Penn State Centre Stage will present six powerhouse productions during its 2014–15 mainstage season.
The season opens with Theresa Rebeck’s “O Beautiful,” Tuesday, Oct. 7, through Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Playhouse Theatre. Directed by Dan Carter, “O Beautiful” is a theatrically inventive union of contemporary American life and the history that got us to this politically polarized age.
“We are incredibly excited to bring ‘O Beautiful’ and Centre Stage’s entire 2014-2015 line-up to the community,” says Dan Carter, director of “O Beautiful” and artistic director of Penn State Centre Stage. “One of the purposes of religion, and I believe, theater, is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The 2014-2015 season is an example of the latter, as it aspires to jolt audiences into thinking and feeling about a number of issues in a new way, to consider their own beliefs, and to contemplate how they respond to the beliefs of others, staying true to themselves while respecting differences in an increasingly uncivil society.”
From Tuesday, Nov. 4, through Tuesday, Nov. 18, Centre Stage will present the multiple Tony Award-winning “Spring Awakening” at the Pavilion Theatre, with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Directed by Cary Libkin, “Spring Awakening” is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock ‘n’ roll music that explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion.
The fall season concludes with Stephen Adly Guigis’ “The MotherF**ker With the Hat,” running from Monday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Dec. 6, and directed by Steve Broadnax at the Downtown Theatre Center. Set in modern day New York City, “The Motherf**ker With the Hat” is a dark and turbulent comedy about addiction, relationships and ultimately, love.
The spring 2015 season opens with “Avenue Q,” from Wednesdy, Feb. 18, through Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Playhouse Theatre. With music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty, “Avenue Q” is the winner of the Tony for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. Directed by Courtney Young, “Avenue Q” is a laugh-out-loud musical that tells a story of the trials and tribulations of a recent college graduate and his neighbors (and puppets) who live all the way out on “Avenue Q.”
“Dogfight,” a musical based on a 1991 film of the same name, will run from Wednesday, April 1, through Sunday, April 11, at the Downtown Theatre Center. With music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book by Peter Duchan, “Dogfight” tells a tender and brutal tale of young people meeting in a situation certain to end in heartbreak. Following three young Marines on the eve of their deployment to Vietnam in 1963, the show focuses on Cpl. Eddie Birdlace and Rose, an ungainly but hopeful waitress he recruits in a callous competition with his buddies. Rose, however, changes the way the game is played in an unexpected story of innocence, compassion and new love.
Centre Stage will finish its 2014-2015 season with William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” Sunday, April 21, through Tuesday, April 23 (dates subject to change). Presented on the steps of Old Main, this production will be directed by Bill Kelly and set in a contemporary African nation in order to draw parallels between modern African dictatorships and Shakespeare’s Roman Republic of 44 B.C. under the dictatorship of Julius Caesar. The idea that a dictator is pulled down by “honorable men,” only to plunge the nation into a bloody civil war, is the common thread in several African states and is essentially the same idea that drives “Julius Caesar.”
Many of the shows in the series contain challenging topics or launguage and situations that some may find objectional, or are for mature audiences only. For additional show information, visit www.theatre.psu.edu. Tickets are available at Penn State Tickets Downtown, Eisenhower Box Office, Bryce Jordan Center or by calling (814) 863-0255 or (800) ARTS-TIX.
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