The Peanuts gang is back for the campus production of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Jimmy Baker, center, who played the lead role last year, directs the holiday favorite this year.
TWO PERFORMANCES;
ADMISSION IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC
7:00 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 19 and 20, Forum Theatre
The Peanuts gang, led by that lovable loser Charlie Brown, is the backdrop for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” that is the special holiday production of the Penn State New Kensington Drama Club. The play will take place at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 19 and 20, in the campus' Forum Theatre.
Jimmy Baker, a senior communications major, directs his first campus production. Baker, who played the lead role in the recent campus play, “Avenue Q," made his directorial debut in April with the St. Joseph’s High School production of “Beauty and the Beast.” The play earned the Gene Kelly Award for “Best Costume Design.”
Based on the popular comic strip by Charles Schulz, the production features Charlie Brown's quest for the true significance of Christmas. The TV special, a holiday staple that first aired in 1965, won an Emmy award for excellence in television entertainment and a Peabody award for excellence in radio and television broadcasting.
Admission is a free to the public. Donations will be accepted to benefit the campus THON effort. The Penn State Interfraternity Council/ Panhellenic Dance Marathon, aka THON, is a University-wide event that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund and the fight against pediatric cancer. Over the next three months, campus students will be hosting various events and canning outside businesses in the region to fundraise for what is believed to be the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
Lauren Richards, THON chair for the New Kensington campus, has set a campus goal of $60,000, the most ambitious in campus history. Last year, students set a goal of $40,000 and shattered the campus record by raising $52,392, eclipsing the previous record of $23,000 set in 2010. Since 2002, the campus has collected more than $162,000 for the charity.
For more information, contact Lauren Blum at 724-334-6063 or ldb14@psu.edu via email.