Spring Convocations
(information is subject to change - visit
this site frequently for the most up-to-date information)
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Animality and Humanity: Exploring Records of the Strange in Medieval China (D&I)
Tuesday February 18, 2025 | 7:00pm – Young 113
In this convocation, Professor Manling Luo, a renowned scholar of Chinese supernatural narratives, will explore themes of Animality and Humanity through the lens of medieval Chinese "Records of the Strange." Drawing from her recent research, Professor Luo will discuss three stories of human-tiger transformations, shedding light on the boundaries between animality, humanity, and divine influence. These narratives depict protagonists who, transformed into tigers, engage in implicit acts of cannibalism, raising questions about the role of humanity within a divinely ordered cosmos. By examining the social identities and post-transformation reintegration of these weretigers, Professor Luo illuminates how medieval Chinese society envisioned the interaction between human agency and higher powers. This presentation will appeal to audiences interested in literature, history, and the supernatural, providing valuable insights into medieval Chinese thought. Content Advisory: This talk 
includes discussions of implicit cannibalism in folklore, which may be sensitive for some audiences.
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YAMATO: The Drummers of Japan (D&I)
Thursday February 20, 2025 | 7:30pm – Newlin
Step into the world of YAMATO, the Japanese Taiko drumming sensation that has captivated audiences worldwide since 1993. YAMATO takes audiences on a whirlwind tour of rhythm and culture with more than 40 Taiko drums standing tall on stage, each with its own character, size and sound. The mighty “Odaiko,” carved from a 400-year-old tree, weighs 500 kg and sets the stage for an awe-inspiring experience. But it’s not just about power; YAMATO also creates delicate music, crafting a palette of meticulously curated sound and earning them the title of “physical music.”
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Eurydice: presented by Centre Players
CONVO CREDIT ONLY ON Saturday February 22, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl explores the relationship between memory and loss by reimagining the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. This 75-minute play is a study on love, grief, and asks the question: when is it time to let go? Eurydice invites the audience to ponder their own relationships and reflect on time spent with their loved ones. The show opens on Friday, February 21st and runs through Sunday, February 23rd. Patrick Kagan-Moore will be joining after Saturday’s show on the 22nd to conduct a talk-back, the perfect opportunity to ask questions about theatre, the production, directing, and more! Content warning: death and implied homophobia.
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Won’t you be my May-bor? (D&I)
Saturday March 1, 2025 | 7:00pm – Weisiger Theatre
Andrew Newton Schaftlein and Eric Sharp conceived Won’t you be my May-bor? and it features the extraordinary talents of drag performer May O'Nays. May O'Nays, renowned for her theatrical prowess and community involvement, brings her unique expertise to the stage as both a celebrated drag queen and an adept escape room master. However, she encounters a challenge unlike any other—a mysterious room that proves elusive to her skills. Drawing from the timeless wisdom of Fred Rogers, this interactive adventure invites participants to cultivate patience, mindfulness, and attentive listening as they join May O'Nays in unraveling the enigmatic Mister Rogers room. Won't you be my May-Bor? is not just a show; it's an invitation to discover the power of kindness in a world that could use a little more May-borly love. The production premiered at Actors Theater of Louisville in May of 2024.
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Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling (D&I)
Tuesday March 4, 2025 | 7:00pm – Weisiger
In 2014, Mexico (with financial and logistical support from the Obama administration) launched Programa Frontera Sur, a security enforcement project aimed at stopping Central American migrants from reaching the U.S./Mexico border. Under this program, Mexico dramatically increased arrests and deportations while simultaneously making the migration journey more arduous and deadly. In response to this heightened security, migrants have turned to transnational gangs such as MS-13 who have become increasingly involved in the human smuggling industry.
In 2015, Dr. Jason De León began a long-term photoethnographic project focused on understanding the daily lives of Honduran smugglers who profit from transporting migrants across the length of Mexico. In this talk, he draws on ethnographic data to discuss the evolving relationship between transnational gangs and the human smuggling industry.
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Mnozil Brass
Friday March 7, 2025 | 7:30pm – Newlin Hall
Known as the Monty Python of the music world, Austrian septet Mnozil Brass seamlessly combines slapstick comedy with virtuosity. Hailed as one of the world’s premier brass ensembles, this group blends classical, jazz, folk and pop with sketch comedy, silly songs and side-splitting buffoonery on their trumpets, trombones, French horn and tuba. Mnozil Brass takes its name from Gasthaus Mnozil, a restaurant across the street from the Vienna Conservatory, where seven young music students met and began playing at a monthly open mic in 1992. 30 years later, Mnozil Brass performs for sold-out houses around the world. Jubilee, its 2023 album on Universal, cheekily pays tribute and celebrates Mnozil Brass’s greatest hits and new works.
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Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars (D&I)
Saturday March 8, 2025 | 10:45am – Weisiger Theatre
Eileen Collins will use her experiences as the first female NASA shuttle commander to inspire attendees to dream big. Collins made history by becoming the first woman to pilot a U.S. spacecraft with the Discovery shuttle flight in 1995, and the first woman commander with the 1999 Columbia shuttle flight. In 2005, NASA tapped Col. Collins to command the space shuttle Discovery’s historic “Return to Flight” mission, NASA’s first piloted flight following the loss of space shuttle Columbia in 2003. Collins is the keynote address for the 2025 Women's Leadership Conference.
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Fostering Female Civic Engagement (D&I)
Saturday March 8, 2025 | 3:40pm – Weisiger Theatre
Moderator: Dr. Lori Hartmann
Panelists: Auditor Allison Ball, Rep. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman'04, Iris Glick, Fmr. Lt. Governor Crit Luallen '74 and Sara Osborne '05
A panel discussion of the importance of female voices in the public sector. Whether elected office, non-profit or civic organizations, the representative presence of female leaders is more important now than ever.
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Kentucky - A Native Presence (D&I)
Monday March 10, 2025 | 7:00pm – Young 113
Kentucky’s landscape holds the history of its ancient Indigenous peoples. Ancient Native villages, camps, mounds, and earthworks - and the patterns of objects within these places - are the chapters in a history that goes back millennia. In this talk, Education Director of the Kentucky Archaeological Survey Dr. A. Gwynn Henderson will discuss how understanding this enduring Native presence offers significance to otherwise familiar places, and builds for us meaningful connections to the collective human history of this place we call “home.” This presentation will begin with a review of the stubbornly persistent myths about Kentucky’s historic Native peoples, and will explain how the study of ancient Native places and objects can provide a window into the past. After briefly outlining the main eras in Kentucky’s Native history before the arrival of European settlers, this presentation will consider two examples of Kentucky Native place-making in central Kentucky that reflect the deep human connections to the land and natural environment they represent.
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Puzzles of Petitionary Prayer
Tuesday March 11, 2025 | 7:30pm – Young 113
“Puzzles of Petitionary Prayer.” Philosopher of Religion, Dr. Scott Davison (Morehead State University) will explore the philosophical implications of petitionary prayer. People often pray for specific things and sometimes think their prayers have been answered. What would be required for God to answer a prayer, assuming God existed? What kinds of prayers could God answer? Could we ever know about an answered prayer? Join us to explore these questions and related ones.
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Paul Taylor Dance Company
Tuesday March 11, 2025 | 7:30pm – Newlin Hall
Renowned for its innovative and emotionally compelling performances, the Paul Taylor Dance Company is known as the premiere institution for American modern dance. Under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Novak, the company continues to push boundaries and present groundbreaking works. This performance will showcase the poignant Company B, set to the nostalgic tunes of The Andrews Sisters, the whimsical and humorous Offenbach Overtures, featuring the jubilant music of Jacques Offenbach, and the elegant Brandenburgs, performed to Bach’s timeless Brandenburg Concertos. This diverse program highlights Paul Taylor’s rich choreographic repertoire, blending exuberance, playful satire and classical sophistication for an unforgettable evening of dance.
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Musicians Showcase - Spring 2025
Sunday March 16, 2025 | 3pm – Newlin Hall
The bi-annual Musicians Showcase presents a variety of Centre student musicians, ensembles, and singers as they come together to showcase their wide range of talents.
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Solarize Boyle: Clean Energy Initiative in Danville, KY
Tuesday April 1, 2025 | 7:00pm – Young 113
Solarize Boyle is a community-organized collaboration between the Danville City Commission, Kentucky Energy Council, and Boyle Fiscal Court to encourage small businesses and farm operations to invest in affordable solar energy through offering financial incentives. Solarize Boyle representative Dan Nolet will provide a glimpse into the challenges in organizing environmental initiatives in Boyle and surrounding counties, and provide a picture of the future of this movement promoting clean energy in our local community.
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The Digital Revitalization of Endangered Languages: The Case of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) (D&I)
Wednesday April 2, 2025 | 7:30pm – Vahlkamp
In this lecture, Dr. Carlos Yebra López explores the digital revitalization of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), the language of the Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492. Drawing upon the methodological framework of Revivalistics and including a comparative analysis with similar initiatives apropos further endangered languages such as Yiddish, Chavacano and Palenquero, he examines the role of online platforms, social media, and virtual communities. The talk highlights how digital spaces foster linguistic continuity, cultural preservation, and identity formation. Special attention will be given to emerging conventions and their impact on Ladino's sociolinguistic evolution, showcasing how technology both responds to and reshapes the anxieties surrounding language loss.
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Maqluba Screening and Conversation with Creators (D&I)
Thursday April 3, 20205 | 7:30pm - Vahlkamp
This 28 minute, Louisville shot short film is centered on the relationship between a Palestinian-American grandmother and her granddaughter. Laila, a Palestinian-American drummer, visits her grandmother in her new apartment during a powerful storm under the guise of helping her unpack. But her nefarious goals slowly unfold as they delve deeper into the mystical fateful night. They spend the evening together feasting on maqluba (a famous Palestinian dish layering vegetable, meat, and broth with rice, which is then dramatically flipped over to reveal the tasty entrée), reading Turkish coffee grounds, and coming to terms with past traumas. Following the screening, Mike Elsherif, writer and director, and JohnBen Lacy ‘07, producer and cinematographer, will engage in conversation with attendees. The film has been shown at the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt, the Speed Cinema in Louisville, and at The Muslim House during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
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Using Analytical Chemistry to Achieve Environmental Justice Through Community-Engaged Studies (D&I)
Thursday April 3, 2025 | 7:30pm – Young 113
Dr. Myron Lard will present research using analytical chemistry to achieve environmental justice through community-engaged studies. The negative impacts of industrial practices and accidents generally affect individuals who represent underserved communities. Through our research, we partnered with two impacted communities, the first in Colfax, LA. and the second in East Palestine, OH. to identify and study the byproducts generated and their subsequent dispersal throughout the communities. This talk will discuss the use of analytical methods to study the toxicants generated from the open-burn waste treatment facility located in Colfax, and also those generated in East Palestine in the wake of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in February of 2023.
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Centre Symphony Orchestra - Spring 2025
Wednesday April 9, 2025 | 7:30pm – Newlin Hall
The Centre Symphony Orchestra is a staple of the Centre experience and a truly impressive performance to behold. It's comprised of Centre students, along with a sprinkling of professional guest artists, and conducted by our very own Dr. Robert Seebacher.
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You Can't Share Water from a Broken Cup: Fortifying Oneself to Better Serve Others
Thursday April 10, 2025 | 7:00pm – Ewen Room
Deciding to shape one's career around service to others is truly admirable. The world needs people with the skillsets provided by Centre. Working directly with those in need, however, is often more challenging than imagined. Success in the work depends on having a strong fortifying philosophy to rely on during those hard moments. Join Robb Nash (Centre alumnus '83, Director of the HIV Program for the Tennessee Department of Health, Social Impact CEC Advisory Board Member, and Health & Medicine CEC Advisory Board Chair) as he offers insights from the literature as well as his own personal experiences to help the listener begin work towards the self-care that is fundamental to caring for others.
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Health Equity: More than a Buzzword - Building Agency, Advocacy, and Action
Tuesday April 15, 2025 | 7:00pm – Ewen Room
Health equity isn’t just about access to healthcare—it’s about who has the opportunity to thrive across all areas of life. From financial stability to cultural belonging, from emotional well-being to environmental safety, equity is a multidimensional issue that affects communities in ways we often overlook. This interactive session will explore what health equity is (and isn’t), challenge students to recognize systemic disparities, and empower them to build agency and advocacy in their own lives, studies, and future careers. Whether pursuing healthcare, business, education, or public policy, students will leave with practical strategies to apply a health equity lens in any field and take meaningful action toward a more just world.
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Journalism and the Power of Critical Inquiry: An Evening with Renee Shaw (D&I)
Tuesday April 15, 2025 | 7:15pm – Vahlkamp
In an age of rapid information sharing and widespread misinformation, the need for thoughtful, accurate, and ethical journalism has never been greater. Good journalism doesn’t just inform—it holds power accountable, amplifies unheard voices, and helps us make sense of a complex world.
As part of this upcoming semester’s Citizen Power Tools Series, you're invited to learn about journalism in America and its importance to democracy.
As the guiding voice behind KET’s public affairs programming, Renee Shaw—Director of Public Affairs and Moderator at KET—brings decades of experience covering Kentucky’s most pressing issues. She will share the realities of her work, the challenges journalists face in the 21st century, and what the future of journalism holds in the face of major political, technological, and social shifts.
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The Search for Dark Matter
Wednesday April 16, 2025 | 7:00pm – Young 113
Vera Rubin was an American astronomer who showed that galaxies do not rotate as predicted by gravitational models unless they are comprised of mostly an unseen, undetectable form of matter. Her discovery provided the first evidence of what was named "dark matter." Current cosmological theories suggest that dark matter comprises 90% of matter in the universe, but its properties are completely unknown. Jacob Pfaller (Centre Physics 2021) is pursuing his physics PhD at the University of Cincinnati, and he will discuss his current research at the CERN Supercollider experiment in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is a premier particle research facility and the largest experiment in the world. Jake is a lead researcher on a team constructing a new detector to measure new exotic particles that may be the source of dark matter. He will discuss his exciting research and how Centre College prepared him for his graduate studies and future as a scientist.
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Centre Choirs - Spring 2025
Wednesday April 16, 2025 | 7:30pm – Newlin Hall
This performance features Centre Singers, an auditioned group of highly refined singers, and College Choir, a diverse, large, and talented group of students, staff/faculty, and community members. Both groups sing a variety of songs, both classical and contemporary. This concert will be conducted by Sam Scheibe, the Visiting Instructor of Music and Interim Director of Choral Ensembles and Voice.
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Making Christianity Manly Again: Gender Theology, Hypermasculinity, and a Megachurch Empire (D&I)
Thursday April 17, 2025 | 7:00pm – Vahlkamp
Dr. Jennifer McKinney, author of Making Christianity Manly Again, explains how megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll and his Seattle church indelibly impacted American evangelicalism. Driscoll’s gender theology put men at the forefront of American Christianity, rebranding Jesus from a “gay hippie in a dress” to a sword-carrying, “robe-dipped-in-blood” warrior. This type of rhetoric paved the way for evangelicals’ embrace of hypermasculine Christianity. Sociologist Jennifer McKinney presents a better understanding of the dynamics of the evangelical impulse to reclaim and glorify men, fueling a growing Christian nationalist movement.
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Does Legal Mobile Sports Betting Affect Mental Health?
Friday April 18, 2025 | 7:30pm – Young 113
This Convocation event will feature a presentation on the impact of legal mobile sports betting on mental health and financial well-being, drawing on data from the Household Pulse Survey. The lecture will explore the effects of the staggered legalization of sports betting across U.S. states, focusing on its influence on self-reported mental health and financial distress. Contrary to widespread concerns, the findings suggest that legal access to online betting has no significant average impact on these measures at the population level. The presentation will also discuss the absence of significant differences across demographic groups that are more likely to engage in sports betting. This talk will provide timely insights into an ongoing policy debate regarding the societal implications of legal sports betting.
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Gender, Transnational Repression, and Perils of Technology (D&I)
Tuesday April 22, 2025 | 7:00pm – Young 113
Me Me Khant is a poet and human rights activist from Myanmar and a Centre alumni from Class of 2020. In this convocation, she will share her experience advocating for human rights at the intersection of gender, digital repression, and emerging technologies in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Myanmar's ongoing civil war. Drawing from firsthand experience and research, she will discuss the important role women play in Myanmar's democratic movement, and on the flip side, how women activists are increasingly targeted through digital harassment and transnational repression. The discussion will also explore the new and fast-changing vulnerabilities for women human rights defenders and diaspora communities through the lens of the rise of generative AI and other emerging technologies. She will examine cases from Myanmar and its neighbors, particularly focusing on how policies and regulations in the US – not only from the government but also from technology platforms – can have a sweeping impact in the human rights landscape in the region.
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James W. Barton RICE Symposium
Wednesday April 23, 2025 | 7:30pm – Vahlkamp
The James W. Barton RICE Symposium convocation features a panel of Division I, II and III alumni. They speak about how research at Centre helped prepare them for their career. We have a series of questions prepared, which we share ahead of time, that each panelist answers from the point of view of their experience in their professional field.
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How We Save Ourselves
April 23, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
April 24, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
April 25, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
April 26, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
The Farm Theater - College Collaboration Project –
A New Play by Enid Graham
April 23-25 @ 7:30pm
Directed by Jennifer Goff
How to Save Ourselves is the story of six mis-matched 20-somethings who come together to volunteer for six weeks at the Love Your Neighbor Food Initiative in the not-so-distant future. They all have their own reasons for being there, but Stephen and Antonio (who run the food bank) are just glad to have the help. In a world where climate emergencies, refugee crises, and violence seem like daily occurrences, it's sometimes hard to imagine how volunteering one day a week in one little food bank can make any difference at all. But when they find themselves in the midst of their own emergency, it turns out that maybe they have each other to turn to. And maybe, in this world, that might just be a miracle.
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John C. Young Honors Symposium (D&I)
SESSION I: Saturday April 26, 2025 | 9am -10:45am – Vahlkamp
SESSION II: Saturday April 26, 2025 | 11am – 12:45pm – Vahlkamp
This event showcases the exceptional research of the six seniors chosen as 2024-2025 class of John C. Young Scholars. Each scholar is briefly introduced by their faculty mentor, with whom they have been working closely on their project for a year or more. Then, the scholar presents part of their research to the audience for 25-30 minutes, followed by five minutes of Q +A. Traditionally, at the end of the symposium, the 2025-2026 scholars are announced. Our program typically does three presentations during Session I (taking roughly 90-95 minutes), then a break, and then three more presentations during Session II. Students can earn up to two convocation credits (one per Session).
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Kentucky Traditional Ensemble
Monday April 28, 2025 | 7pm – Combs Warehouse
This acoustic band, comprised of Centre student musicians, explores the ballad-singing and string-band traditions of the Appalachians, the bluegrass tradition of Central Kentucky, and more recent music inspired by these traditions.
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Kentucky Contemporary Ensemble
Tuesday April 29, 2025 | 7pm – Combs Warehouse
The Kentucky Contemporary Ensembles performs music from 1950 to the present with connections to the traditions stemming from Kentucky and the American South, ranging from country, to blues, to soul, to pop and beyond.
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African Drumming Ensemble - Spring 2025
Monday May 5, 2025 | 7pm – Newlin Hall
Centre's Music Program encourages students to participate in various ensembles, two of which are Centre Fusion and African Percussion. This concert is a fun, vibrant, culturally exuberant, energized night where students show off their percussive talents for the Centre community, as well as the Danville community at large.
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Spring Dance Concert 2025
Thursday May 8, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
The annual Spring Dance Concert is an exciting and entertaining evening of dance, performed by students enrolled in dance classes through Centre's Drama Program. The concert presents a variety of choreographic works by regional dance artists as well as students.
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Agathe & Adrien: N.Ormes Performance (D&I)
Monday May 12, 2025 | 7:30pm – Weisiger Theatre
Blurring the lines between circus show, contemporary dance and performance art, N.Ormes invites audiences to question preconceived ideas. In this physically impressive and touching creation, duo Agathe Bisserier and Adrien Malette-Chénier push the limits and expectations of their own bodies and gender norms. Recent graduates of the famed Circus School of Québec, Agathe and Adrien have developed a unique, highly physical circus and dance vocabulary. The duo has worked with renowned cirque companies on European tours and circus festivals worldwide. N.Ormes will challenge you to question your own assumptions through a touching and intimate journey that will move you with a perfect blend of tears and laughter.
Recommended for ages 17 and older. Includes mature themes and brief nudity.