Less than a year after the death of Roy Hine, another Wagon Wheel Theatre director has died.
Tom Roland died Sept. 26 at Manor Care in Highland Park, Ill., according to Bruce Shaffner, Wagon Wheel Productions Inc. president, Tuesday afternoon. Roland served as the Wagon Wheel director for about 27 to 28 years until Hine was named artistic director in 1996.
Hine, 51, of Chicago, died Nov. 21 of heart failure while he was working on Wagon Wheel's production of "Cinderella."
"He was a very strong, integral part of the theater," Shaffner said of Roland. "His knowledge of the arts was extremely strong. One of his strengths was directing theater in the round."
Shaffner said he knew Roland since 1979.
"He brought a lot of joy to a lot of people during his time at Wagon Wheel directing," Shaffner said.
According to information from Northwestern University, provided by Shaffner, Roland was born in 1929.
Only the second director in the history of Northwestern University's venerable Waa-Mu show, Roland staged the annual musical revue, dubbed by LIFE magazine as "the biggest and splashiest of all college shows," from 1976 to 1993. He also performed as a featured singer and dancer in five 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.
According to Shaffner, Stevenson got his start at the Wagon Wheel under Roland's direction. Stevenson is best known for his role on the television series "MASH."
After receiving a master's degree from Bowling Green University and a master's degree in fine arts from Catholic University of America, Roland headed the theater department at Manchester College, North Manchester, for 14 years before returning to Northwestern to serve on the theater faculty. Roland succeeded Joe Miller as director of special events and director of Waa-Mu.
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 Candlelight and Forum Theatres. He understudied Pat Hingle as Ben Franklin in the 1997 Broadway revival of "1776." Shaffner said Roland also performed in "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Wagon Wheel.
