Patricca, Nicholas A.

Nicholas A Patricca is professor emeritus of theater at Loyola University Chicago and playwright in residence at Victory Gardens Theater. He received his Ph. D. in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago.

Nicholas A. Patricca has been writing for the theater since 1980, when his first play The Examen was produced at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago. Since that time, he has written, published and produced several full-length dramatic works, one-acts and dramatic monologues and poems, including An Uncertain Hour, The Fifth Sun, The Lemon Tree and Gardinia's 'n' Blum. Dr. Patricca is a founding member of the Chicago Alliance for Playwrights and an active member of the Dramatists Guild. He is also one of the artistic directors of Chicago New Plays, a collective dedicated to the development of playwrights working in Chicago theater. Patricca has been Playwright-in-Residence at several Chicago theaters and his international accomplishments include lecturing in Mexico and the Philippines.

Born June 14, 1941, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Playwright, theologian, professor. Nicholas (Nick) Patricca was born June 14, 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Patricca ultimately earned 5 academic degrees: Associate of Arts in 1961 from St. Charles College in Catonsville, MD; Bachelor of Arts in 1963 from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA; Master of Arts from St. Vincent College in 1966; Master of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1969; Doctorate Degree in Philosophical Theology also from the University of Chicago, 1972. Patricca began his professional career as an Instructor at Mundelein College in 1966 and returned in 1973 as a member of the Religious Studies Department. Within three years he received Mundelein's Distinguished Faculty Award for scholarly achievement and teaching excellence. After the Loyola-Mundelein affiliation in 1991, Dr. Patricca found an outlet for his interest in Theatre as a member of Loyola University's Theatre Faculty where he specialized in playwriting. Over the course of his prolific playwriting work, Nicholas Patricca published and had produced seven full-length plays, two books of poetry, and over forty of his poems in more than fifteen journals. He also received numerous awards, fellowships and grants. He was also a founding member of the Chicago Alliance for Playwrights and Artistic Director of Chicago New Plays, where he concentrated on assisting other playwrights.