Arts and Entertainment

Things to Do at Penn State: April 14-20

A selection of cultural events happening on campus this weekend and next

Housing and Food Services and the Student Farm Club will host Local Foods Night on April 18. The event is a celebration of local food and Penn State's campus food system and includes a free screening of the movie "Dirt!" A campus meal plan is not required to pay for the meal. Credit: Student Farm ClubAll Rights Reserved.

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

"The Light in the Piazza"Various times, April 4-15, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, State College. Penn State Centre Stage presents Adam Guettel's hit musical.

Group Therapy7:15 p.m., April 17, Eisenhower Chapel. Local band Group Therapy headlines a benefit concert to support the citizens of South Sudan. Free, but donation requested.

"Annie" 7:30 p.m., April 18, Eisenhower Auditorium. The national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical about an orphan comes to Penn State.

"Sesame Street Live: Make a New Friend"April 18-19, Bryce Jordan Center. Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby and their Sesame Street friends welcome Chamki, Grover's friend from India, to Sesame Street.

"Drifting"5:30 p.m., April 20, Pavilion Theatre. Bill Doan, professor of theatre and Arts and Design Research Incubator Embedded Research, presents a play based on his experience coming to terms with his sister's traumatic brain injury and death, in his art and life. Free.

Events

Penn State Startup Week Various times, April 17-21, various locations. The colleges of Information Sciences and Technology and Engineering host a series of events aimed at teaching, motivating and inspiring the next generation of tech entrepreneurs. Free.

Local Foods Night 5:30-9:30 p.m., April 18, Redifer Dining Commons, South Halls. Students and community members are invited to enjoy a delicious local meal, followed by a free screening of the movie "Dirt!" and a panel discussion.

"Managing Risk in a Changing Climate"7 p.m., April 18, State Theatre, State College. WPSU will premiere its new documentary, followed by a panel discussion with Penn State scientists and leading climate experts. Free.

Rustic Smokehouse: Where Our Roots Start in the KitchenApril 18, 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.

Old Main Open House1-4 p.m., April 19, Old Main. The Lion Ambassadors host their annual event, which includes a tour, a climb up the bell tower and free food. Free.

Avenue: Street Food ReimaginedApril 19, 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.

"An Evening of Pennsylvania Poets: Readings in Celebration of the Public Poetry Project"7:30 p.m., April 20, Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. Poems by James Brasfield, Meg Day, Fred Shaw and Laura Spagnoli were selected for the 2017 Public Poetry Project poster series. Free.

Destination DisneyApril 20, 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

"Disrupting Journalism: Athletes, Fans and the Players' Tribune"7 p.m., April 17, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library. A panel will discuss the progress and the impact of the Players' Tribune, an online news site created by retired New York Yankee Derek Jeter as a platform for athletes. Free.

Rev. Sharon Risher7:30 p.m., April 18, Slep Pondview, Penn State Altoona. The Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother was among those killed in the 2015 shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, will speak as part of Penn State Altoona's Distinguished Speaker Series. Free.

"Recent Cybersecurity Events and Future Research Directions"1:30 p.m., April 19, 134 HUB-Robeson Center. Robert Mitchell, a member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, will discuss the critical research needed to mount effective defense against complex cyber attacks. Free.

"The Media Politics of Colombia's Transition Toward Peace"3 p.m., April 19, 102 Kern Building. Jose Antequera Guzman, an award-winning lawyer, activist and author on human rights and historical memory in Colombia, will discuss the war-torn country's future after a peace accord. Free.

"Empathy-Related Responding and Prosocial Behavior in Children"4 p.m., April 20, 22 Biobehavioral Health Building. Nancy Eisenberg, the Regents Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, will present the 2017 Lecture on Compassion. Free.

Laverne Cox8 p.m., April 20, Eisenhower Auditorium. Emmy-nominated actress and Emmy-winning producer Laverne Cox will talk as part of the Student Programming Association's Distinguished Lecture Series. Free, but valid Penn State student ID required for tickets.

Exhibits

"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.

"A Kaleidoscope of Color: Studio Glass at the Palmer"Jan. 31-April 30, Palmer Museum of Art. An exhibit highlighting newly acquired works of studio glass from the collections of various Penn State alumni and donors. Free.

"From the Trenches: The Great War in Sepia"Jan. 13-May 5, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 103 Paterno Library. A display of rare battlefield images of the common foot soldier during World War I. Free.

"Research Wrapped in Aesthetics: The Air Wall"Jan. 16-May 5, Stuckeman Family Building Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library. This exhibit shows how research at Penn State in the 1950s influenced a passive solar design technique widely used today. The exhibit will include images and documents from Penn State’s libraries and archives, as well as a newly built model, all showing how Penn State faculty were among the first to explore solar design techniques intended to make the new glass buildings more comfortable and efficient. Free.

Last Updated April 15, 2017