What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place across the University:
Performances
"Urinetown" — Feb. 20-March 1, Playhouse Theatre, Theatre Building, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents "Urinetown," a musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, municipal politics and musical theater itself. "Urinetown" imagines a world where a terrible water shortage gives rise to a draconian system that outlaws private toilets and forces citizens to urinate only in paid-use public amenities.
Bach's Lunch — 12:10 p.m., Eisenhower Chapel, Feb. 29, University Park campus. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly Thursday afternoon concert series during the school year, jointly sponsored by the School of Music and the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development. Concerts are brief in order to make it possible for the University community to attend during the lunch hour.
The Four Phantoms In Concert — 7 p.m., March 3, Pullo Center, York campus. The Four Phantoms In Concert brings together four Phantoms from the Tony Award-winning The Phantom of the Opera for a night of entertainment.
Dropkick Murphys — 7 p.m., March 8, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Dropkick Murphys will bring their 2024 U.S. St. Patrick’s Day Tour to Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. The show will feature punk legends Pennywise as special guests, with hotly-tipped Dublin rock band The Scratch opening.
The Life and Music of George Michael — 7:30 p.m., March 8, Pullo Center, York campus. A concert-style show chronicles the amazing journey of George Michael with music and his fans. The show tells his story through early music hits from Wham! and his illustrious solo career.
Winter Jam — 6 p.m., March 9, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The Winter Jam 2024 Tour, Christian music’s biggest tour, will visit the BJC with performances by Crowder, Lecrae, CAIN, Katy Nichole, Seventh Day Slumber, and Newsong, including Speaker Zane Black.
Rhapsody Series: 'Flute Music of Jewish Composers' — 4 p.m., March 10, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park campus and Zoom. Join professor Naomi Seidman for a recital of music from Jewish composers across the diaspora. Music selections include compositions by Aaron Copland, Shulamit Ran, Lex Van Delden and Leo Smit. She will be joined by violinist Trevor Thompson, violist John Roxburgh, cellist Jon Dexter and pianist Blair Salter. Free.
Zach Bryan: The Quittin' Time Tour — 7 pm., March 12, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Singer Zach Bryan's 2024 North American tour is coming to the Bryce Jordan Center with special guests The Middle East and Levi Turner.
Events
Black History Month — Various locations, through February. Penn State campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events in honor of Black History Month. Here’s a look at some of the events and opportunities taking place at the University’s campuses during the month of February.
Café Laura Theme Dinner - Wonderland: Fall Down the Rabbit Hole — Feb. 29, Café Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Let's Dance: Movement Workshop for All Ages — 5:30 p.m., March 13, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Sing and dance with members of the For Good Troupe, directed by Krista Wilkinson, as they perform excerpts from their favorite musical theatre songs. After the performance, Penn State Professor of Dance Michele Dunleavy will teach participants basic choreography. No singing or dancing experience necessary.
Café Laura Theme Dinner - The Bear: Our Take on the Hit Show — March 13, Café Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Café Laura Theme Dinner - The Hunger Games: Culinary Tribute to Flavorful Unity — March 14, Café Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Lectures
“Einstein, gravitational waves, black holes and other matters” — 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., March 2, 100 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Gabriela Gonzalez, Boyd Professor of Physics at Louisiana State University, will present a talk with a topic introduction by former presenter Abhay Ashtekar, Atherton Professor and Emeritus Evan Pugh Professor of Physics. A 30th anniversary celebration for the Ashketar lecture series will follow this talk.
"Modeling Spatial Variability of Urban Microclimate" — 4 p.m., March 11, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and Zoom. Tirthankar Chakraborty, an earth scientist in the Atmospheric, Climate and Earth Sciences Division of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will give the talk, “Modeling Spatial Variability of Urban Microclimate."
"Community in Landscapes" — 4:30-5:30 p.m., March 13, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space, University Park campus and Zoom. Jean Yang, landscape designer, urban planner, and educator, joins the Stuckeman School's Lecture + Exhibit Series.
Tiokasin Ghosthorse — 7 p.m., March 13, HUB Flex Theatre, University Park campus and Zoom. Indigenous scholar Tiokasin Ghosthorse of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation, South Dakota, will explore Indigenous cosmology, intuitive ways of knowing, cultural etymologies, and the influence of language in relationships. Guests attending the in-person discussion will be invited to join a reception with refreshments and ongoing discussion.
2024 Russell Marker Lectures in the Mathematical Sciences: Alex Eskin — March 11-14, University Park campus. Alex Eskin, Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago, will present a series of public lectures sponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science. Free.
In-person exhibits
“In Vulnerability” — Through March 3, Woskob Family Gallery, University Park campus. Curated by project ieerie, “In Vulnerability” invites audiences to engage with the intricacies of creative expressions within the realm of mental health through works by Peri Law, Kate McCammon and Meg Wolensky.
“Animating Autotheory: Personal Essay Films” — Through March 21, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Featuring work by Emerging Artist John Summerson.
Student art exhibit — Through March 29, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. The exhibit features artwork by independent students and students who were enrolled in diverse Penn State Wilkes-Barre courses.
"Something About the Sky" — Through April 27, Ronald K. DeLong gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. A series of cloud drawing and skyscape light paintings featuring movement drawings created by Lori Hepner, 2023-24 Penn State Laureate.
"Under Pressure" — Through August, Woskob Family Gallery, Downtown State College. A participatory experimental art installation featuring the work of Ryan Kough, a neurodivergent artist, experimental letterpress printmaker and design educator who focuses on participatory community-driven social design initiatives.
"'Where Beauty’s At': Expressions of Black Visual Culture" — Through Sept. 9, Special Collections exhibit space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Brittany Frederick, a postdoctoral scholar with the Africana Research Center, and Adisa Vera Beatty, a Just Transformations Postdoctoral Fellow with the Center for Black Digital Research, have curated an exhibit highlighting the diversity of Black artistic and literary expression in partnership with Penn State University Libraries’ Eberly Family Special Collections Library.
"I Am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II" — Through June 2025, Penn State All-Sports Museum, Beaver Stadium, University Park campus. Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the conflict, "I Am a Penn Stater" chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion varsity lettermen and Women’s Recreation Association athletes during the conflict and follows their service from training in the United States, to fighting on battlefields around the globe, to their postwar occupations. Free.
Virtual exhibits
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view online.
Current virtual exhibitions include an exploration of the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement's impact on the Penn State community; a virtual exhibition of design, craft and makery; and a variety of abstract images that push the boundaries of photography as a medium.