UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Centre Stage will launch its return to professional summer theatre with "The Last Day," June 12-22, evenings at 8 p.m., at the Penn State Downtown Theatre, with music by Mike Reid, lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger and book by Reid and Schlesinger. John Simpkins directs, with musical direction by Jennifer Peacock. Reid is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and former Penn State Nittany Lions defensive lineman.
A Penn State Musical Theatre-commissioned piece in its first-ever production, "The Last Day" is about a young man tormented by a secret he has never shared. As he ends his junior year of musical theatre university training, he is dropped from the program as his secret overtakes him. Over the course of one night, his peers attempt to show him the value of his life and they all discover much they never realized about themselves.