Wade received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon in Music Composition and Vocal Performance and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Pacific University with certifications in Theatre Arts and Vocal Music.
His acting credits include many regional commercials and industrial films. His favorite stage roles include Jerry in the hit musical The Full Monty (Pixie Dust Productions), Enjolras in Les Miserables and Sparky in Forever Plaid (Broadway Rose Theatre Company) Officer Lockstock in Urinetown (Stumptown Stages), Tony (US) in West Side Story (Portland Center Stage), Henrik in A Little Night Music (Mainstage Theatre Productions), Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tylan Associates), George in Same Time Next Year and Mark in Mass Appeal. Wade can be seen this summer as Freddie in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Broadway Rose Theatre Company).
His career has taken him off stage and out to sea where he entertained on the Columbia Queen, The Queen of the West, and The Empress of the North cruise lines. He has sung with both the Eugene and Colorado Symphony Orchestras. Mr Willis has also written and produced two musicals, Mad Avenue and Illyria, the latter based on his experiences in 1994 when he volunteered to work at a refugee camp in Bosnia for four months.
Wade recently resigned from his eight year position as the Theatre Arts Director of the two-time, state award winning theatre arts department at Southridge High School.
He has been honored in Who’s Who of American Teachers for six years and the City of Beaverton bestowed Wade with two awards: the 2002 Outstanding Educator in the Arts Award and the 2006 Human Rights Advisory Commission’s Individual Diversity Award.
Wade continues to coach students privately and teach classes for local theatre companies. Many of his students have been accepted to some of the most prestigious Theatre Arts Schools in the country.
