Wade Benson lives outside of Thief River Falls in Pennington County. He and his wife Marissa moved here a few years ago returning to Marissa’s hometown and her grandparent’s family farm. He is a retired professional stage actor and research interviewer for NORC at the University of Chicago. He has directed plays as a teacher and won Region and State One-Act Play contests in Georgia.

Wade has a bachelor’s degree in Theatre. He has been a member of the Actors’ Equity Association (the stage actors’ union) since 1974, having acted in multiple professional theater shows in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He was the director of the Performing Arts Center in Sandy Spring, Georgia. He developed after school programs and summer arts camps for students. He and Marisa were season tickets holders for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for years.

He has volunteered with the Thief River Falls Area Community Theater since 2012, directing, coaching, and acting/singing.

Wade said, '“For me and for my full life, seeing art of all kinds to people of all kinds is of the highest value. There is tremendous developmental strength derived from the stimulation and the comfort that art brings to heart and mind.”