Wharton Center is about connecting people to engaging, creative opportunities that expand their hearts, minds and world view.
Our educational programs offer unique, valuable experiences for community youth to more deeply engage with the arts and grow critical life skills. Our special programming tied to captivating performances expands our humanity and infuses our lives with connection and meaning.
We offer many paths to engage your mind and inspire your spirit. Come connect with us.
Supported by MSU Federal Credit Union
The creative activity of Wharton Center is defined by how we collaborate with many of the world-renowned artists who grace our stages. They come to us as performers and as teaching artists in classrooms. They are advocates for the creative process and innovative partners in the co-creation of new work. They provide us with new ways of expressing ourselves and viewing the world in which we live.
The Wharton Center Institute for Arts and Creativity offers many ways to inspire the mind and move the soul through arts engagement and arts education. We’re committed to shaping our world into something remarkable through performing arts and arts education.
Our Take It From The Top musical theater workshops are taught by a vibrant, talented team of experienced Broadway professionals who take time out of their shows and schedules to come to East Lansing and engage with local students.
Wharton Center’s Young Playwrights Festival has given Michigan high school students the opportunity to see their one-act plays brought to life on the Pasant Theatre stage.
The National High School Musical Theater Awards honor outstanding student achievement in high school musical theater. Wharton Center sponsors Michigan’s state-wide contest, sending two winners to compete on a Broadway stage in New York City. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
Seeing a show on a Wharton Center stage can encompass so much more than sitting in the audience. For select performances each season, we are proud to offer opportunities for our patrons to connect with performers, learn from artists and ask questions to uncover the deeper meaning of works.