Alumni Spotlight: Claire Richards

Whenever a student graduates from the St. Ambrose University Theatre Department, it is always exciting to watch their career choices since a theatre degree can lead one down many exciting paths in life. One such alumni, Claire Richards '07, has certainly embarked on an exhilarating journey herself.

Richards grew up on the south side of Chicago and currently resides in Winona, Minnesota. At the moment she is in her third and final year of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's program at Winona State University, Winona. In addition to graduate school, she is also in the middle of an internship and working on a related study that will soon be published.

Before beginning school at Winona State though, she had quite the theatrical journey. Shortly after her graduation from St. Ambrose, she moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where she worked with a few theatre companies in acting, directing, and writing. Plus, she did theatre project consultant work and archived materials for them as well. As if landing a job so soon after graduation isn't impressive enough, at one point in time she was also a member of a touring Henrik Ibsen troupe, and back in Minnesota she led her own production company for quite some time.

"After New Haven, I moved to Minnesota and I had my own production company, Seed Performances Arts, and I wrote performances about community members," explained a passionate Richards. "At the same time, I also worked at Legacies. I worked with adults and kids who had developmental delays and cognitive disorders, and I became aware of barriers and social issues that existed. I ended up becoming a Case Manager and I saw a lot of needs in the community that I didn't feel like I was helping fulfill."

Memories from the SAU Theatre Department at St. Ambrose are still held near and dear to her heart since she participated in two to three productions each season.

"I can't encapsulate so many wonderful memories," Richards said. "But I loved the dress rehearsal experiences especially. I loved the energy and the family we created, even if it was a dysfunctional one at times!"

Richards clearly has tremendous talent and a bright mind. She reflects well on the SAU Theatre Department and in turn, the department wishes her the best of luck in her last year of school at Winona State. We have no doubt that she will find success in her new field of work.