Tony and Kate Patterson: Finding a variety of ways to support Overture and the arts
Shari Gasper
We understand the need for the community to support the arts and artists, both by filling the theater seats and contributing financially.
Nearly five years ago, Tony and Kate Patterson moved to Madison from Wausau, Wis. Both love watching live theater, and for more than a decade they had prime seats at The Grand Theater, north central Wisconsin’s performing arts center in downtown Wausau, where Tony served on the board of directors. Their first show at Overture was Disney’s “The Lion King” in May 2016, before they moved here when their son was in law school at UW-Madison.
Getting tickets last-minute, the Pattersons found themselves sitting in the back row of the balcony. Accustomed to front-row seats at The Grand, Tony wasn’t too enthused about sitting in the balcony and didn’t expect a great experience. Boy, was he surprised!
“The acoustics in Overture Hall are astounding from any seat. You can hear everything even in the balcony,” said Tony. “I had no idea Overture Hall was so wonderful.”
They had a fantastic time at the show. And when they moved to Madison a year and a half later, as soon as subscriptions went on sale for the next season, Tony and Kate purchased a Broadway package.
As they attended more performances at Overture, they got to know former CEO/President Sandra Gajic, who spent much of her free time at Overture talking with and observing patrons. Soon they made a donation to Overture and were treated to lunch with one of the development directors.
At lunch, the Pattersons shared about their love of the arts and Tony’s background with The Grand. Soon Tony was invited to join Overture’s board of director’s development committee.
“Within four months of moving here, we were huge fans of Overture and very involved,” said Tony, who recently accepted a position on Overture Center Foundation’s 2022/23 board of directors.
For Tony, giving is a big part of his life. In Wausau, he served as pastor to the Bread of Life church, a member of the Wausau Police and Fire Commission for 20 years and chairman of the Marathon County Diversity Commission for 12 years. He continues to serve as a community activist, ministering to people throughout the community.
Kate is a retired family physician specializing in geriatrics. She loves to learn about other cultures and new perspectives through the arts.
In addition to Broadway, the Pattersons subscribe to the Cabaret series. And it’s a family tradition to attend Madison Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and the Children’s Theater of Madison’s performance of “A Christmas Carol” at Overture each holiday season.
The parents of three adult children, Beauregard (Madison), Diane (Chicago) and Tony Jr. (Wausau), the Pattersons realized the importance of supporting the arts when their daughter participated in high school musical theater and pursued a theater degree from Northwestern University.
“We understand the need for the community to support the arts and artists, both by filling the theater seats and contributing financially,” said Kate. “The more active we became in the arts, the more impact we saw.”
Both Tony and Kate would like to see more people take advantage of all Overture has to offer.
“We love Overture’s reach in the community, yet there’s still a lot of people who have never been here,” explained Tony. “We want Overture to continue to present a variety of artists and performances and expand its reach to new and diverse audiences.”
Overture is grateful for the Pattersons’ support, helping the organization to survive, thrive and grow through their subscriptions, contributions and participation.
According to Kate, people need beauty in the world and a place to gather, learn and experience the arts.
“The arts are essential to the human soul; therefore, Overture Center is essential to the soul of Madison,” she said.