Gift Funds

Theater
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Gift Funds

Gain experience in the field, further develop your artistic portfolio, and advance your theater career

The Anna K. Bonde Career Advancement Opportunity in Theater was established with gifts made in memory of Anna K. Bonde, a 1999 graduate of Churchill High School and was very active during high school in the Creative and Performing Arts program. Anna attended St. Olaf, where she majored in theater and dance. Anna was killed by a drunk driver her sophomore year. — Anna K. Bonde

This fund was established to honor the life of Anna K. Bonde ’03. Anna died on March 17, 2001 while en route to New Orleans where she and four of her St. Olaf classmates planned to spend spring break volunteering at an elementary school. Their car was struck by a drunk driver driving the wrong way on a highway near Springfield, Il. Two of her dear friends also perished in the crash. Anna possessed a deep passion for all aspects of theater. She was also a person with a deep compassion for others and a desire to make the world a better place. We hope that this apprenticeship program will not only help the recipients excel in their areas of expertise, but that their lives will also be touched by Anna’s spirit.

This apprenticeship offers St. Olaf Theater graduates a way to gain experience in their field, to further develop their artistic portfolios, and to advance their career in theater. It is designed to provide further experience in one of several aspects of theater operation: design, stage management, costumes, scene painting, public relations/publicity, props, movement/choreography, acting, directing, lighting, sound, literary management or technical theater.

Details

The Anna K. Bonde Apprenticeship in Theater is awarded to two to three St. Olaf Theater graduates each year. The award amount is variable based on the expectations of time committed to a design versus the time committed to a design and implementation of the work (i.e. also serving as operator, mixer, composer, etc…) The contractor will receive one-half of the payment at the beginning of the contract period and one-half of the payment at the end of the contract period.
At the completion of the contract, the independent contractor shall write a final summary of their experience and send it electronically along with a head shot or picture to the main theater office.

Application Procedure

Applications are accepted in an ongoing basis. Theater graduates who wish to apply for this award should complete an application. Applications must include a page describing the work to be undertaken and a resume. Follow-up interviews may be scheduled at the request of the department chair. A specific working schedule is determined in consultation with a faculty or staff member and the chair of the Theater Department.

Selection will be made by the Theater Department faculty and will be based on the factors deemed important, including the quality of the applicant’s previous work, the applicant’s work ethic (self-motivation, ability to work independently), the ability to complete the designated work in the time frame given, and previous contributions to the life of the department. The chair of the Theater Department will notify all applicants of their status.

View Application Form

A $500,000 gift from St. Olaf College Alumnus Steven Fox ’77 will provide significant support for the Theater program.

The spendable income from this endowed fund will be doubled each year through the Strategic Initiative Match (SIM), a St. Olaf Board of Regents program that provides matching funds for gifts above $50,000 that support the college’s strategic plan.

With those matching funds, the Steve Fox Fund for Theater will more than double current funding for student theater productions. It will be used to cover expenses related to lighting, sound, sets, costumes, props and guest artists who serve as choreographers and designers.

“This is an astounding gift,” says Professor of Theater Karen Peterson Wilson. “The impact will directly affect St. Olaf Students, faculty, staff and the community long into the future. We are all profoundly grateful to Steven.”

In the fall of 2014, Fox established an endowed chair – the Patrick J. Quade Endowed Chair in Theater – in honor of retired St. Olaf Faculty member Patrick Quade who devoted his career to the college and made a positive impact on hundreds of students. Wilson is the first holder of the Quade Chair.

Margaret Goergen-Rood ’72 has given a generous gift to establish the LET’S GO LIVE! Theater Fund. This gift will be used to cover the course fee for students enrolled in Introduction to Theater (Theater 110) to attend theater productions in the Twin Cities and vicinity.

The Patrick J. Quade Endowed Chair in Theater was established by a generous gift from St. Olaf College alumnus Steven Fox ’77. This gift will, through the Strategic Initiative Match, result in a $1.5 million commitment for the endowed chair in Quade’s honor. The Strategic Initiative Match is a St. Olaf Board of Regents program that provides matching funds for gifts above $50,000 that support the college’s strategic plan.

Quade, a 1965 St. Olaf graduate, served on the college’s theater faculty for nearly three decades and directed International and Off-Campus Studies for nearly a decade before retiring in 2005.

His commitment to helping St. Olaf students become global citizens who, as he wrote in the Star Tribune in 2002, “appreciate the complexities, similarities, and differences that exist in our ever-shrinking world” has left a legacy that extends far beyond any classroom.

During his 37 years at St. Olaf, Quade taught more than 20 different courses in theater and communication and directed more than 70 theater productions. His production of Godspell was a national winner in the American College Theater Festival. He served as chair of the college’s fine arts division for six years and chair of the Theater Department for 10 years.

Quade received more than two dozen grants to develop initiatives that allow young people to explore theater. Among other projects, he founded the St. Olaf Children’s Theater Institute, implemented a Fine Arts Elementary Education Program for public schools, and created a workshop that helps elementary and high school instructors teach writing.

In addition to his service as director of International and Off-Campus Studies, Quade acted as field supervisor for the Global Semester, the Term in the Middle East, and the Theater in London Interim program (which he led 10 times).

The Wilkens Fund, a fund in honor and memory of Professor Kenneth Wilkens, is used to bring guests speakers and artists to Theater Department classes and productions. It is funded by generous donations.

Ken Wilkens touched enormous numbers of lives over his 91 years. Through almost 40 years of service to the College, Ken came to think of St. Olaf as “his” college. He served as Department Chair, Fine Arts Division Chair, on countless committees, was a sought after speaker on and off campus, spoke at Commencement, Opening Convocation, and numerous times in Chapel. Ken was an excellent speech and debate coach who was committed to the field of Speech Communication throughout his life. He served as President of the Speech Association of MN, he received an Outstanding Individual in Communication and Theater Award from the Communication and Theater Association of MN, the Zwach-Eddy award from the YMCA for his role as Mentor, and a Good Neighbor Award from WCCO radio. Ken influenced the lives of thousands of students. A man of stature, grace, ethics, and presence, with a commanding voice, he made a difference in the world and the world is a better place for him being in it.

When Steven considers the history and evolution of St. Olaf College’s Theater Department, he regards Dr. Karen Peterson Wilson ’77 one of its strongest pillars. During her 41-year tenure at St. Olaf, Wilson directed 37 productions and developed more than 15 new courses, including an innovative class titled Who Owns the Arts? Censorship, Sponsorship, and Artistic Freedom. She treasured international learning and created The Arts and Literature of Australia and New Zealand program leading it three times and leading the Theater in London program five times. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Minnesota Playwrights’ Center’s New Plays on Campus program, which brings emerging playwrights to colleges and universities across the country for full-scale productions of their scripts. She directed four productions that she discovered through the program. Wilson has repeatedly been recognized for advancing theater and arts education in Minnesota and beyond. She received an Outstanding Individual Award from the Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota and served at its elected President. Wilson earned her Ph.D. in theater at the University of Minnesota, garnering distinctions in the philosophy of theater, acting, playwriting, and dramatic theory. She also holds a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf. This endowed chair honors her work and advances recognition for the contributions that women have made at St. Olaf College.

Gift Funds

Gain experience in the field, further develop your artistic portfolio, and advance your theater career

The Anna K. Bonde Memorial Apprenticeship in Theater

Details

Application Procedure

Other Gift Funds