October 23, 2004: Headlines: COS - Kenya: Country Directors - Kenya: Art: Theatre: The Day: From ages 5 to 7, Robert Richter lived in Kenya. His father was serving as deputy director for the Peace Corps there

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Kenya: Peace Corps Kenya : The Peace Corps in Kenya: October 23, 2004: Headlines: COS - Kenya: Country Directors - Kenya: Art: Theatre: The Day: From ages 5 to 7, Robert Richter lived in Kenya. His father was serving as deputy director for the Peace Corps there

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From ages 5 to 7, Robert Richter lived in Kenya. His father was serving as deputy director for the Peace Corps there

 From ages 5 to 7, Robert Richter lived in Kenya. His father was serving as deputy director for the Peace Corps there

From ages 5 to 7, Robert Richter lived in Kenya. His father was serving as deputy director for the Peace Corps there

The Buzz: Robert A. Richter

Caption: Robert A. Richter, in Palmer Auditorium at Connecticut College, is Conn's director of arts programming and the author of “Eugene O'Neill and Dat Ole Davil Sea: Maritime Influences in the Life and Works of Eugene O'Neill.”

By KRISTINA DORSEY
Arts & Entertainment Editor/ETW
Published on 10/23/2004

Who: Robert A. Richter, 44, of Mystic.

Why You Should Know Him: A vital presence in the local arts scene, Richter has been director of arts programming at Connecticut College for six years. Mystic Seaport just published Richter's “Eugene O'Neill and Dat Ole Davil Sea: Maritime Influences in the Life and Works of Eugene O'Neill.” (He'll be signing copies from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Bank Square Books in Mystic.)

Drama Class: As a high schooler in Westchester County, Richter used to love to go into New York City to see whatever plays he could get tickets for at the half-price booth. He saw Jason Robards in “Touch of the Poet” and “Hughie” and Liv Ullman in “Anna Christie” — all penned by O'Neill. Richter says of O'Neill's works, “I was just taken by the drama and the realism. ... They were showing the stories of real people, and working class people. To me, the plays were very accessible because they were dealing with concepts you could understand — family and relationships.”

The O'Neill Man And The Sea: Richter's work on O'Neill dates back to 1988, which was the centennial of the playwright's birth. As part of the centennial festivities, he directed staged readings of “Bound East for Cardiff” and “The Long Voyage Home” at Mystic Seaport, where he was working. His book details how maritime communities and his time at sea influenced O'Neill's writing.

Out Of Africa: From ages 5 to 7, Richter lived in Kenya. His father was serving as deputy director for the Peace Corps there. That's where he first went to school, and he distinctly recalls the student body being a third black, a third Asian and a third white. He remembers playing cowboys and Indians with his two best friends, one of whom was a black Kenyan and the other Pakistani. It was a hugely influential time for Richter, igniting his interest in other cultures.

Along The Way: After graduating from Connecticut College with a bachelor's degree in theater and anthropology, Richter went to New York City and worked off-off-Broadway as a stage manager. He then became a production coordinator for the “Great Performances” series on PBS. That job changed, though, as budget cuts meant that instead of producing shows, they purchased them. Richter went from being involved in every phase of production to being asked to trim a British show to fit the U.S. time format. He came back to New London to act with the Penny Ante Theater, which was located in what is now the Garde Arts Center building. When that became a part-time gig, he got a job at Mystic Seaport. He worked there for 11 years, becoming supervisor of interpretation there and overseeing all the performance-based programming, such as the Lantern Light tours.

The Art Of Programming Art: As director of arts programming at Conn, Richter oversees the artistic choices and coordination for the college's onStage series. He considers a variety of factors when scheduling shows — artistic quality, of course, but more than that. “I'm not really interested in bringing in something on a big tour that's going to be New Haven, Storrs and Providence,” he says. “I look for things that are unique.”

— Kristina Dorsey





When this story was posted in November 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Your vote makes a difference Your vote makes a difference
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RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls.

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Story Source: The Day

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Kenya; Country Directors - Kenya; Art; Theatre

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