Just because you can’t leave you house doesn’t mean you can’t go see a show. With families across the country stuck at home, Penn State will be hosting a multi-day event titled “Penn State Presents: A Virtual Performing Arts Celebration.”
The series will feature short 15-minute segments each day by students and alumni from Penn State’s School of Theatre and School of Music.
The performances can be viewed at PennStatePresents.psu.edu at 7 p.m. EDT each night, beginning Thursday, April 9, and continuing through Sunday, April 12.
Renowned performers like Caroline Bowman, a 2010 Penn State musical theater grad who stars as “Elsa” in the national tour of Disney’s “Frozen,” will be joined by students and additional special guests and stars each night.
“The Penn State community spans the globe, and we are dealing in our own way with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. More than perhaps at any other time, it’s important for us to take a moment to enjoy the arts and talents of our community,” Penn State President Eric Barron said in a press release. “There is nothing quite like our extraordinary students and alumni, and I’m so proud of their creative resiliency and the exceptional ways Penn Staters are working together in this challenging time.”
John Simpkins, head of the musical theatre program at Penn State, is emceeing the performances, and will be joined by College of Arts and Architecture Dean B. Stephen Carpenter II, Director of the School of Theatre Rick Lombardo, and Director of the School of Music David Frego will also join.
“We hope this series of evening performances will help viewers overcome some of the disappointment caused by the cancellation of in-person student performances, but it does even more; it connects us all,” Carpenter said. “We are excited to shine a spotlight on some of the world-class performers among our students and alumni, as well as appearances of some remarkable special guests.”
