The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery closed its presentation of “Taiwan Sublime: Four Photography Masters’ Visions of the Treasure Island” Oct. 7 with a guest lecture from Jeremy Hu, co-founder and curator of the Works Gallery in New York, N.Y. To read the entire release, click here.

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum is planning a bus trip to Newark, N.J., on Saturday, Oct. 29, to “Discover Newark: Its Art, Its History, Its Future.” Newark is rich in its industrial, civic and cultural history; fraught with urban problems; and, at the same time, choosing a bright future through its ingenuity, resilience and extraordinary civic leadership. Participants will visit the Newark Art Museum and have lunch at a fine Portuguese restaurant with Clement Price, Distinguished Service Professor at Rutgers University, and Newark’s civic leaders. Participants will also tour the city’s historic sites with Dr. Price.

To register, contact Kym Fetsko, Schemel Forum events coordinator, at (570) 941-7816 or fetskok2@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers at (570) 941-4089 or myerss2@scranton.edu.

The League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, the Political Science Department, College Democrats and College Republicans will host candidate debates in the Moskovitz Theater of The DeNaples Center.

• Thursday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. candidates for Scranton City Council, Jack Loscombe (D), Bob McGoff (D) and Lee Morgan (R). Voters will vote for two.       
• Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:00 p.m. candidates for Lackawanna County Commissioner. Corey O’Brien (D), Jim Wansacz (D), William Jones (R) and Patrick O’Malley (R).  Voters will vote for two.

• Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., second floor of DeNaples Center (But NOT Tuesday, Oct. 18 – Fall Break)
• Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., McGurrin Hall Reading Room on the first floor
• Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m., McGurrin Hall Reading Room on the first floor

The University of Scranton will welcome Sarah Ruhl, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur Genius award-winning playwright of "The Clean House," to the University community on Friday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m.. The College of Arts and Sciences and Academic Theater Program will host "An Evening with Sarah Ruhl" in Brennan Hall, room 228, located on the east side of the 300 block of Madison Avenue on campus.

Recognized as one of the strongest and most innovate voices in the theater today, Ruhl wrote her first play, "The Dog Play" as a student in Paula Vogel’s playwriting class at Brown University. She has since gone on to national acclaim as the author of "Eurydice" (Second Stage NYC, Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep), "The Clean House" (Susan Smith Blackburn prize in 2004, Pulitizer Prize finalist in 2005), "Passion Play" (Arena Stage, Goodman Theatre, Yale Rep), and "Dead Man’s Cellphone" (Playwright’s Horizons staring Mary Louise Paker, Woolly Mammoth).  "In the Next Room" opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theater in 2009 and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, as well as Tony Nominee for Best Play. 

Ruhl’s visit will precede The University of Scranton Players production of "The Clean House." "An Evening with Sarah Ruhl" will be a chance to meet and hear one of the foremost playwrights in the country. The talk will be free and open to the public.  

The University of Scranton Players will be opening their newest production, "The Clean House," by Sarah Ruhl, on Friday, Oct. 28, in the McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts. The production will run Oct. 28–29 at 8 p.m., Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. and Nov. 4-5 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.. The production features Sarah Neitz as Lane; Vanessa Revlas as Matilde; Catherine Fischer as Virginia; Camille Reinecke as Ana; and Joe McGurl as Charles. McGurl, Reinecke, as well as Jim Shygelski (stage manager) and Bernadette Mick (assistant stage manager) are from the greater Scranton area.

Tickets are available by reservation, or may be purchased at the box office located on the first floor of the McDade Center, next to the Royal Theater, at any time on the night of the performance. For more information about the University Players or "The Clean House," contact the Players Box Office at 570-941-4318, email players@scranton.edu or visit www.thescrantonplayers.com.  

• Friday, Oct. 21: "Late Night Deal or No Deal" at 10 p.m. on the first floor of the DeNaples Center
• Monday, Oct. 24: Alcohol screenings in the DeNaples Center's fireplace lounge from 3-7 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 27: Late Night USPB Pumpkin Painting at 9:30 p.m. on the first floor of the DeNaples Center
• Friday, Oct. 28: "Texts From Last Night" event from noon to 2 p.m. in the DeNaples Center's fireplace lounge

The Office of Community Relations is pleased to provide information on downtown and area community events. If you have any questions, please contact community@scranton.edu or 941-4419. Like us on Facebook to stay up to date with Scranton happenings. Coming up this week:

An Empty Place at the Table – A Memorial Exhibit, Fri., Oct. 21 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

The Women's Resource Center will have a Memorial Exhibit, this Friday, October 21, 10 am - 3 pm at the Trolley Museum at 300 Cliff Street in Scranton.  Admission to the museum is free to view the EPAT exhibit.  For more information, call WRC at 570-346-4460, x 242.  

Arts on Fire Bonfire/Celtic Samhain Harvest Festival, Fri., Oct. 21, 8 – 11 p.m. 

The event features a bonfire, mural painting, apple bobbing, food and beverages.  Music by the Tom Petty Appreciation Band. Tickets $15 at door; $10 in advance online or at Anthracite Heritage Museum, 570-963-4804.  Event takes place at Scranton Iron Furnaces, South Washington Ave., Scranton.


Historical Walking Tour of Downtown Scranton, Sat., Oct. 22, 10 a.m.

The tour led by the Lackawanna Historical Society starts at 434 Lackawanna Avenue, the former Bosak Bank building, followed by brunch at POSH @ The Scranton Club at 11:30 a.m.  The tour will provide historical background, architectural details, and interesting stories from the past.  Reservations are required.  Cost of tour and brunch (including tax and tip): $32.50.  To register, call the Society at 570-344-3841.

Everhart Museum Mayhem, Sat., Oct. 22, 8 p.m. to midnight

Be there or be scared!  A fundraising event to benefit the Museum.  Cost is $50 for Museum members and $65 for non-members. Includes all food, beverages, and activities.  Creative Halloween attire is suggested.  For adults 21 and older.  For reservations or more information, contact the Everhart Museum at 570-346-7186.

Kids Ride for Relief & Family Fun Day in McDade Park, Sun. Oct. 23, 12 – 4 p.m. 

$5 admission includes bike riding, Halloween costume contest (12:30 PM), food, entertainment, bouncy house, face painting, clown, juggler, fire trucks, race cars, and more.  All proceeds benefit Red Cross Local Flood Relief.  Online registration information is available at the Lackawanna County website.  Volunteers are also needed – contact the University’s Community Outreach Office at x 7429 or judgee2@scranton.edu. 

Nights of 9/11: Photographs by Hale Gurland at Everhart Museum through Oct. 24

Artist, photographer and pilot Hale Gurland crafts large-size sculptures by welding metal. On September 11, 2001 and in the days that followed, he contributed to the rescue/recovery effort at Ground Zero in New York, cutting steel using his tanks, torches and skill. His never-before-seen photographs from Ground Zero are the subject of Nights of 9/11 commemorating the 10th anniversary of that event.  For more information, contact the Everhart Museum.