Richard Sautter

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Gettysburg College

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

I have pursued a career in performing arts, principally as a stage actor, but also as a playwright and director. Over the last ten years, I have done an increasing amount of teaching at the university level, to the extent that that is now my main occupation.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I was always drawn to the Theatre. In fact, the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of it and to gain teaching credentials led me to study at Exeter. What I love about my work is the fact that it allows me to express myself in new and interesting ways, and to have an impact on the ways that other people see the world around them.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I was a DJ for URE.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I had immense respect for the staff of the Drama Department. They were very different in their specialties and approaches, but all were highly qualified and deeply committed to their work. The biggest highlight was probably serving as Assistant Director for a Department production.

What did you enjoy most about studying here?

I loved being abroad. I loved being surrounded by intelligent and outgoing people in the Drama Department–and that applies to students and staff.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

I wanted the experience of studying in the nation that has been the source of much of the literature and theatre that I have enjoyed the most, and from which I have learned the most, over the course of my life.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

The ability to translate ideas into words and words into practice. I also learned how much further one can go be communicating honestly and being good natured–qualities shared by all my instructors.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Keep developing your skills as a Theatre artist after you leave uni. Take additional classes, broaden the types of material you work on, collaborate with friends to create new works, even if they are just exercises to stay sharp. With regards to the academic field, keep working for a Ph.D. if you want to teach at the university level. It opens far more possibilities.

What are your plans for the future?

To continue to combine Theatre practice and Theatre education. To write more plays and to write nonfiction articles and books.