.org slash pod power. Thank you. And here's the show.
1:21.3	WBUR Podcasts. Boston.
1:28.3	Hello. Hi, is this Richard? Hi, Richard. My name is Quincy Walters. I'm a reporter at WBUR.
1:46.6	How are you? You hung up? Hey Quincy, who was that? That was Richard Bento, a guy whose
2:00.2	story I've been following for so long that my mom won't let me bring his name up anymore.
2:06.4	Why won't your mom let you bring up his name? It's because for the last year and a half,
2:11.6	anybody who knows me has gotten an earful about him. Yeah, what's your fascination with
2:17.4	this guy? So Richard is well known in the New England Regional Community Theatre scene.
2:24.6	There's a community theater scene. Yeah, it's a tight knit group of people united by their
2:30.4	love of theater. Some have professional training, many don't. But it's supposed to be a space
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WBUR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of WBUR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.