What is Penn State Thespians?

Founded in 1897 by Dr. Fred Lewis Pattee and Dr. John H. Leete, the Penn State Thespians is the oldest continual student organization on campus. Our mission is to provide students with educational experience in all aspects of dramatic production and present theatrical entertainment to the surrounding community. Every aspect of production is staffed almost entirely by students.

The organization also contributes to the community through various service activities including the IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and the club-originated MasquerAIDS benefit.

Membership in the Penn State Thespians is based on diverse participation in two or more Thespians productions. For more information on becoming a part of this spirited organization, see Contact Us and explore the rest of our website.

This Year

We invite you to join us for a challenging 2009-2010 season. This year we will be starting off our season with the 1979 Tony Award winning musical Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim. The dates for our performance are October 29th-31st.

“It’s the dawning of the Age of Aquarius” in the spring as the Penn State Thespians presents the rock musical HAIR. This performance is sure to challenge the Penn State Thespians creativity in presenting a bohemian lifestyle set in the 1960s. The dates for our performance are April 8th-10th.

Last Year

With the 2008-2009 season finished members reflect on the uplifting tales of each show.

Thespians kicked off its season with a colorful, hilarious production of Once Upon A Mattress, a retelling of The Princess and The Pea that chronicles the exploits of boisterous Princess Winnifred and meek Prince Dauntless who want to get married despite Prince Dauntless's sly, overbearing mother.

Our spring show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, was the biblical story of Joseph, who sold into slavery in Egypt by jealous brothers, "set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock 'n' roll."

In addition to main stage musicals in Schwab Auditorium, Thespians performed two free children's show at Schlow Library each semester. This year the Children Show’s were Amelia Bedelia and The Rainbow Fish. The children’s shows proved to be such a success in 2008-2009 that the Thespians now presents 3 performances of each show. For the annual benefit MasquerAIDS Thespians put on a cabaret of musical selections from shows such as Rent and Spring Awakening as well as monologues from The Birdcage and original pieces written by members of the organization. Thespians had many financial successes in 2008-2009 such as raising their highest amount for THON and continuing to increase their donation for MasquerAIDS. Of course Thespians has a lot of fun in between performances too by going on a fall hayride, spring trip to NYC, game nights, endless games of Frisbee, a semi-formal, and many more!