The Storyteller’s Stage
A behind-the-scenes look at Instructor in Theater Rob Richards’ classroom
Fall 2025
Instructor in Theater Rob Richards is a storyteller at his core, and the relics in his second-floor class-room are his muses. “That mask is from Venice,” he says, picking up a Shakespearean-looking headpiece from behind his desk in The David E. and Stacey L. Goel Center for Theater and Dance. The many artifacts, acquired during Richards’ travels or past performances, aren’t idle. Students regularly interact with a figurine or an old stage prop on display, something Richards relishes and encourages. “I like to have creative things accessible to the students,” he says. “I know when I’m listening in a meeting, I like to doodle; it’s a calming thing for me, to have that creative outlet.”
Born into a family of academics and performers with deep New England roots,Richards found his calling at Exeter 31 years ago. With his trusty dachshund, Tula, by his side, he has created a space that encourages Exonians to let their imaginations run wild. “To be here, read a play, have a conversation and connect as we do around the table is terrific,” he says. “And then to be able to get up on our feet and go down to the theater, that’s a real gift.”
“What I love about Exeter is that people come here to work hard, but I also like to have the hard work be playful. I like having the Mr. Potato Heads — I think they used to be my daughters’ — out on the table for the students as a reminder not to take things too seriously.”
“My neighbor worked for General Electric for 70 years. When he was moving, his son said: ‘I’ve got these old wooden TVs. Do you want them?’ So, I cut them down and made scenes from the movies Alien, The Lord of the Rings, Frankenstein and The Mummy. When I was a kid, I would watch those classic movies, and there’s just something about an old TV. I couldn’t let them be thrown out.”
“We’ll do scenes from The Miracle Worker — the story of Helen Keller — and there’s a moment when Helen hides a key because she doesn’t want to be locked in her room. But the metaphor is that her teacher, Annie Sullivan, is actually her key. Once Helen learns to associate a noun with a name that you can spell out, then the world just opens. So, while these old Fisher Theater keys are just props now, they represent the power of learning.”
“My mother was a puppeteer. She made 75 to 100 hand puppets and marionettes. She would carve every foot, every hand, all the bodies and would make the heads out of clay and string them up. We would put on shows at our home. The townspeople would come and park in the fields. My dad would direct traffic, my brother did the tech, my sister did the box office and stage management, and eventually I became a puppeteer.”
