What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and the coming week:
Performances
"Beauty and the Beast" — Various times, March 23-25, Schwab Auditorium. The Penn State Thespians present Walt Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."
"Barbecue" — Various times, March 24-April 1, Pavilion Theatre. Penn State Centre Stage presents Robert O'Hara's satiric play.
2017 Winter Jam Tour Spectacular — 7 p.m., March 24, Bryce Jordan Center. Live concert by Christian music's top artists.
Handel's "Alcina" — 7:30 p.m., March 25, and 2 p.m., March 26, both at Esber Recital Hall. Penn State's Opera Theatre will present performances of George Frideric Handel's opera "Alcina" (concert version).
Movin' On Battle of the Bands — 9 p.m., March 25, Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center. Eight bands compete for the right to play for the annual Movin' On music festival on April 28. Free.
Florida Georgia Line — 7 p.m., March 25, Bryce Jordan Center. Country duo Florida Georgia Line brings their "Dig Your Roots" tour to Penn State with special guests Dustin Lynch and Chris Lane.
Musica Nova — 7:30 p.m., March 26, Esber Recital Hall. Musica Nova is a concert of newly composed music for a variety of media, including winds, brass, strings, percussion, piano and recorded audio. Free.
Boston Trio — 7:30 p.m., March 27, Esber Recital Hall. The renowned Boston Trio will present a free guest recital. Free.
Fred Hersch Trio and Anat Cohen — 7:30 p.m., March 28, Schwab Auditorium. The Fred Hersch Trio jazz ensemble will perform with special guest Anat Cohen on clarinet and saxophone.
Piano Recital — 7:30 p.m., March 28, Esber Recital Hall. University of New Hampshire faculty member Hsiang John Tu will perform a guest piano recital that will include music composed or inspired by Frédéric Chopin. Free.
"Anthracite Fields" — 7:30 p.m., March 30, Eisenhower Auditorium. Bang on a Can All-Stars will present a chapter in Pennsylvania labor history with a presentation of ensemble co-founder Julia Wolf's Pulitzer Prize-winning experimental-classical composition "Anthracite Fields." The Penn State Concert Choir will accompany the ensemble.
Events
Pride Week — Various times, March 20-24, various locations. The LGBTQA Student Resource Center will celebrate diversity within the LGBTQ community during its annual pride week. Events include films, workshops and lectures. Free.
2017 Graduate Exhibition — Various times, March 24-26, various locations. The Graduate Exhibition includes music and theatrical performances, a visual arts display, poster exhibits with presentations by graduate students of their research and video submissions. Free.
Our Secret Garden: Your Key to the Flavors of Spring — March 28 and April 25, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building. 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.
Wasabi: Open Up Your 5enses — March 29, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building. 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.
Speakeasy Supper: A Trip Through the Roaring 20's — March 30, Cafe Laura, Mateer Building. 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
"Desperate Environmental Times? Ordinary People Getting Extra Ordinary Results" — 4 p.m., March 26, Sutliff Auditorium, 118 Lewis Katz Building. The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy in partnership with the Sierra Club Moshannon Group and EcoAction will host a panel to tell the personal stories of environmental activists, talking about the impact ordinary people can have and discussing how people concerned about the environment can navigate the future. Free.
2017 Robert M. Pockrass Memorial Lecture — 6 p.m., March 27, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library. Mara Einstein, professor of media studies and director of the master's program in media and social justice at Queens College, will present "Black Ops Advertising: The Corporate Creation of Fake News." Free.
2017 Charles W. Mann Jr. Lecture in the Book Arts – 4:30 p.m., March 30, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library. Linda Tomko, a historian, performer and embodier of dances past, will present "Books, Bodies and Circulations of Dancing in Early 18th-Century France and England." Free.
Conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Julia Wolfe — 4:30 p.m., March 30, Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery, Deike Building. The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is hosting a conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Julia Wolfe along with other events commemorating the history of coal mining in Pennsylvania. Free.
"Lessons Learned" — 7 p.m., March 30, 16 Borland Building. “Lessons Learned” will be the theme of a story slam facilitated by Pamela Monk, senior lecturer in journalism in the College of Communications. The story slam is in response to the successful storytelling workshop hosted by The Moth, which promotes storytelling through a variety of programs, in fall 2016. Free.
Exhibits
"100 Years of the Pulitzers: Celebrating Our Humanity" — Dec. 12-Aug. 30, 203 Pattee Library. Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize, the exhibit features Pulitzer-related materials from the University Libraries' arts and humanities collections. Free.
"Eve Watson-Schütze: Pictorialist Portraits" — Jan. 10-April 30, Palmer Museum of Art. Figure studies and portraits by photographer Eva Watson-Schütze from the early 20th century. Free.
"Morris Blackburn: Prints and Paintings in Process" — Jan. 17-April 30, Palmer Museum of Art. Drawings, prints and paintings by Philadelphia native and modernist artist Morris Blackburn. Free.