Tell your story
If you have a memory of a performance at the Center for the Performing Arts you’d like to share, send an email to cfpa@psu.edu and yours may be answered in an upcoming issue.
History, fandom converge for Bob Dylan fan
I wanted to share a Center for the Performing Arts memory that is truly now one of my all-time favorites.
I grew up a huge Bob Dylan fan and have been to more of his shows than I count. I’m also a huge fan of all things Penn State. As the spouse of a class of ’90 alum and Four Diamonds team member, the dad of a junior daughter, and with our family being football season ticket holders, I’m on campus as much as I can be. I love Penn State.
So, when I heard last fall that Bob Dylan would be at the Center for the Performing Arts in November, it truly was a case of combining the best of all worlds. My wife was travelling that weekend, so I bought tickets in person the morning they went on sale at the Center for the Performing Arts for myself and our three children.
While our kids are big fans of music, I knew they didn’t exactly share my love of Dylan. But as we walked across campus to Eisenhower that cold November night for the show, I said to them as you look at this man on the stage who is recognized around the world as an icon of music and as a Grammy winner, an Oscar winner, and a Nobel Prize winner, you should know that you likely will never see that in one person ever again. But, truly what I really want you to remember if you remember nothing else is that in the summer of 1963, when people were being killed in Mississippi for seeking the right to vote for all people, this man went there and asked the question “How many roads must a man walk down,” and that was a seminal moment in the history of music that others could only ever dream of being able to emulate.
Of course, the show was amazing, and those moments with my children were truly memories that will last a lifetime. I thank everyone at the Center for the Performing Arts who helped make it all possible!
James W. DeBord
President
Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development
Night at the theatre becomes lightbulb moment for former center intern
One magical evening at the Center for the Performing Arts shaped my career path.
I graduated from Penn State University in May 2019 with majors in English and telecommunications, as well as a minor in flute performance. But before graduation, I was heading into my final semester without a clue about what I was going to do with my mix of interests.
I had accepted an internship with the marketing/communications department at the center, and I was hopeful that the experience would guide me closer to an answer. About two weeks into the internship, all was going pretty well, but my questions about the future lingered. One performance whisked all of my uncertainty away.
In January 2019, the Broadway tour of Finding Neverland came to Eisenhower Auditorium. In a packed theatre, I sat beside my supervisor, Marketing and Communications Director Laura Sullivan. Not only was I able to enjoy the show, I was able to talk to Laura about her career path and why she loves what she does. She described her own awe of how live performances bring together crowds of complete strangers from all different backgrounds and opinions, and for those few hours, everyone could share in the same experience. Her words made me recognize how special nights like this were.
Finding Neverland itself was a breathtaking production. The story, music, characters, and sets captivated me for those two and a half hours. And as the audience rose as one to applaud the performers at the end, Laura leaned over to me and said, “This is what I live for.” I took a second to take it all in. I still vividly remember the loud applause, my own clapping hands, and the atmosphere of united praise and excitement. In that moment, the lightbulb went off. I knew what I wanted to do: use my writing and communications talents to promote the unique experiences that the arts have to offer.
This realization came with a huge rush of relief. The uncertainty behind questions like “What do you want to do after college?” had been stressing me out, but now I had an answer and it felt so right. I walked away from Eisenhower Auditorium that night with happy tears streaming down my face because of both the enchanting production of Finding Neverland and my own self-realization.
After completing my internship at the center and graduating, I went on to intern in the advertising department at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in summer 2019. Now I am the marketing director for a nonprofit arts organization near my hometown, the Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro.
I’m so grateful to Laura, the center’s marketing/communications team, George Trudeau, and all of the staff. I gained a wealth of hands-on work experience and advice, attended so many memorable performances, and discovered a new sense of direction for my career path.
Thank you for helping me find Neverland and so much more.
Jessica Sensenig
Marketing Director, Arts Alliance of Greater Waynesboro
Carole King's Broadway story becomes wife's beautiful Christmas gift
My wife, Joyce, is a Penn State—BA, Class of ’83. After being married for thirty-six years, it’s a challenge sometimes to surprise her with gifts.
In late fall 2018, I received an email about the musical BEAUTIFUL coming to the Center for the Performing Arts in 2019. I knew my wife was familiar with some Carole King songs. We were kids when the Tapestry album was out. My wife didn’t necessarily know the artist’s connections to her songs, nor did we know that Ms. King wrote so many hit songs for others. We also didn't know her life story.
I bought tickets for BEAUTIFUL as a Christmas present for Joyce. I told her to not Google the musical or Carole King prior to the show.
We saw the show on a Saturday afternoon. The whole experience—from the quality and comfort of the venue, the courteous staff and volunteers, to the performance and learning about Ms. King’s life—truly made Joyce’s gift a special, “beautiful” surprise. (It was also a “sweet” experience; we visited the conveniently located Creamery after the show.)
Thank you to Penn State and the Center for the Performing Arts for a great experience. We are looking forward to seeing more performances as conditions return to normal in the future.
Power of evening seeing RENT with friends still felt years later
I went to see RENT with a few of my friends in April of 2017 at the Center for the Performing Arts. From the moment I walked into the Eisenhower Auditorium lobby, I knew I was in a place that loved the arts. I was welcomed by staff who were excited to be there, and the room was warm and inviting. When the doors opened to the auditorium, my friends and I were ushered to our seats and excitedly waited for the show to start.
I had seen the film version of RENT and was familiar with the songs and the story. I had known—or, I should say, had hoped—the show would be even more powerful, but the performance was better than I ever could have imagined. The power of the music and the emotion portrayed by the actors (especially Danny Kornfeld as Mark) and musicians left me speechless.
At intermission, my friends and I looked at each other in awe. The crowd was still for a moment, taking it all in. There’s nothing like the feeling of a room full of people all breathing in a show’s spirit and taking a moment to appreciate it. By the end of the show, I was overwhelmed with appreciation, not only for my family and friends, but for the arts and performers. The amount of love and devotion that went into the show was obvious. Everyone involved brought the show to life. Even hours later, the music and emotions still filled me with joy. Not only did RENT impact my day and fill it with emotion, but every time I hear “La Vie Bohème,” I can remember the way it felt to sit in the theatre.
Personal chauffer for Broadway-bound ‘foxes’
I have lived in State College for four years, moving back here after graduating from Penn State in 1984 and spending most of my corporate career in New Jersey. Both of my brothers also graduated from Penn State, and of course my parents have been true-blue Penn State fans for several decades.
My mother (Martina Semmer) now lives at Foxdale Village in an independent living cottage. She cared for my father during their nearly sixty years of marriage, until he passed two years ago while residing in Foxdale’s skilled nursing unit. Both lived in Allentown for about fifty-five years and moved to State College to be closer to me.
All of us are Broadway fanatics. We used to live within driving distance of New York City and could visit for shows quite easily. Now that we’re in State College, we have very much enjoyed the local theatre scene, with Broadway touring productions at Center for the Performing Arts being our favorite. We purchase tickets to all the shows at the beginning of each season.
Now that my mother is no longer caring for my father, she has made great friends with other widows who live at Foxdale. While Foxdale does transport a group of residents to the center’s shows, we have developed our own tradition. I purchase two seats in the middle of the theatre, and another two on the end near exits to the parking garage. My mom and a friend will sit in the “good” seats, while I and a friend will sit on the side.
We are the “elder companion and chauffeur.” We drop the “foxes” (our nickname for the ladies at Foxdale) off at the curb. One of us escorts them to their seats while the other parks the car. We settle into our side seats, and when the show is over, one of us heads to the car quickly while the other escorts the foxes outside for curbside pickup.
State College resident Mary Dickson
It’s wonderful because when I go, I go with Mary, and she drives. … Musical theatre, I think, is wonderful because it gets you out of your own frame. You can pretend for a while that you’re involved with what’s happening on stage and just forget everything else.
Martina Semmer, Dickson’s mother, Foxdale Village resident
Center events become family experiences, gifts
I have been attending shows in Eisenhower Auditorium since before we moved to Happy Valley. One of the things that I was excited about when we relocated was that I would be able to attend more events with my whole family. My sons literally grew up attending shows at Eisenhower, and not just the children’s shows—which are fantastic—but all types of shows, including Broadway, dance, cirque, and music.
Shortly after we moved, we joined the center as members of The Jazz Train. Being members of The Jazz Train not only supported bringing amazing jazz musicians to Happy Valley, but it also gave us the opportunity to meet some of those incredible musicians. As my sons grew up, they introduced many friends to the experiences available through the Center for the Performing Arts. As current Penn State students, they still make the time to attend shows and continue enjoying all that it has to offer.
Outside my own family, I have often used tickets to performances as gifts. I love giving experiential gifts, and we are so lucky to have lots of options in Happy Valley. My nephews loved coming to visit and going to the children’s performances, and my in-laws were excited to see a Broadway show without having to go into New York.
I also want to applaud the center for always offering a wide diversity of shows each year. Not only are performance styles varied, the content is as well. The center gives us the opportunity to celebrate global cultures though the arts. Additionally, as the result of attending shows that focused on difficult topics, I was able to expose my sons to these topics in an entertaining manner that led to real conversations—everything from Nazi Germany to slavery to gender issues.
Charlene Gaus
Community Advisory Council member
Visits with Wynton Marsalis enhance positive relationship with center
In Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony, he makes very specific notes as to how each movement should sound. One of the movements, he noted, should sound “joyous and bouncing, like a chicken.” I can’t think of a better way to describe how watching the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra makes me feel. Just going to the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State makes me joyful. It’s a magical place where the arts come alive, and the staff have become my friends.
As a little girl, I loved dressing up to go to a performance and sitting in the red velvet chairs signature to Eisenhower Auditorium. While the center and the performing arts have been a part of my entire life, they took on a new meaning later in my life. After becoming disabled with chronic fatigue syndrome and dysautonomia in 1998, I didn’t attend a live performance for ten years.
When I saw that Wynton Marsalis would be coming to the center, I knew I needed to find a way back to seeing live music. In high school, Wynton had done a master class with our jazz band, signed my copy of Time magazine, and performed at Eisenhower that evening. He had a special place in my heart, and I wanted to see him perform again.
A close friend encouraged me to reach out to staff at the center, tell them my circumstances, and see if they could find a way to accommodate me. Asking for help with my needs felt terrifying, but I was welcomed with open arms by the audience services manager at the time, Lisa Wagner. And so began my many years of concerts, watching from the back row in my reclining chair that the staff had placed on a specially made platform.
In 2008, the center made it possible for me to see Wynton in concert and—as a complete surprise—orchestrated a meeting with him. What a 33rd birthday celebration!
I again saw Wynton in 2012. This time when I met with him, I presented him with a card with a photo of us from our last meeting. I thanked him for his artistic talent and his contributions to making our world a better place. During our visits, Wynton hugged me, “gave me some sugar,” and talked to me for quite some time.
When he returned in 2015, I didn’t get to meet with him. Instead, I met with Carlos Henriquez, who taught me how to count in 13/8 time. I’ve had the good fortune of staying after many concerts now and getting to speak with the artists, which enriches my experience at the Center for the Performing Arts even more.
To me, the center is about more than just the performing arts. It’s about a community of people who have rallied around me to lift me up in the darkest days of my life. It is about a community of people who believe in making the arts accessible to people with disabilities. It is about a community of people who sing happy birthday to me, who hug me, and who are my friends. It is about having someone in the ticket office help us pick the perfect seats to sit in and performances to attend. It is about being greeted in the lobby by George (Trudeau), with his big smile and the excitement of the evening ahead bubbling out of him. This is home to people who care passionately for the arts and about their relationships with the patrons. It is about a group of people who have deeply impacted my life for the better.
My attendance at those Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra concerts served to nourish my soul in ways I hadn’t been able to do for over a decade. Meeting with Wynton those two times served to lift my spirits in ways for which I can never thank the center enough. In those days, I needed to see light in the darkness, and Lisa and the staff did that for me.
I have seen many performances since I first got up the courage to ask for accommodations in 2008. And while every performance at the center is something special, my times seeing Wynton and his orchestra play will always remain the most treasured in my heart. He is not only an exceptional musician but also an exceptional human being. And his performances really do leave me joyous and bouncing like a chicken.
People change, classical music is a constant
Heading home from the lab around 9:30 p.m. on the warm spring evening of April 7, 1959, I heard lovely violin music coming from Schwab Auditorium. I stopped to listen a bit, then heard applause and saw those huge front doors open. It was intermission during a recital by Nathan Milstein with Leon Pommers at the piano, so I blended into the crowd, found a seat in the back, and enjoyed the second half of the concert. The composers featured were Smetana, Suk, Stravinsky, Pizzetti, and Wieniawski. Was there an encore?
Since that night sixty years ago, I have enjoyed over 500 events in Schwab, Rec Hall, and Eisenhower. These musical, theatrical, and dance performances were all attended by means of paid tickets—unlike my introductory event.
Thomas J. Russo
associate professor of chemistry emeritus
Penn State Altoona
Lock Haven students anticipate yearly trip to center
It is a tradition for TRIO Student Support Services scholars at Lock Haven University to travel to State College each semester to take in dance, music, or theatre at the Center for the Performing Arts. And each semester, the trip is highly anticipated. Some students are hungry to see unexpected forms of expression and thought-provoking themes. Some students are constitutionally curious, ready to encounter new perspectives. Invariably, everyone is energized during the bus ride back to campus, trading impressions, discussing conclusions, and—above all—enjoying their common experience of a work of art.
We are fortunate that the diverse Center for the Performing Arts programming is available to us, and we are grateful for the staff’s partnership in ensuring accessibility and smooth operations for our group.
Rachel Epstein
assistant professor, director
TRIO Student Support Services
Department of Social Work and Counseling
Lock Haven University