What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and next week:
Performances
"The Book of Mormon" — Oct. 8-13, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Tony Award-winning musical from the creators of "South Park" comes to Penn State for seven performances.
"She Kills Monsters" — Oct. 8-17, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games.
"Heathers: The Musical" — Oct. 10-12, Schwab Auditorium, University Park campus. The Penn State Thespian Society presents the musical based on the original 1988 film, which starred Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty.
"Rituchkra: A Musical Journey through the Seasons" — 4:30 p.m., Oct. 13, State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., State College. Student artists from the Society for Indian Music and Arts and its sister organization, Penn State Nritya, will host a performance of Indian music.
"A Night of Penn State Jazz" — 7 p.m., Oct. 15, Ritz Theater, Scranton. Centre Dimensions, the premiere 20-piece student jazz ensemble at Penn State, will perform.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 17, Schwab Auditorium, University Park campus. The London chamber orchestra will perform music by Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn and Sally Beamish.
Events
Café Laura Theme Dinner: "A Trip to the Big Easy: Tour the New Orleans Food Scene" — Oct. 10, 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 Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Pumpkin Festival — Oct. 11-12, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. The arboretum hosts its annual event including a pumpkin-carving contest and lighted jack-o-lantern display. Free.
President's Open House — 2-4 p.m., Oct. 11, Old Main, University Park campus. Visitors can tour the president's office suite and learn more about the Land-Grant Frescoes that adorn the walls of Old Main. Free.
Community Day, Palmer Museum of Art — 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 12, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The Palmer's annual Community Day event, this year titled "Bridging Art and Culture," invites visitors to come out for a variety of programs that inspire creativity and reflect on the active role of art in shaping culture and change. Activities include gallery talks, tours, music, art-making activities and refreshments. Free.
"Haunted Valley" — 7:30-9:30 p.m., Oct. 12, Hintz Family Alumni Center, University Park campus. The Lion Ambassadors will offer its annual ghost tours and haunted house event, exploring the haunted history of Penn State and State College. Free.
Horticulture Show — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 12-13, Snider Agricultural Arena, University Park campus. Designed and built by students in the Penn State Horticulture Club, this year's show theme mimics the atmosphere of a friendly, small-town county fair. Features include carnival games, fair food, fresh produce, and a vast assortment of plant material available for purchase. Proceeds assist the club in representing Penn State at the annual National Collegiate Landscaping Competition.
Café Laura Theme Dinner: "'Harvest': Let Us Squash Your Appetite" — Oct. 17, 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 Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.
Lectures
Research Unplugged: Harland Patch — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 10, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. Harland Patch, assistant research professor of entomology, will present "Garden Landscapes for Pollinators" and talk about the future Pollinators' Garden at The Arboretum at Penn State. Free.
Kenyette Barnes and Robin Givens — 7 p.m., Oct. 10, Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The Student Programming Association and Penn State's Gender Equity Center present Kenyette Barnes, a political strategist, lobbyist and national co-founder of the #MuteRKelly movement; and Robin Givens, star of "Head of the Class," "Riverdale" and "Once Upon a Time." Free.
Mary E. Rolling Reading Series: Vicki Glembocki — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 10, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Award-winning magazine writer, essayist, memoirist and Penn State alumna Vicki Glembocki will offer a reading of some of her works. Free.
Penn State Forum/2019-20 AAUW State College Centennial Lecture: Jessica Weiner — 11:30 a.m., Oct. 15, President's Hall, Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, University Park campus. Jessica Weiner, social entrepreneur, change agent and CEO of Talk to Jess, LLC, will present "Generational and Cultural Differences in Branding and Consumer Behavior."
Nora Krug — 7 p.m., Oct. 16, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Nora Krug, 2019 winner of the Lynd Ward Prize for Graphic Novel of the Year, will receive her award and give a visual presentation and discussion of her latest work. Free.
Jay Bilas — 7 p.m., Oct. 17, State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., State College. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas will give the keynote lecture for the Intercollegiate Athletics Conference.
Research Unplugged: Peter La Femina — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 17, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. Peter La Femina, associate professor of geosciences, will present "Multidisciplinary Monitoring of Active Volcanoes" and review the history of volcanology, monitoring techniques and use specific examples from his research of active volcanoes in Central America and the Galapagos Islands. Free.
Exhibits
Three Artist Exhibition — Through Oct. 10, Freyberger Gallery, Penn State Berks. Three Berks area artists — Erika Stearly, Mike Miller and Delores Kershner — will be featured. Free.
"We Never Left: Artists of the Southeastern Indian Tribes" — Through Nov. 3, HUB Gallery, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The exhibition focuses on Native American artists who are descendants of the indigenous peoples who survived and continue to thrive in some portion of their Southeastern homelands despite most of their populations being relocated in the 19th century. Free.
"A Meditation on this Age of Struggle and Strife" — Through Nov. 10, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A solo exhibit of drawings and sculptures by Art Rudy Shepherd, associate professor of art, that reflects on news from 2017 to current day. Free.
"Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman" — Through Dec. 8, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Nearly 80 objects, including sculptures, paintings, works on paper, and archival material highlight this reassessment of Harlem Renaissance artist Augusta Savage. Free.
"Bauhaus Transfers: Albers/Rauschenberg" — Through Dec. 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum celebrates the centenary of the Bauhaus, the influential school founded in Weimer, Germany, that unifies fine arts, design and architecture in its curriculum. Free.
"The Web of Life: John Biggers and the Power of Pedagogy" — Through Dec. 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibit spotlights the work of artist John Biggers in relation to two important mentors, artist Charles White and famed art educator Viktor Lowenfeld. Free.
"Fantasy and Reality: The World According to Félix Buhot" — Through Dec. 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum spotlights one of the most original French printmakers of the 19th century. Free.
"Folded Section" — Through Jan. 10, 2020, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. The gallery is displaying an ambitious new wall drawing that explores the local landscape. Free.
"Ghosts" — Through Feb. 2, 2020, HUB-Robeson Galleries, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. An exhibition of works selected from the School of Visual Arts' collection of bisque ware, known as the Bisque Library. Free.