What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and next week:
Performances
"Legally Blonde the Musical" — Oct. 11, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn State Centre Stage presents the musical based on the hit movie of the same name.
Joshua Bell — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 11, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Acclaimed classical violinist will perform with pianist Sam Haywood.
Justin Timberlake — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The international superstar brings his "The Man of the Woods" tour to Penn State.
Ballet Hispánico — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 17, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. New York City’s Ballet Hispánico will celebrate the work of women in a program featuring three dances by Latina choreographers in their first visit to Penn State since 1993.
"The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston" — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 18, 2018, Pullo Center, Penn State York. Whitney Huston’s musical legacy is brought to life in this critically acclaimed stage show stage show.
Events
Energy and Environmental Sustainability Laboratories open house — 4 p.m., Oct. 11, Atherton Hotel, State College. The laboratory will host its annual wine-and-cheese open house to discuss work being done in energy and the environment. Free.
Naomi Shihab Nye — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 11, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye will read from her works as part of Penn State’s annual Emily Dickinson Lectureship in American Poetry.
Student-Alumni Homecoming Ice Cream Social — 1:00 p.m., Oct. 12, Hintz Family Alumni Center, University Park campus. The Homecoming Ice Cream Social is an event that all students, alumni, and members of the Penn State community are welcome to attend. Throughout the event, guests have the opportunity to win festive prizes, as well as enjoy performances by students and the Alumni Blue Band.
Homecoming Parade — 6:00 p.m., Oct. 12, downtown State College. One of the largest student-run parades in the nation, the Homecoming Parade brings together students, alumni, faculty and staff across the community in an annual celebration of Penn State pride.
“PR Roundtable: A Discussion Among Corporate Leaders” — 6 p.m., Oct. 15, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park. The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication is hosting a discussion among four current and former executives that have a combined 150 years of experience in public communications and represent the pharmaceutical, health care, marketing and technology industries.
"Communicating Science in a Post-Truth World" — 4 p.m., Oct. 17, 233 HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The Institutes of Energy and the Environment and the Science Communication Program in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications will host four national journalists to discuss this timely topic. Free, but registration requested.
Lectures
Research Unplugged: "Children's Food Preferences: Raising Healthy Eaters in an Unhealthy Food Environment" — 12:30 p.m., Oct. 11, Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. Kathleen Keller from the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Food Sciences will discuss children's eating habits. Free.
Institute for CyberScience Seminar Series: "Digital Human Data Research: Critical Law, Policy and Business Considerations" — 1:30 p.m., Oct. 11, 134 HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Anne Toomey McKenna, Dickinson Law's distinguished scholar of cyber law, will moderate four panelists discussing how researchers reconcile privacy concerns as they deal with personal information such as health data in their work. Free, but seat reservations are encouraged.
Ben Bradlee Jr. — 7 p.m., Oct. 11, 1 Kostos Building, Penn State Hazleton. Author and investigative journalist Ben Bradlee Hr. will discuss his book, "The Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America." Free.
“Futbolera: Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Latin American Sports” — 3 p.m., Oct. 11, 127 Noll Lab Conference Room, University Park campus. Brenda Elsey, author and associate professor of history at Hofstra University, will discuss this multifaceted topic as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Art and Politics: The Case of Fascist Italy” — 11:30 a.m., Oct. 12., Ballroom, Nittany Lion Inn. This installment of the Penn State Forum will feature John Champagne, program chair of Global Languages and Cultures, professor of English at Penn State Behrend, and 2018-19 Penn State Laureate. Tickets required.
Huddle with the Faculty — 9:00 a.m., Oct. 12, Ballroom, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park campus. Jeff Ballou, class of ’90, will discuss “More Than Sticks and Stones: When Trashing the First Amendment Has Deadly Consequences” as part of the Alumni Association's gameday Huddle with the Faculty series.
LGBTQ Advocate Ash Beckham — 7 p.m., Oct. 17, Perkins Student Center Auditorium, Penn State Berks. Ash Beckham will bring her trademark blend of humor and relatability to Penn State Berks to discuss LGBTQ issues and activism. Free.
Exhibits
"Gravity Schmavity" — Through Oct. 29, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. Repurposed plastic sculptures by artist Aurora Robson will be on display at the Arboretum's H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. Free.
"Overlap: Life Tapestries" — Through Nov. 15, Robeson Art Gallery, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A group exhibition of self-identified women artists of different social and professional backgrounds and generations will be on display. Free.
"Instinctive Gestures" — Through Dec. 18, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This exhibition features contemporary works recently gifted to the Palmer by collectors Marilyn Fishman and James MacElderry. Free.
"A Small Radius of Light: G. Daniel Massad, A Retrospective" — Through Dec. 9, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. A display of G. Daniel Massad's detailed still lives rendered in pastel. Free.
"Object Lessons: American Still-Life Painting in the Nineteenth Century" — Through Dec. 16, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The show highlights the rich tradition of still-life painting in the United States with an emphasis on Pennsylvania's influential role in that history. Free.
"Transitions" — Through fall semester, Freyberger Gallery, Penn State Berks. As part of the campus' 60th anniversary, Penn State Berks is hosting an interactive exhibit that allows visitors to step back in time and view key moments in the campus' history. Free.
"Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World" — Oct. 1-Dec. 21, Penn State Schuylkill. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History exhibit marks the 100th anniversary of the Great Influenza pandemic with an exhibit that explores the origins of zoonotic disease and humans' role in spreading animal-borne viruses. Free.
"A Full Course: Encounters with Food" — Through Jan. 13, 2019, Pattee Library, University Park campus. An exhibit featuring appetizing books, award-winning cookbooks, manuscripts and archive materials. Free.
"Into the Woods" — Through Feb. 11, 2019, Pattee Library, University Park campus. The exhibit explores the eastern U.S. forest, its wildlife and botanical wealth, while also paying tribute to early women naturalists and conservationists. Free.