Established with a generous gift by Steven Fox ’77 in 2014, the Patrick J. Quade Endowed Chair in Theater honors the long and distinguished service of Professor Emeritus Patrick J. Quade ’65 to St. Olaf College and the theater community. Dr. Quade was a dedicated leader in both the Department of Theater and the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies. He was responsible for numerous memorable theater productions at St. Olaf, from Mother Courage and her Children in 1968 to Boarders in 1999. His production of Godspell was a national winner in the American College Theater Festival. He launched both a one-act play festival (which still runs today and bears his name) and the St. Olaf Children’s Theatre Institute, which was under his leadership from 1978 until 1990. He was also field supervisor for the Global Semester, the Term in the Middle East, and the Theatre in London Interim Program, which he lead ten times. In his retirement, Dr. Quade still leads adult students abroad with his active participation in the St. Olaf Study Travel program. Karen Peterson Wilson ’77 was the first holder of this chair, followed by William (Bill) Sonnega.
Current Chair:
William (Bill) Sonnega received a B.A. in Fine Arts from Colorado College, an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University, and a Ph.D. in Theater Arts from the University of Minnesota. He teaches courses in both theater and media studies, and has served as chair of the theater department as well as director of the media studies program.
Bill’s research and creative interests include social media and democracy, race and representation in theater and media, and playwriting and directing for live performance. His articles have appeared in African American Performance and Theater History: A Critical Reader, The Drama Review, and Theater History Studies; his most recent play, Full Ride, was produced at St. Olaf in 2018. Bill values international and off-campus study highly and has led the Global Semester (2010 & 2022) and Theater in London (2019) off-campus study programs. He is currently writing a play that focuses on contemporary voter suppression plots.