Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and seniors, and free to Penn State Greater Allegheny students.

The production is being prepared in classes taught by Dr. Jay Breckenridge, professor of theatre arts, and Constance Koepfinger, instructor in theatre arts. The script evolved in class meetings, with the students improvising scenes and drafting dialogue based on the story narrative. The Tibetan story is a complex tale of intolerance, blackmail, love and reconciliation. Set in what was then northern India in 500 B.C., the events take place around the time Buddha was teaching and Sanskrit theatre was developing.

The production is part of the campus international program focusing this year on South Asia.

On Tuesday, March 25th Teaching South Asia Speaker Series presents Aziza Shad, MD, chief, Georgetown University Hospital's Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Shad's world-renowned work in pediatric cancer research and clinical treatment has spanned more than 25 years and several continents. She currently serves as director of Georgetown University Hospital's Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Shad has received a prestigious award from her alma mater, the Pennsylvania State School of Medicine. Dr. Shad, the recipient of the 2007 Alumni Fellow Award, is a 1989 graduate of the Penn State College of Medicine's pediatric residency program and is the first resident alumna to receive this award.

In addition to her work at Georgetown, Dr. Shad dedicates significant time to improving the survival rates in children with cancer in developing countries. As the director of International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research USA, she works with physicians from Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. She travels to oncology centers in developing countries to educate oncologists and nurses, guide patient treatments, organize workshops, and teach palliative care. Dr. Shad runs a cancer survivorship program at Georgetown University Hospital and has been instrumental in establishing similar programs in several Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

Grateful for the care Dr. Shad gave their daughter Kara, the Amey family of Great Falls, Virginia established The Amey Distinguished Professorship in Neuro-Oncology and Childhood Cancer at Georgetown. Dr. Shad was named the first Amey Distinguished Professor in April 2006.

Her exceptional and compassionate care has saved the lives of countless children. "My patients here taught me everything I have learned. Whether you're working in the depths of Africa or at a renowned medical institute, the care for patients will never change," said Dr. Shad. 


The presentation will take place at 12:15 p.m. in Frable 117.

The talk will be on Thursday January 24 from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center.

The event is free and open to the public. For additional information contact Nancy Egan, faculty secretary, at 412-675-9143 or nle10@psu.edu.

Theatre 282 is a hands-on training course in which students work on all aspects of preparing a production. Each fall it is presented as Children’s Theatre, based on folk tales from various cultures.  This year the campus has its international focus on South Asia. For these folk tale productions, the students act as narrators, walls, props, and scenery. The actors begin preparing each story by creating physical actions for each scene using pantomime, followed later by dialog and narration. The audience members are encouraged to use their imaginations to help create the visual elements of the stories.

The Penn State Greater Allegheny theatre class has performed for hundreds of local school children, often in coordination with the PEPP program. For more information on South Asian Folk Tales or other Penn State Greater Allegheny theatre productions, contact Dr. Jay Breckenridge at 412-675-9464 or jxb17@psu.edu.

This presentation is part of the campus focus this year on South Asia.

As Dr. MaryEllen Higgins, associate professor of English and one of the Teaching South Asia leaders, described the event, "student competitors give a 5-10 minute interpretation of the story....This interpretation can be a painting, a poster presentation, a reading of a short paper, a theatrical performance, etc. The presentations are judged based on the sophistication of the analysis, creativity, clarity, research, preparedness,  and attention to the details of the story."

For example, Dr. Mildred Mickle had the students in her ENGL 003S, Traditions in American Literature, discuss the gender relations, the meaning of the Hindu goddess Durga, and the idea of rebellion against societal conventions that hinder individuality and that are inherently illogical, among other things. Students compared the protagonist's rebellion with situations they encountered in their own lives. We then went on to compare and contrast "Good Girls Are Bad News" with Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a satire on the American Revolution and the events that followed in the first 100 years of America's nationhood as well as a critique of societal conventions that hinder individuality and critical thinking.

On October 11, three student teams participated (view competition slide show). The judges were Sara Ahrens, campus civic engagement coordinator, and Dr. Richard Frushell, professor emeritus of English and comparative literature.

The winning team was Alyssa Fine and Shaina Ott.

Also winning a prize was Dr. Doretta Whalen, adjunct music instructor, for having the most students attend the competition.

Join Penn State Greater Allegheny in celebrating its past and for a special convocation of the University community examining new models for the region's future on Monday, Oct. 22. Activities begin with a reception at 6 p.m. in the Student Community Center's U.S. Steel Corp. Concourse, followed by a presentation at 7 p.m. in the Robert and Elizabeth Ostermayer Room.

Keynote speaker will be Dr. Lakshman Yapa, professor of geography and known for his work on poverty alleviation, economic development and outreach scholarship, will share lessons learned from his work with The Philadelphia Project at 7:30 p.m. in the Ostermayer Room. His presentation will be "Public Scholarship and the Responsibility of the University to Society." 

Dr. Yapa teaches courses on poverty, economic development, and outreach scholarship. He is the director of the project titled, "Rethinking Urban Poverty: Philadelphia Field Project," a course in outreach, service learning and public scholarship. He has won several university and national awards for his work on poverty alleviation. In 2006 he won the President's Award  for Excellence in Academic Integration of Teaching, Research, and Service.  In 2002 he won the National Association for Multicultural Education Program Award and in 2000 he won the Faculty Outreach Award for his work on urban poverty in Philadelphia.

The presentation will be on Tuesday September 18 from 12-1:30 p.m. in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center.

Dr. Clothey focuses on myth, symbol, and ritual in his research, the role of religion in politics, identity-formation and resurgent nationalisms, and the character of religion in contemporary South Asia and among expatriated South Asians. He has edited Experiencing Siva (1984) and Images of Man (1983: Essays on Religion and Historical Process in South Asia). His current research is culminating in two books: Religion in India: A Historical Introduction (forthcoming) a textbook for undergraduates; and Ritualizing on the Boundaries (forthcoming), a study of the role of ritual amongst overseas Tamils. He has also produced six documentary films that highlight the festival experience in South Asia including Yakam: A Fire Ritual in South Asia, Skanda-Sasti: Pankuni Uttiram: A Festival of Marriage, and Skanda-Sasti: A Festival of Conquest.