Penn State Centre Stage Off-Centre will present "Violet," with music by Jeanine Tesori, libretto by Brian Crawley, and directed by Wes Drummond, Feb. 12 to 16 at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. "Violet" is an exploration of what beauty is. An exploration of our flaws and what things we let separate us from the world.
It is Sept. 4, 1964. Violet Karl, is a young woman who has spent her life secluded from the world on the side of a mountain with her father, no mother, and a giant scar from a loose axe blade. She has spent her teens in hiding from the awkward stares of strangers and words of Christian sympathy spat in her face. However, today is different. This morning, Violet woke up with a bus ticket in hand, ready to take a journey across America to finally meet the evangelist she has been watching on television since she was a kid. He is going to heal her scar. He is going to make her "pretty."
Director Wes Drummond writes, "It's that time in the semester where anxiety is high throughout campus and people are feeling a lot of self doubt. This show feels good. It's so warm and encouraging. Directing this piece has been a joyous exploration of the process of getting to know yourself, while allowing yourself the gift of acceptance and change. I hope this show is a bit of a rest stop for people, an escape from the cold and an invitation to join us on a 1964 road trip across the country, which will allow them to breathe, reflect, and leave the theater ready to continue along their own beautiful journey."