Penn State hosts four-night virtual performance, showcasing talented students and alumni
A Grammy-winning country singer, a Broadway musical actress, and stars of TV and film are among the alumni performing during Penn State's virtual shows, running through Sunday.
College senior Murphy Smith performed a Cat Stevens song from her bedroom in Rye, N.Y.
Caroline Bowman, who portrays Elsa in the national stage tour of the Disney musical Frozen, sang from Portland, Ore., where she and some cast members are waiting out the coronavirus.
Actor Joonas Suotamo, who has played Chewbacca in Star Wars films since 2015, offered greetings from his native Finland.
And two others belted out operatic tunes, one from Minneapolis and the other from Central Pennsylvania.
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They’re Pennsylvania State University students and alumni — and they made up the cast of Thursday night’s “Penn State Presents: A Virtual Performing Arts Celebration.” The 26-minute show, designed to connect Penn State’s community worldwide at a time when most are living in isolation, was livestreamed on the school’s website.
“The arts truly bring us together,” Susan Russell, an associate professor of theater, said as she introduced the show.
Missed it? Don’t worry. There’s a recording. And more virtual performances are planned for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, each beginning at 7, with more than 20 current students and alumni participating, including actor Patrick Fabian of the hit show Better Call Saul and 1969 alumnus Mike Reid, a professional football player turned country singer and songwriter.
Reid, a former Cincinnati Bengal and Grammy winner, plans to debut a song during his performance Sunday called “I’m Right Here.”
The shows, pulled together by the university in just the last week, feature students and alumni of Penn State’s Schools of Theatre and Music. The university wanted to give some current students, who were robbed of their on-campus spring performances, a chance to showcase their talents, said John Simpkins, head of musical theater.
“All it took was a few phone calls, and people were excited to join in and be a part of it,” Simpkins said.
Participants also offered the community a much-needed pep talk.
“If there ever was a moment when we needed a ‘We are ...,’” Penn State president Eric Barron said during Thursday’s show, referring to the university’s signature cheer, “it is now.”
Adding more pep will be Penn State football coach James Franklin, who will appear on Saturday’s show.
The four nights will offer a variety of performances, including monologues, flute playing, tap dancing, and songs, Simpkins said. Thursday’s performers were eager to connect.
“I’m so grateful to Penn State for bringing me my chosen family,” Bowman, a 2010 graduate, told the virtual audience as she teared up before singing. “I just know we’re all going to come out of this stronger because that’s what we do. We’re Penn Staters.”
Smith was joined by her brother, Owen, who is scheduled to be a Penn State freshman this fall, and sister Emerson, who attends the University of Michigan. She said they wanted to perform a song that illustrated the isolation they feel.
“So we chose ‘Miles From Nowhere’ by Cat Stevens,” she said, “which is a song about overcoming isolation, looking forward to that day when you will be reunited with all those people so important to you.”