Tom Roland

Roland, Tom
As only the second director in the history of Northwestern University's venerable Waa-Mu show, Tom Roland staged the annual musical revue, dubbed by LIFE magazine "the biggest and splashiest of all college shows", from 1976 to 1993. He also performed as a featured singer and dancer in 5 shows as an undergraduate from 1948 to 1952, alongside many future stars of stage and screen including McLean Stevenson, Charlotte Rae, Claude Akins, and Sheldon Harnick.
Mr. Roland passed away Friday, September 26th, at Manor Care in Highland Park.
After receiving an MA from Bowling Green University and an MFA from Catholic University of America, he headed the theatre department at Manchester College for 14 years before returning to Northwestern to serve on the theatre faculty and to succeed Joe Miller as director of special events and director of Waa-Mu. For 28 seasons he was also artistic director of Wagon Wheel Theatre, a summer playhouse in Warsaw, Indiana.
"He was our link to the golden age of the college musical revue," said actor Michael Spound, a Waa-Mu alum. "When I walked in the door as a freshman in 1976 I had no idea that what I learned from Tom about tradition, respect and professionalism would stay with me for the rest of my life."
Fellow alum Dana Olsen recalled, "He told me he'd been to one major league baseball game in his life - Don Larsen's perfect game at Yankee Stadium in the '56 World Series. I guess after that there was no point in going to another one."
As a performer Roland appeared in the Chicago area at Chicago Shakespeare, Marriott's Lincolnshire, Briar Street, Second City, Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf, Goodman, and the fondly remembered Candlelight and Forum Theatres. He understudied Pat Hingle as Ben Franklin in the 1997 Broadway revival of 1776.
Interment will be private, per his wishes.