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
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" – Through Nov. 22, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Stephen Sondheim’s classic twisted story of Sweeney Todd is coming to Centre Stage. With a razor-sharp thirst for vengeance, Todd’s path converges with the cunning pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett. Together, they form a macabre partnership, crafting meat pies that satiate more than just hunger. But the relentless pursuit of justice takes a turn as Todd’s razor weaves a chilling narrative. Directed and choreographed by Zack Steele, with music directed by Ann Van Steenwinkel.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra: “The Lost Christmas Eve Tour” – 7 p.m., Nov. 21, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Multi-platinum rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings their monumental winter tour to Penn State to celebrate 20 years of their beloved rock opera "The Lost Christmas Eve.”
Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra — 7:30 p.m., Nov. 21, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Under the direction of Maestro Gerardo Edelstein, the orchestra's performance will feature Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, which he aptly nicknamed the "Romantic." A masterpiece celebrated for its sweeping melodies, grandeur and emotional depth, this performance is in celebration of Bruckner's 200th birthday.
"Much Ado about Nothing" — Through Nov. 22, Pavilion Theatre, University Park campus. The Penn State School of Theatre presents William Shakespeare's comedy of courtship, scandal and the "war of words," which though centuries-old remains one of the most significant tools for teaching theater, according to A. Kikora Franklin, artistic director.
Samara Joy: “A Joyful Holiday” featuring the McLendon Family – 7:30 p.m., Dec. 3, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Three-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Samara Joy will make her Penn State debut with a performance of her third annual “A Joyful Holiday” featuring the McLendon Family. The performance will feature a festive mix of sacred, secular and gospel-inspired seasonal favorites.
Events
Café Laura Theme Dinner: French Bistro Classics — Nov. 21, 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.
“Point of View” — 2-6 p.m., Nov. 21, 24 Borland Building, University Park campus. Fourth-year graphic design students in the Stuckeman School will host an exhibition that will “break down the stereotypes of graphic design, highlighting the depth and skill it takes to be a graphic designer and the way it impacts daily life through various student projects."
"Dare to Disrupt” Live Recording — 11 a.m., Nov. 22, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park campus. Join Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" for a live podcast recording featuring Scholar Hotels Founder and CEO Gary Brandeis. Part of Global Entrepreneurship Week Penn State, this event offers a unique chance to hear Brandeis' personal journey in real estate and hospitality.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Big 10 Bites: A Culinary Championship — Dec. 4, 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.
Palmer Museum: Creative Self-Care Studio Session — 5:30-7:30 p.m., Nov. 7, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Get creative, connect with others, move your hands, learn about self-care art techniques, and take time to relax and rejuvenate through art-making processes in these drop-in sessions. Sessions will focus on therapeutic art practices for self-care as well as provide a time and place to build community with other creative people. Free.
Celebration of the Arts — 12:15-1 p.m., Dec. 5, Academic Commons Barry Auditorium, Wilkes-Barre campus. The program includes a holiday concert by the Wyoming Valley West Chamber Strings and will introduce musicians and artists in attendance whose work will be on display in the campus' annual High School Art Exhibit.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: Retro Diner Revival: Classic Comfort Food Reimagined — Dec. 5, 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.
An Evening with Peter Billingsley and “A Christmas Story” — 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5, Pullo Center, York campus. The holiday classic movie “A Christmas Story” will be shown on the big screen, followed by a Q&A with Peter Billingsley. VIP ticket holders will get a meet-and-greet with the iconic actor before the show.
Lectures
Emily Dickinson Lecture: Ilya Kaminsky — 6 p.m., Nov. 21, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Award-winning poet Ilya Kaminsky will deliver the 24th annual Emily Dickinson Lecture, which will feature readings from Kaminsky’s works. Free.
Johnson Lecture in Scientific Communication — 7 p.m., Nov. 21, 100 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Alaina G. Levine, president of Quantum Success Solutions LLC, author, professional speaker and STEM career coach, will give the fall 2024 A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Lecture in Scientific Communication. Free.
“Distributional Impacts of Flood Adaptation and Infrastructure Funding in New Zealand” — Noon, Dec. 4, 157 Hosler Building, University Park campus. Patrick Walsh, an economist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will discuss flood adaptation and equitable access.
“Essential for Some, Helpful for All: Designing for Inclusion with Universal Design for Learning” — 10:15-11:45 p.m., Dec. 4, The Dreamery, Shields Building, University Park campus. Luis Perez, disability and digital inclusion lead for the Center for Applied Special Technology, share how he, as a person with a disability, experienced firsthand the power of Universal Design for Learning and accessible educational materials as tools for empowerment.
“The Secret History of Walden Pond” – 2:30 p.m., Dec. 5, Foster Auditorium, Pattee-Paterno Library, University Park campus and via Zoom. Professor Emeritus Ian Stuart Marshall will present a lecture diving into the untold stories of the world’s most famous pond. The talk reveals how Walden Pond influenced pivotal moments in history and faces ongoing environmental challenges.
In-person exhibits
“Made in PA” — Through Dec. 1, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. An ambitious show highlights post-1945 paintings, sculpture, mixed-media assemblages and installations by artists who hail from Pennsylvania or who have made their homes and sustained their careers in the Keystone State.
“Photography of Protest” — Through Dec. 3, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. From 2016 through 2020, photographer Michael Mirabito had opportunities to photograph many protests, marches and other events and their participants; these are the main focal points of his exhibit. The photographs in the exhibit at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are focused mostly on marches in Pennsylvania.
“Re/Collecting the Andes: Andean Art, Science, and the Sacred at Penn State” — Through Dec. 8, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. “Re/Collecting the Andes” tells the story of more than 10,000 years of agricultural, cultural, intellectual and religious innovation in the Andes region of South America. It also narrates how the Incas and their surviving Andean subjects reclaimed that legacy after Spain's invasion, through museums, science and art.
“Re(de)fining Landscape” — Through Dec. 13, Abington Art Gallery, Abington campus. Bonnie Levinthal’s work is rooted in the exploration and re-presentation of landscape, incorporating methods and mediums that connect process with content to create a visual record of her experiences in response to place. This exhibition showcases three bodies of work alongside artist’s journals, reflecting Levinthal’s response to place through a sampling of artworks completed at home and abroad.
“Symphonic Worlds” — Through Dec. 14, Sheetz Gallery, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A body of work by Ivyside Juried Art Exhibition winner Kiki Gaffney exploring the natural environment through recognizable imagery in combination with conceptual and abstract ideas.
“Threads, Folds & Rabbit Holes” — Through Dec. 14, McLanahan Galler, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A well-received interdisciplinary traveling exhibition featuring the paintings/textiles of Kristy Deetz and two books of ekphrastic stories of the artwork written by Edward Risden, whose pen name is Edward S. Louis.
"Stickloon Contemporary: Still Life" — Through Dec. 20, Art Space, Student Community Center, Schuylkill campus. An exhibit featuring artist and retired Penn State Schuylkill art instructor Robert Stickloon's works.
"Caretelling: Stories to Sustain Ourselves" — Through December, Woskob Family Gallery, University Park campus. This interdisciplinary group exhibition explores the intersection of storytelling and caregiving through collaborative art-making, video installations and graphic narratives.
"Patterning with Heat and Water: Knitted Responsive Tension Structures" — Through December, Woskob Family Gallery, University Park campus. The exhibition showcases the responsive textile work of Felecia Davis, associate professor of architecture in the Penn State Stuckeman School’s Department of Architecture, and Delia Dumitrescu, director of the Smart Textiles Lab at the Swedish School of Textiles.
High School Art Exhibit — Through Jan. 31, Friedman Art Gallery, Wilkes-Barre campus. More than 60 examples of original local high school student artwork in the following categories: two-dimensional drawings and paintings; photography; and three-dimensional artwork. Participating schools include Lake-Lehman, Crestwood, Dallas, Wilkes-Barre Area Creative and Performing Arts Academy and Sue Hand’s Imagery will be on display. Free.
“Liberty and Justice for All” — Through Jan. 23, Ronald K. DeLong Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. Three artists whose work examines the ideas of social justice, civic engagement and democracy will be featured in an exhibit exploring liberty and justice.
"Unknown Forest" — Through Jan. 27, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Galleries, University Park campus. The exhibit features paintings and drawings by New York-based artist, Avani Patel, whose cultural background has had a profound impact on forging her identity as an artist. Indian culture is the starting point of her work.
"Myth, History, and the Written Word: Manuscript and Print Culture in Latin America" — Through Feb. 7, 2025, Special Collections exhibition space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. The rare and distinctive Latin American collections held by the Eberly Family Special Collections Library are the focus of this exhibition, curated by Manuel Ostos, librarian and curator of Romance Language and Latin American Collections. Free.
"People, Place, and Things" — Through Feb. 26, Multiple locations at Berks campus. This campus-wide exhibition showcases artists with ties to eastern Pennsylvania whose work engages ideas of place-making and regional identity.
"Reunion" — Through March 4, HUB Gallery and Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The exhibit by New Mexico-based contemporary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger is an immersive, multi-disciplinary exhibition featuring sculpture, regalia and digital media. The selection of works presented in this iteration makes up a spectrum of possibilities and sheds light on historical truths to tell a narrative of complexity in the act of survival.
“Biomachine” — Through Spring 2025, Hite Lobby, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. A collaboration between Daryl Branford and Talley Fisher of Huck SciArts offers a glimpse into the microscopic world of viruses and is a reaction to how humanity must learn to coexist with them.
"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.