After taking a break from her position as Santa Fe’s drama teacher and theater director, Robin Robinson recently returned, recognizing that Santa Fe was the right place for her.

“It’s impossible that I was able to come back, but I wanted to come back here, because I learned over the past two years that this is an incredibly special place,” Robinson said.

Robinson is originally from Chicago, IL, but moved to Northeastern Oklahoma when she was around nine years old. She has been in Oklahoma on and off her entire life and has lived in many different areas.

“I’ve lived all over the place, and traveled all over the place, but Oklahoma is home,” Robinson said. “That’s just the way it is.”

Robinson’s education was completed throughout multiple schools.

“I ended up getting my degree at NSU in Tahlequah and then my master’s degree [at] UCO over here in Edmond.”

When Robinson completed her master’s degree she was working at Santa Fe, directing shows as usual. 

“I was unable to attend my own graduation because it was opening night of our play, and some of my students’ parents put together my own graduation. So, they begged me to wear my graduation robe, and I did, even though it was embarrassing. And then, as soon as the show was over, not only did they play like the [graduation music], they brought out balloons, the university representatives came, my favorite professor came and they did my own graduation in front of everybody. My kids were there, everybody was awesome.”

Robinson originally started teaching at Santa Fe during the 2008-2009 school year. Throughout her years as director, she directed shows including “Guys and Dolls,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” and many more. 

“The top show I can think of off the top of my head is a show called ‘The Women of Lockerbie,’” Robinson said. “It is a magical show that came together in a magical way. Everything we needed just sort of happened. It was beautiful. It was probably my best work I ever did from top to bottom. The artistry, it was gorgeous.” 

She directed “Phantom of the Opera” in 2011, which happened to be the first year that the show’s rights were available to high school theaters. 

“Phantom of the Opera, which we had support from Andrew Lloyd Webber; we had a representative from the Broadway cast here. There’s a poster in my room [signed by] the Broadway cast that year because they knew we were doing the show. So, that was a big deal,” Robinson said. 

In previous years, Robinson also coached speech and debate. 

“One time, I was wandering on the OU campus when I coached speech and debate. We were at the state tournament, and I knew one of my favorite bands [was] going to be playing on campus that night, but I wasn’t able to go because I was at the tournament. I happened to be walking across campus and they were warming up and so literally, I was the only one around. And so one of my favorite bands of all time, Iron and Wine, playing, just for me, it’s like, really one of the coolest moments of my whole life.”

Throughout her career, Robinson has made significant contributions to Oklahoma theater, particularly in educational theater.

“I actually wrote the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s fine arts standards for theater.”

However, in 2023, Robinson left Santa Fe.

“I left Santa Fe because I burnt myself out. I took on too much. I was doing too much for too long, and I felt like I needed to explore what was out there for me educationally. I wanted to see if admin was something I wanted to do. Turns out it’s not,” Robinson said.

She spent her time away experiencing different paths outside of theater, but nothing could replace what Santa Fe offered.

“The fine arts team at Santa Fe is the best in the world, and I missed being here, so it’s fantastic,” she said. “I learned over the past two years that this is an incredibly special place. I’m never, never, never leaving again. The universe aligned itself, so I was able to come back here. It’s actually, like, magical. Like, it’s magical that I was allowed to come back.”

Outside of theater and Santa Fe, Robinson frequently goes hiking and camping.

“I like to go to Fort Cobb; it’s close, it’s fun. My whole family’s been going there for years, but I like Northeastern Oklahoma. It’s pretty [up] that way.”

Additionally, she has three grown children.

“My oldest is 30, she’s married, [and] lives in Durango. My middle son is 26, he lives in Phoenix and he is a YouTuber. And my youngest is 20, he lives here,” Robinson said.

This month, Robinson will be co-directing her first show back at Santa Fe: Debut 2025. Click here for more information.