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UNIVERSITY PARK -- The Center for the Performing Arts exciting 2025-26 season highlights top and emerging artists who celebrate the global interconnectedness, creative collaborations and the practice of cultural appreciation.
Visitors can expect fan-favorite Broadway musicals; forays into the worlds of contemporary and classical chamber music; thunderous jazz and Japanese drum beats; music from the Middle East, Egypt, Ukraine and West Africa; modern dance explorations of history and literature and much more.
Purchase your ticket online at https://cpa.psu.edu/allevents; by calling 814-863-0255; or in person from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays at Eisenhower Auditorium. Prices listed include all fees. Save $4 per ticket when ordering by phone or in-person.
Learn more about the Arts Ticket Center app, a new and streamlined way to buy, store and manage tickets to all of the Center's events from your smartphone.
Visit 2025-2026 events for more details, including related free workshops, panel discussions, pre-event activities, community engagement opportunities and The Joyfull events.
FALL 2025 EVENTS
-- Ulysses Owens, Jr. Big Band, Wednesday, Sept. 10, Eisenhower Auditorium: Three-time Grammy Award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. will lead a high-energy big band featuring the top emerging artists in jazz.
-- "The Artistry and Activism of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper," 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, Eisenhower Auditorium: Dancer-educator Lynnette Overby revisits the history of abolitionist author Frances Ellen Watkins Harper in a theatrical choreography production.
-- Move Mix Festival featuring Mohamed Abozekry Sextet, 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, Eisenhower Auditorium: Virtuoso oud prodigy Mohamed Abozekry, on tour as part of international arts organization Center Stage, makes fusion of Sufi calls, modal jams and secular poetry at the Center's third annual free community block party. Kikora Franklin also will perform a new dance work.
-- Momix "Alice," 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Eisenhower Auditorium: Momix "Alice" follows a rabbit hole through classic literature with this illusory, contemporary dance adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland."
-- Kurbasy, "Songs of the Ukrainian Forest," 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, Recital Hall: The indigenous music collective Kurbasy presents an audio-visual theatrical exploration of a country's proud people through a collection of art songs, lullabies and legends. Kurbasy is on tour as part of the international arts organization Center Stage.
-- Disney's "Moana Live-to-Film Concert," 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, Eisenhower Auditorium: Disney's "Moana Live-to-Film Concert" North American tour is a screening and live orchestral performance of the music and songs from the 2016 Walt Disney Animation Studios' classic.
-- Isidore String Quartet, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, Recital Hall: Isidore String Quartet performs inviting, youthful versions of Western classics and contemporary works by Joseph Haydn, Antonin Dvorak and Gabriella Smith.
-- Soles of Duende, "Can We Dance Here?", 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, Eisenhower Auditorium: Three artists speak an unspoken language through the movements of flamenco, tap and Indian classical dance..
-- "Six," 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Nov. 18-20, Eisenhower Auditorium: The six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix 500 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of twenty-first century girl power!
-- An Evening with Neil deGrasse Tyson, "An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies--Part 1," 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, Eisenhower Auditorium: Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of this generation's most celebrated educational thinkers, will dissect Hollywood films including "Star Wars," "Frozen," "Armageddon" and other film favorites for what they got right or wrong about the world of science.
SPRING 2026 EVENTS
-- Drum Tao, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, Eisenhower Auditorium: Renowned for its dynamic choreography, striking visuals and thunderous rhythms, Drum Tao delivers a performance that is a full-body experience inspired by the world of Japanese entertainment.
-- Terri Lyne Carrington, "We Insist! 2025," featuring Christie Dashiell, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, Eisenhower Auditorium: The four-time Grammy Award-winning drummer and the jazz vocalist will revisit songs from the "free" jazz era in a bold reimagining of the seminal album "We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite."
-- Cirque Kalabante "Afrique en Cirque," 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, Eisenhower Auditorium: Cirque Kalabante founder Yamoussa Bangoura and his company will transport you to a place where the beauty of traditional African arts is illuminated and combined with the virtuosity of contemporary cirque performance and a live Afro-jazz soundtrack.
-- "Hadestown," 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, March 2 and 3, Eisenhower Auditorium: The winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album is a love story for the ages by celebrated singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell and original director Rachel Chavkin ("Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812").
-- Peppa Pig, "My First Concert," 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26, Eisenhower Auditorium: In this family show, kids can discover exciting orchestral pieces from Mozart to Beethoven with cheeky and loveable Peppa Pig.
-- Decoda, affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, with special guest Ringdown, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, Recital Hall: Community-minded chamber ensemble Decoda teams up with vocal duo Ringdown for a themed performance of folk-inspired, contemporary tales.
-- Meredith Willson's "The Music Man," 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, Eisenhower Auditorium: The golden age of Broadway is represented with this revival set in River City to a fast-talking salesman's scheme in the Tony Award-winning musical.
-- Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain 40th Anniversary Tour, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9, Eisenhower Auditorium: The cheeky, entertaining seven-member acoustic ensemble will return Stateside to tour in celebration of its 40th anniversary.
THE JOYFULL EVENTS
The Joyfull program returns with free community events that invite participants to savor the culture of visiting and local artists, while filling their bellies, souls and spirits with food, sounds and sights that offer an intimate arts-based experience.
The Joyfull events are:
-- Feast Edition, 6 p.m. Oct. 13, Alumni Hall, HUB-Robeson Center
-- Soles of Duende Edition, 6 p.m. Nov. 4, Alumni Hall
-- Cirque Kalabante Edition, 6 p.m. Feb. 10, Hintz Family Alumni Center
-- Fanoos Ensemble Edition, 6 p.m. Mar. 24, Hintz Family Alumni Center
"The Joyfulls provide engagement through all of our senses, and we are thrilled to offer them for a second year," Center Audience and Program Development Director Amy Dupain Vashaw said.
Visit The JoyFull online for more information and to register.
SCHOOL-TIME
MATINEES
The Center's School-Time Matinees, events geared toward young people using arts-based teaching methods, follow Pennsylvania standards, and instill confidence and curiosity in their students via fun, out-of-classroom learning programs.
All events are at 10 a.m. in Eisenhower Auditorium: -- "Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends," TheaterWorks USA, Oct. 27 -- Drum Tao, Jan. 27 -- Cirque Kalabante, "Afrique en Cirque," Feb. 12.
"These performances provide opportunities for students to imagine the kind of adult they might want to become," said Medora Ebersole, the Center's education specialist.
Visit School-Time Matinees online for more information
ACCESSIBILITY
American Sign Language interpretation
ASL interpretation will be provided for several performances:
-- "The Artistry and Activism of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper," Sept. 19
-- "Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends" School-Time Matinee, Oct. 27
-- "Six," Nov. 20
-- Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Dec. 2
-- Cirque Kalabante School-Time Matinee and main event, Feb. 11 and 12
-- "Hadestown," March 3
-- Peppa Pig, March 26
-- Meredith Willson's "The Music Man," April 7 Contact the Arts Ticket Center via email or by calling 814-863-0255 to discuss ASL seating preferences. If ASL interpretation is needed for any event during the season, please contact the Arts Ticket Center at least two weeks before the event.
Audio Description service
Audio Description will be provided for a number of events:
-- "Six," Nov. 20
-- "Hadestown," March 3
-- Meredith Willson's "The Music Man," April 7
Reservations are required and must be made at least two weeks before the event. Call the Sight Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania at 814-238-0132 to reserve the service.
Sensory
accommodations
The center welcomes patrons of all sensory sensitivities to its performances. Eisenhower Auditorium is certified by KultureCity as a sensory-friendly venue. Upon request, patrons can visit our Quiet Room on the Lounge Level, and they can temporarily sign out a variety of items to accommodate your visit, including noise-reducing earmuffs, anti-strobe glasses, lap pads and fidget toys.