Penn State Centre Stage's 2014-15 season will include six productions

Penn State Centre Stage will engage audiences in six contemporary, award-winning theatre productions this season.

The season opens with Theresa Rebeck’s "O Beautiful," Oct. 7–18, in the Playhouse Theatre. Directed by Dan Carter, “O Beautiful” is a theatrically inventive union of contemporary American life and the history that got us to this politically polarized age. (This show includes political, social and religious content that some may find challenging.)

"We are incredibly excited to bring "O Beautiful" and Centre Stage's entire 2014-15 line-up to the community," said Dan Carter, director of 'O Beautiful' and artistic director of Penn State Centre Stage. "One of the purposes of religion and, I believe, theatre is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The 2014-15 season is an example of the latter, as it aspires to jolt audiences into thinking and feeling about a number of issues in a new way; to consider their own beliefs; and to contemplate how they respond to the beliefs of others, staying true to themselves while respecting differences in an increasingly uncivil society."

From Nov. 4-18, Centre Stage will present the multiple Tony Award-winning "Spring Awakening" at the Pavilion Theatre, with music by Duncan Sheik, and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Directed by Cary Libkin, "Spring Awakening" is an electrifying fusion or morality, sexuality and rock-and-roll music that explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion. (This show includes partial nudity, profanity and mature subject matter that may be objectionable to some audience members.)

The fall season concludes with Stephen Adly Guigis’ "The MotherF**ker with the Hat," Nov. 17-Dec. 6, directed by Steve Broadnax at the Downtown Theatre Center. Set in modern day New York City, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat" is a dark and turbulent comedy about addiction, relationships and ultimately love. (This show includes profanity and mature subject matter that may be objectionable to some audience members.)

The spring season opens with "Avenue Q," Feb 18 to 28, 2015 at the Playhouse Theatre. With music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, and book by Jeff Whitty, "Avenue Q" is the winner of the Tony Triple Crown for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. Directed by Courtney Young, "Avenue Q" is a laugh-out-loud musical that tells a story of the trials and tribulations of a recent college graduate and his neighbors (and puppets) who live all the way out on "Avenue Q." (This show may not be appropriate for children, as it deals with mature themes including sex, drinking and searching the Internet for pornography.)

"Dogfight," a musical based on a 1991 film of the same name, will run from April 1 to 11, 2015 at the Downtown Theatre Center. With music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and book by Peter Duchan, "Dogfight" tells a tender and brutal tale of young people meeting in a situation certain to end in heartbreak. Following three young Marines on the eve of their deployment to Vietnam in 1963, the show focuses on Corporal Eddie Birdlace and Rose, an ungainly but hopeful waitress he recruits in a callous competition with his buddies. Rose, however, changes the way the game is played in an unexpected story of innocence, compassion and new love.

Centre Stage will finish its 2014-15 season with William Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar," April 21-23, 2015, (dates subject to change). Presented free and open to the public on the steps of Old Main, this production will be directed by Bill Kelly set in a contemporary African nation (“Rome”) in order to draw parallels between modern African dictatorships and Shakespeare’s Roman Republic of 44 BC under the dictatorship of Julius Caesar. The idea that a dictator is pulled down by “honorable men,” only to plunge the nation into a bloody civil war, is the common thread in several African states and is essentially the same idea that drives Julius Caesar.

For additional show information, visit www.theatre.psu.edu. Tickets start at $16 and are available at Penn State Tickets Downtown, Eisenhower Box Office, Bryce Jordan Center, or by calling 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Save 10 percent when you buy tickets to four or more shows. Penn State students may purchase tickets (with valid Penn State ID) for $12.