On January 25, the USITT Pennsylvania State Student Chapter, USITT@PSU, hosted 53 Pennsylvania high school students for an all-day High School Outreach Education Program. The day was broken into multiple sessions with the morning featuring a safety lecture, a tour of the Playhouse Theatre, and a question and answer panel comprised of faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students from Penn State's School of Theatre.

Lunch was provided by the chapter, and in the afternoon the students participated in two focused sessions, choosing between Props, Stage Management (shown above), Lighting (shown below), Sound, Scenic Painting, or Costumes, all taught by undergraduate students of the Penn State School of Theatre Design & Technology and Stage Management programs.

The event was the culmination of more than a year of effort and organization by the chapter, beginning with funding from a USITT Student Chapter Award. From stuffing envelopes and developing lesson plans to hosting tours and speaking on panels, nearly all active members of the USITT@PSU student chapter were involved.

The student support of this program was a major contribution to the day's success. The feedback USITT@PSU has received from participating high school students and chaperones has been tremendously positive. With this feedback and the suggestions from chapter members and Penn State faculty, USITT@PSU hopes to make this an annual event, continually expanding and improving upon the program for years to come.

Photos/Stephanie Riddle

To Top