UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Centre Stage will present "Nostalgia Night," book by Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, music and lyrics by Matthew McCollum, directed by John Simpkins, music direction by Richard Carsey, and choreographed by A. Kikora Franklin, from Feb. 10-19, at the Pavilion Theatre on the University Park campus.
"Nostalgia Night" is commissioned as part of the New Musicals Initiative. Written as a musical for the Gen Z population, it celebrates connection and the quest to answer the question of who you want to be. Welcome to EnVideon — an underage dance club (there are "Rulez") set in the 1980s.
Authors Levitsky-Weitz and McCollum write, "We were interested in telling a story about young people that treats them as they truly are – intelligent, questioning, hopeful, angry, excited, curious about the world. Wanna dance? Photobooth? Get hypnotized? Take things too far? Do that thing you always wanted to do, say that thing you always wanted to say, before it's too late? It’s 'Nostalgia Night,' duh. Friendships last beyond high school, right? We're all getting out of here, right? Laughlin High School Class of 2021 — who do you wanna be?"
Evening performances at 7:30 p.m. are $25; preview performances at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 are $20; and tickets for students are $12.50. For additional show information, visit the Penn State Centre Stage website. Save 10% when you buy tickets to four or more shows.
School of Theatre students performing in Penn State Centre Stage and other co-curricular performances are all fully vaccinated and, as part of a safety plan approved by the University, are permitted to remove their masks while on stage.