Chet Kondratowicz brought the performing arts to Lewis University and the surrounding community through his work as an educator, theatre director and committed patron of the arts. He joined the faculty at Lewis University in 1965. At that time, the study of theatre was limited to just a few course offerings. Within the following two years, he spearheaded the conversion of two classrooms into a small theatre. He was appointed chair of the newly formed theatre department in the early 1970s, while also holding the position of theatre director.
In 1975, construction began on a new theatre which was named in memory of Brother Philip Lynch, FSC, a Lewis speech and theatre professor. Kondratowicz was a significant contributor to the project, overseeing the design and reconstruction of an airplane hangar into a facility modeled after the famed Guthrie Theatre, featuring a thrust stage, audience seating, backstage, lobby, office space, and costume, paint and scenery shops.
During his tenure at Lewis, Kondratowicz and Brother Paul French, FSC, President Emeritus who was then teaching English, established the Arts & Ideas Series in 1986. The program still exists today. For their efforts with Arts & Ideas, both Kondratowicz and Brother Paul were honored in 2001 with the St. Genesius Award, named for the patron saint of actors and the arts, at the annual Arts Gala.
Kondratowicz retired from teaching at Lewis in 1995, and was named Faculty Emeritus of Theatre at that time. He remained at the University for an additional four years to continue Arts & Ideas programming. After his formal retirement from Lewis in 1999, he moved to Chicago to accept the position of theatre director at Saint Patrick High School. Kondratowicz received a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University. He holds a master’s degree in English from Loyola University and a master’s degree in theatre from the University of Minnesota.
The Lewis University Philip Lynch Theatre community extends our sympathies to his family.
