Alumni of the Penn State School of Theatre will reunite for “The Great Blue and White Way,” a concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at 54 Below in New York City. Presented by fellow School of Theatre alumnus Mike Karns, the evening will showcase the talents of the many former students who are now performing on Broadway and around the country. The evening is directed by School of Theatre alumna Amy Anders Corcoran, with music direction by alumnus Roberto Sinha.
“I believe that Penn State’s School of Theatre is one of the most prolific programs in the nation,” said Karns. “Performers from Penn State are working both on and offstage throughout the entertainment industry. I wanted a chance to showcase some of the talent from Penn State for the New York City community.”
Featured performers will include Caroline Bowman, currently starring on Broadway as Elphaba in "Wicked;" Marcus Paul James, who has been seen in "Motown, Rent," and In the Heights on Broadway; Alan Wiggins, who has been seen in "The Lion King" and "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" on Broadway; and Natalie Weiss, who has Broadway and national tour credits plus an international following from her YouTube performance videos and web series, “Breaking Down the Riffs.”
Other performers, also former Penn State School of Theatre students, include Gilbert Bailey ("Book of Mormon"), Rachel Fairbanks ("First Wives’ Club"), Jeremy Greenbaum ("Newsies"), Jim Hogan, Paul Jordan Jansen, Katie Murray, Lexi Rhoades, Sam Sefarian, Laurie Veldheer ("Newsies") and Ryan Vona ("Once").
The evening will include songs and stories from the performers about their career paths from Penn State to “the Great White Way.”
“For one night only, at one of the most prominent performance spaces in New York City, Penn State is center stage. I couldn’t be more excited to bring these talented artists together for this exciting concert,” Karns said.
For more information, visit the show’s Facebook page or contact Karns at michael.c.karns@gmail.com or 814-746-2583.