Arts and Architecture

Livestream talk on April 30 with award-winning television director Mary Lou Belli

Penn State School of Theatre alumna Mary Lou Belli, award-winning television director and author. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State School of Theatre alumna Mary Lou Belli, award-winning television director and author, will talk with B. Stephen Carpenter II, Michael J. and Aimee Rusinko Kakos Dean in the College of Arts and Architecture, about her life and career, in a livestreamed conversation at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30.

Belli has directed or produced hundreds of television shows, including “Monk,” “NCIS New Orleans,” “Bull,” “Girlfriends” and more. She also co-authored four key texts on acting and directing, including “Directors Tell the Story,” recently released in a third edition. 

In addition to serving on the College of Arts and Architecture Dean’s Circle and Bellisario College of Communications Hollywood Board, she has mentored Penn State students and young alumni pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. She received the College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Award in 2018 and was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow in 2024.

Last Updated April 29, 2025