Penn State Thespians stage MasquerAIDS

The theme of this year’s show, held Jan. 24 at Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center, is “Love Wins,” with proceeds going to the Centre County AIDS Resource Alliance.

“People from the club and outside of the club will pretty much just get up on stage and sing the song,” said Adam Murray, marketing chair for the Penn State Thespians. “It’s cabaret style, so there will be some specific dancing as well throughout the performance, but mainly it’s people just getting up to perform their song.”

With the special “Love Wins” production, the Penn State Thespians seek to promote a message of tolerance and understanding while simultaneously informing the public about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning community. For this year’s event, the Thespians have aimed to make the show more personal and interactive, asking members of the LGBTQ communities to share personal stories at the event.

“The production is about the LGBTQ community,” Murray said. “I believe that in between each song, there’s going to be someone who has a true story of themselves as part of the LGBTQ community. Some of the stories will be kind of incorporated with some of the songs.”

Murray sees the event as a celebration of the LGBTQ community and of the rights granted by the Supreme Court in last year’s same-sex marriage ruling.

“I think this is our way of presenting this as a celebration of life, a celebration of love. People can come donate and all the money goes to a great cause,” he said.

The AIDS Resource Alliance has offices in both Williamsport and State College. Formed in 1988, the group has worked to provide awareness about HIV and AIDS as well as assist individuals with getting tested and getting the truth about the virus.

“MasquerAIDS is a once-a-year thing,” said Murray said. “But Penn State Thespians put on two main stage shows a year. Last semester we did ‘Legally Blonde,’ and this semester we’ll be doing ‘Into the Woods’ in March. And, we also do childrens’ shows and small events that reach out to the community. It’s our way of kind of giving back to the people who come to our shows each semester.”

Murray’s own role in the production runs the gamut from backstage to press to performance.

“I’m a cast member,” he said. “I’m also on the behind-the-scenes stuff, making sure people are being reached out to, making sure as many people come to the show as possible. Within the show, I’m in three of the songs. Usually, each person is in about two or three.”

Songs include an a cappella version of Hozier’s “Take me to Church,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from Les Miserables and “Freak Flag” from “Shrek: The Musical.”

General Admission tickets are available for $4.99 and can be purchased online at www.eventbrite.com. Additionally, donations can be made to the AIDS Resource Alliance at www.crowdrise.com/ masqueraids2016lovew/ fundraiser.