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
"Abhipsaa—A Seeking" — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 19, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Indian dance artist Bijayini Satpathy will make her choreographic debut with two intimate performances, as well as additional events throughout the week. The globally renowned Indian dance artist and scholar left Nrityagram Dance Ensemble to research and create “Abhipsaa—A Seeking,” a work in extension of her Odissi dance training.
"A Tribute to Pink Floyd’s 'Dark Side of the Moon'" — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 19-20, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. As a celebration of the 50th-anniversary of Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of the Moon," audience members will be immersed in the psychedelic world of the 1970s through music, movement and light.
"A Thousand Ways: An Assembly" — Multiple performances, Oct. 20, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The unmoderated performance will encourage attendees to explore the lines between strangeness and kinship, distance and proximity, and how the most intimate assemblage can constitute a radical act.
"The Trail to Oregon!" — 8 p.m., Oct. 19-21, 111 Forum Building, University Park campus. No Refund Theatre performs the musical that parodies the video game series "The Oregon Trail." Free.
"Rhapsody Series: Scenes and Stories" — 4 p.m., Oct. 22, School of Music Recital Hall, University Park. Join oboe professor Andreas Oeste and piano professor Melody Quah for an evening of chamber music centered on the idea of storytelling. Free.
"Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" — 8 p.m., Oct. 26-28, 111 Forum Building, University Park campus. A performance by No Refund Theatre. Free.
"Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812" — Through Oct. 29, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage will produce Dave Malloy's Tony Award-winning musical "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812," an immersive electro-pop opera based on Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace." The show is directed by Christine O'Grady, assistant professor of musical theater and graduate directing.
Events
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Bon Appetit: From France with Love — Oct. 18, 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: Discover South America: A Whirlwind of Flavors — Oct. 19, 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.
Space Day — 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Oct. 21, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Harrisburg. The event, in partnership with the Penn State Eberly College of Science, will feature captivating presentations by locally known NASA astronaut Bob Hines; the documentary premiere of "Astronaut: Ocean to Orbit;" a variety of hands-on activities, demonstrations and talks presented by the Eberly College of Science; and opportunities for exploration in the Whitaker Center's newest exhibit, "Space: An Out of Gravity Experience."
THON 5K — Oct. 22, Outside the Bryce Jordan Center near Gate A, University Park campus. Programming for the annual THON 5K powered by PNC begins at 9 a.m. and includes a pep rally, a kid's race, and live music, with the 5K beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Trick or Treat night at the All-Sports Museum — 6-8 p.m., Oct. 24, Penn State All-Sports Museum, University Park campus. Attendees will be greeted by student-athletes handing out candy, as well as a variety of performances and activities.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: The Eras Tour: Dining Along Taylor's Journey — Oct. 25, 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: From Chicago to LA: Take a Trip Down Route 66 — Oct. 26, 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.
"Fall for Blue and White Society" — Noon to 3 p.m., Oct. 26, Old Main patio, University Park campus. The Blue and White society, the student arm of the Penn State Alumni Association, invites all students to join them for refreshments, snacks and an array of fun activities.
Lectures
"Trauma-Informed Design in Theory and in Practice" — 4:30 p.m., Oct. 18, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space, University Park campus and Zoom. Julie Stevens, associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University, will discuss an emerging practice: trauma-informed design. The practice involves designing with people who have experienced trauma by using a more compassionate process coupled with research and evidence. Free.
Rainn Wilson — 6:30 p.m., Oct. 18, Adler Athletic Complex, Altoona campus. Rainn Wilson, best known for playing Dwight Schrute on NBC’s sitcom “The Office,” will visit Penn State Altoona as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. Wilson is an award-winning actor, comedian and New York Times best-selling author.
"Theorizing Ableism and Care Through the Everyday Geographies of Caregiving Youth" — 3:30 p.m., Oct. 20, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and Zoom. Elizabeth Olson, professor of geography and environment and professor of global studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present as part of the fall 2023 Coffee Hour seminar series hosted by the Penn State Department of Geography.
Cas Mudde — 4 p.m., Oct. 20, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Cas Mudde, one of the world's leading scholars on right-wing extremism, will present a lecture on populism and religion as part of the two-day Populism, Piety and Patriotism Conference.
Penn State Forum Speaker Series: Patrick Evans — 1 p.m., Oct. 23, Dean's Hall, Penn Stater Conference Center, University Park campus. Patrick Evans, 1990 Penn State alumnus and special assistant for public affairs for the secretary of the U.S. Navy, will present a talk titled, "Communicating a Culture of Belonging."
"A Time Capsule from the Anthropocene: A Conversation with James Balog" — 7 p.m., Oct. 26, The State Theatre, State College. James Balog, an internationally renowned photographer, Emmy Award-winning documentarian, explorer, environmentalist, and founder and president of Earth Vision Institute, will speak at a public event about his career documenting human modification of nature and his most recent film, "The Human Element."
In-person exhibits
"Unplucked Gems" — Through Dec. 9, McLanahan Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. The exhibit by Juried Art Exhibition winner Taylor Pilote reveals ties to notable aspects of car culture, both personal and industrial, using physically distorted recognizable vehicle features. Free.
"I Sang You A Song Though I Didn't Know the Words" — Through Dec. 9, Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Juried Art Exhibition winner Boryana Rusenova-Ina utilizes experiences of learning English in post-communist Bulgaria to influence this exhibition. Free.
"Petroglyphics: Stories from the Earth" — Through Oct. 31, Penn State New Kensington Art Gallery. The exhibition by Carolyn Haas invites visitors to embark on a unique artistic journey that uncovers captivating stories and intricate patterns hidden within rocks. Free.
"Evan Pugh: Student to Scientist" — Through October, Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery, Deike Building, University Park campus. The exhibit explores two distinct stages in the life of Evan Pugh, Penn State's first president. Free.
Gall wasps exhibit — Through October, Frost Entomological Museum, University Park campus. This exhibit is aimed at cultivating awareness about gall wasps and showcasing their beauty and diversity. Free.
"Black Feminist Embodiments of Self-Love and Self-Recovery" — Through Nov. 20, Outside of Paterno Reading Room, Pattee Library, University Park campus. Inspired by a scene in Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved," set in Ohio prior to Emancipation, the exhibition displays sources of self-love and self-recovery found in a variety of literature by and about Black women. Free.
“Andrea Doria: Dive to An Era” — Through Nov. 30, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. The Friedman Art Gallery will feature a collection of items recovered on more than 200 dives to the shipwreck of the Andrea Doria. Diver and author Gary Gentile has recovered dishes, cups, glasses, plates, jewelry and ceramic panels created by the internationally known artist Romano Rui and more.
"Eudaimonia" — Through Dec. 5, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. Featuring works from artists Sasha Meret and Michelle Neifert, "Eudaimonia" explores themes related to mindfulness, acceptance, purpose, skill mastery and positive relationships.
"High Strung" — Through December, Woksob Family Gallery, University Park campus. Sculptures by local artist and educator Melissa Forkner Lesher transform commonplace materials into delicate works of art. Lesher weaves her creations with precision and efficiency by carefully assembling small hand-built pieces into larger, meticulously crafted configurations.
"Sad Purple and Mauve: A History of Dye-Making" — Through Jan. 15, Special Collections exhibition space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The science, art and history and textile and paper dyes and their uses in books and manuscripts will be the focus of this exhibit.
"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 exhibitions include an examination of women’s athletics at Penn State and Title IX, editorial cartoons from The Jerry Doyle Papers, and an exploration of the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic.