Arts and Entertainment

Now boarding: Penn State Centre Stage presents 'Titanic'

Award-winning musical to run through Oct. 17 at Pavilion Theatre

Cast and crew are in full rehearsals for the Penn State Centre Stage production of the Tony Award-winning musical 'Titanic' opening Oct. 5, at Penn State's Pavilion Theatre on the University Park campus. For additional show information, visit www.theatre.psu.edu. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Centre Stage will present the Tony Award-winning musical "Titanic" Oct. 5-17 at the Pavilion Theatre on the University Park campus. With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Peter Stone, "Titanic" opened on Broadway in 1997 and subsequently won five Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Scenic Designs, and Best Orchestrations. Directed and choreographed by Courtney Young, with music directed by Jordan Jones-Reese, the Penn State Centre Stage production of "Titanic" will feature an exciting cast comprised of current School of Theatre students and faculty members.

Set on the ocean liner RMS Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912, the haunting story of the great ship Titanic is transformed into a riveting musical that examines the lives of its passengers in the nights leading up to the ship's fatal encounter with an iceberg. The discovery of the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985 sparked composer Maury Yeston's interest in writing a musical about the famous disaster. In the publication Contemporary Musicians, Yeston was quoted as saying, "What drew me to the project was the positive aspects of what the ship represented — 1.) humankind's striving after great artistic works and similar technological feats, despite the possibility of tragic failure, and 2.) the dreams of the passengers on board: Third Class, to immigrate to America for a better life; Second Class, to live a leisured lifestyle in imitation of the upper classes; First Class, to maintain their privileged positions forever. The collision with the iceberg dashed all of these dreams simultaneously, and the subsequent transformation of character of the passengers and crew had, it seemed to me, the potential for great emotional and musical expression onstage."

"When I saw 'Titanic' on Broadway in 1997, I instantly became a fan of the show," said Young. "I was captivated by the lives of the individuals aboard that fated ship and further drawn in by Maury Yeston’s lush score. Titanic was called the 'ship of dreams.' It was a dream that turned the idea of that glorious ship into the 'greatest moving object in the world.' It was the dreams of numerous immigrants that brought them aboard in the hopes of finding a better life in a new world. With Centre Stage's production of 'Titanic,' we celebrate the strength of the human spirit and the dreams that propel all of us through life."

Previews at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 5, 7; Evenings at 7:30 p.m.: Oct. 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17; Matinee at 2 p.m.: Oct. 17. Evenings: $25; Preview/Matinee: $18; Penn State Students (with valid PSU ID): $12. Opening Night Café Laura Themed Dinner, Thursday, Oct. 8: $45 (Does not include show ticket). (Reception at 5 p.m.; dinner at 5:30 p.m., Café Laura, Penn State. Includes transportation to/from show.) For additional show information, visit www.theatre.psu.edu. Tickets are available at Penn State Downtown Ticket Center, Eisenhower Box Office, Bryce Jordan Center, or by calling 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Generous student and group sales discounts are available.

Last Updated October 12, 2015