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
"Into the Woods" — Through March 18, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents "Into the Woods," with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
Journey — 7:30 p.m., March 3, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Journey, diamond-selling Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, will take the stage with their catalog of global chart-topping hits, including "Don't Stop Believin," "Any Way You Want It," "Faithfully," "Lights," and more.
The Hit Men: The Ultimate Rock Concert — 7:30 p.m., March 4, The Pullo Center, York campus. The Hit Men celebrate their associations with rock mega-stars through backstage stories, first-hand experiences as eyewitnesses to rock history, and the performance of classic hits.
"Dialogues of the Carmelites" — March 16-18, Recital Hall, School of Music, University Park campus. Penn State Opera Theatre presents Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc. The opera, which premiered at Teatro alla Scala in 1957, is based on a play by French playwright Georges Bernanos.
Lectures
Beekeeping Around the World: "Apimondia" — 12-1 p.m., March 2, webinar. Webinar participants can learn why beekeeping is a popular and profitable venture around the world. This is part of a seven-week series of webinars offered by Penn State Extension. Free.
Beekeeping Around the World: "The Canadian Prairies" — 12-1 p.m., March 9, webinar. Webinar participants can learn why beekeeping is a popular and profitable venture around the world. This is part of a seven-week series of webinars offered by Penn State Extension. Free.
“The Need for Holocaust Education in an Era of Rising Antisemitism” — 2 p.m., March 12, Historic B’nai Jacob Synagogue, Middletown. Boaz Dvir, director of Penn State’s Hammel Family Human Rights Initiative, will discuss antisemitism and Holocaust education at one of Pennsylvania’s oldest synagogues. Free.
EarthTalks: "Microbial Life in the Terrestrial Subsurface" — 4 p.m., March 13, 112 Walker Building, University Park campus and via Zoom. Jennifer Macalady, professor of geosciences, will discuss earth sciences as part of the EarthTalks series. Free.
"From Dear Old State to the U.S. Department of State: Perspectives from Alumnae Leaders in Foreign Policy and Diplomacy" — 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., March 14, virtual. The Graduate School and Graduate School Alumni Society will host a discussion with Penn State alumni who have built successful careers strengthening our nation’s international relationships through their work at the U.S. Department of State. Free.
Gallery Talk: "Conversations across the Collection" — 1-2 p.m., March 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Graduate assistants Caroline Koch, Keisha Oliver, and Alicia Skeath will lead a conversation across the collection in the Snowiss and Tonkin Galleries. Free.
"Reassessing Informal Settlements in the Global South: A Case Study of Delhi’s Mixed-Income Communities" — 12-1:30 p.m., March 15, Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space and Zoom, University Park campus. Alexandra Staub, professor of architecture and Hamer Center affiliate researcher, and Sana Ahrar, second-year architecture doctoral candidate and Hamer Center researcher, will deliver a presentation highlighting their research. Free.
"Direct From the Horse’s Mouth: The Latest from Penn State Equine Science" — 1 p.m., March 15, via Zoom. Brian Egan, Burt Staniar, Danielle Smarsh and Andrea Kocher — all members of Penn State’s equine science team — will discuss everything equine. From foals to the quarter horse sale, from feeding to exercise physiology research, from 4-H to working with Pennsylvania’s horse community, the team will share highlights from equine teaching, research and Penn State Extension programs. Free.
Beekeeping Around the World: "East Africa" — 12-1 p.m., March 16, webinar. Webinar participants can learn why beekeeping is a popular and profitable venture around the world. This is part of a seven-week series of webinars offered by Penn State Extension. Free.
"Bach's Lunch" — 12:10 p.m., March. 16, Eisenhower Chapel, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, University Park campus. Voice students in the School of Music's lyric diction class will present a program focusing on English and Italian diction skills developed in class. "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. Free.
Events
Women's History Month — Through March, various campuses. Penn State celebrates Women's History Month with a variety of events. Free.
Children's Dance Workshops — 4:30-5:30 p.m., through April 3, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Penn State Altoona will host a six-week series of children’s dance workshops suitable for children ages 4 to 8. No prior dance experience is required or expected.
"The Invisible Extinction" film screening — 6 p.m., March 2, State Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State’s Microbiome Center will present "The Invisible Extinction," a movie that spotlights the trailblazing work and charismatic personalities of renowned scientists who aim to save the vanishing microbes that are essential for our survival. A panel discussion will take place after the screening. Free.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Spring High Tea: A Ritzy Tea Party — March 2, 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.
Women's Hockey CHA Tournament Championship — 2 p.m., March 4, Pegula Ice Arena, University Park campus. The Penn State women's hockey team faces Mercyhurst for the CHA Tournament Championship.
Pi Day Science Open Mic Night — 5-8 p.m., March 14, 3 Dots, University Park campus. A celebration of all types of science-themed performance arts, with limited room for visual art displays. The event will include three “celebrity” judges from the college, as well as prizes, snacks and community science outreach activities. Free.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Mamma Mia! A Greek Cuisine Experience — March 15, 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 Hummus Place: Habibi, Wake Up Your Taste Buds! — March 16, 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.
Virtual exhibits
"Penn State Women's Athletics and Title IX: The Success and Struggles for Equal Access" — Through May. This University Libraries exhibit focuses on the impact Title IX legislation has had on Penn State women student-athletes. Free.
"African Brilliance and the Purpose of Art" — This interactive virtual tour accompanied the Palmer Museum of Art’s spring 2020 special exhibition "African Brilliance: A Diplomat’s Sixty Years of Collecting" and will remain available throughout the current academic year. Explore the exhibition installation, images of selected works, videos for guided viewing and related art-making activity suggestions. Free.
"Celebrating the ADA: The Legacy and Evolution of Disability Rights and Lived Experiences at Penn State" — The University Libraries virtual exhibit explores the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement's impact on the Penn State community. Free.
"Global Asias: Contemporary Asian and Asian American Art from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundations" — This web-based, interactive program from the Palmer Museum of Art features guided video tours of selected exhibition artists in addition to an introductory overview by the curator. Learn about the “Global Asias” concept of personal and cultural identity in a contemporary world. Artists featured include: Jacob Hashimoto, Dinh Q. Lê, Hung Liu, Takashi Murakami, Roger Shimomura, Do Ho Suh and Rirkrit Tiranvanija. Free.
"Pandemic Spaces (1918 Edition)" — The University Libraries' virtual display explores architecture related to the devastating influenza epidemic of 1918. Free.
"Who Am I? Art and Identity" — This self-directed, interactive, online tour features a selection of objects from diverse areas of the Palmer Museum of Art’s collection, related through a common exploration of personal or cultural identity. Free.
"Women in Art: Activism + Resistance" — This self-directed, interactive, Palmer Museum of Art online tour is intended for college-level courses and features a selection of objects by female artists in the museum’s collection. In celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment, this tour highlights artists working in a variety of mediums during the 20th and 21st centuries who have contributed to political, social and cultural change. Free.
"The World According to Doyle: Editorial Cartoons from The Jerry Doyle Papers at Penn State" — This Penn State University Libraries digital exhibition examines Jerry Doyle, one of the preeminent editorial cartoonists of the 20th century. Free.
In-person exhibits
"Dreams | AYDO" — Through March 5, HUB Gallery, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. AYDO re-imagines Korean folklore and precolonial spiritual practices to reflect personal and Asian American perspectives. Free.
"35 Years of Drawings by Dan Willis and His Students" — Through March 8, Willard G. Rouse Gallery, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus. The exhibit features the work of Dan Willis, interim department head and professor of architecture, and his former students. Drawings and models spanning decades, including pieces from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, will be showcased. Free.
"Apophenia" — Through March 16, Sheetz Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Works by Associate Teaching Professor Susan Marie Brundage explore "the magical in the mundane." Free.
"Carpe Noctem" — Through March 16, McLanahan Gallery of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Penn State Altoona. Works by Emerging Artist-in-Residence Maddie Quinn explore her relationship with the people and places around her hometown. Free.
"Hard Candy Tectonics" — Through May 14, exhibition cases, HUB-Robeson Building, University Park campus. Works by Gracelee Lawrence showcase glimmering and seductive surfaces blending into sensual volumes in space that together form the plastic sublime that are Lawrence's sculptures. Free.
"Sticky Mirror" — Through May 30, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Building, University Park campus. An exhibition of artist Sarah Sutton's work that imagine in-between space, scalar fluidity, and what the artist calls psychic spaces, where the private and public realm collapse. Free.
"Between the Lines: Global Histories of the Book" — Through Aug. 28, Special Collections Exhibition gallery, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Students in HIST 255N: History of the Book share insights and books through this exhibition about the forms and functions of books. Free.
"Zombie Ant Experience" — Through August, Perkins Student Center, Penn State Berks. This interactive art installation also serves as a teaching tool to illustrate spore trajectories and how ants are transformed into "zombies." 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 new exhibit is aimed at cultivating awareness about gall wasps and showcasing their beauty and diversity. Free.
"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.