Penn State Centre Stage will present Sweet Charity October 3 through October 8 at the Playhouse Theatre on campus.

“Sweet Charity celebrates a strong female heroine who is joyous, hopeful, sees the best in people, gives generously and makes us laugh because she is so much like all of us. We need that,” show director Erin Farrell Speer said. “When it came time to choose the title for my thesis production, I knew I wanted a show that would really feature the incredible female students we have in the Musical Theatre program.”

Speer added that she is very excited to share “Alison Morooney’s new choreography and musical staging, Richard St. Clair’s truly decadent costumes, Amanda Stuart’s stunning scenic design inspired by a painting by Georgia O’Keefe, and Hannah Fecko’s charming lighting” with the audience. Speer described the show as a “joyous examination of what it means to be human in a changing world.”

Speer also mentioned the challenge she faced balancing her idea of modern storytelling with an older show like Sweet Charity. Nonetheless, she has truly enjoyed navigating through the collaborative process to figure out how to satisfy audience expectations.

Matinee performances will be held on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8 at 2 p.m. All other performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. The matinee performances cost $20 and the evening performances cost $25. Tickets for Penn State students with valid IDs cost $12.50. You can find more information or purchase tickets here.