Considering she grew up in Hollywood, Florida, you might assume Sally Katz, C’82, discovered her love of the performing arts early in life. In fact, it wasn’t until she arrived at Penn that she ever stepped onto a stage.
More Than a Stage
After four decades of bringing people together at Penn, Sally Katz is helping create a home for the next generation of student performers
Published: September 15, 2026
As a first-year student, Katz joined Bloomers, then a newly formed comedy troupe that would become the nation’s first all-female collegiate comedy group. As a founding member, she discovered a passion for performing that would shape the rest of her life. “I spent four incredible years at Penn,” Katz says. “It became my second family.”
Bloomers was only one part of Katz’s Penn experience. She was also a varsity gymnast, a Resident Advisor, and a member of the Friars Senior Society, whose mission of bringing together top student leaders from across the University encouraged her to look beyond her own interests and embrace the breadth of opportunities Penn had to offer.
A Lifelong Connection to Penn
After graduating, Katz stayed in the area, teaching middle school math and coaching three sports while continuing to perform on stage in faculty and community theater productions. She also remained an enthusiastic supporter of all things Penn, with a particularly deep and enduring connection to Bloomers and its alumnae organization, Girdles. For more than three decades, she has regularly returned to campus to mentor students, attend performances, and offer notes, encouragement, and support to each new generation of Bloomers.
Her connection to Penn deepened even further when she was asked to organize her 20th Reunion, an experience that ultimately led to her election as class president. Five years later, Katz brought the same seemingly boundless energy—earning her the nickname “Pennergizer”—to her 25th Reunion. The result was a milestone no Penn class had achieved before: more than 1,000 donors to the reunion drive, a participation record that still stands today.
Sally Katz, C’82, center, celebrates her 30th Reunion with classmates during the Alumni Parade of Classes at Alumni Weekend 2012.
Sally Katz, C’82, left, with classmate Lori Ehrich, C’82, at a performance during their 35th Reunion at Alumni Weekend 2017.
Sally Katz, C’82 (front row at left), poses with members of the Class of 1982 at a reunion photo booth during Alumni Weekend 2022.
Since then, Katz has continued to foster a spirit of engagement, encouraging classmates to stay connected and reminding them that every contribution makes a difference. “For me, it has never been about the size of the gift,” she says. “It’s about celebrating our time at Penn and making everyone feel like they’re part of something bigger. Amazing things happen when people come together around a shared purpose.”
Creating a Home for Student Performers
That belief ultimately inspired Katz’s most significant philanthropic commitment to Penn.
Over the years, she saw student performing arts groups struggle to find adequate rehearsal and performance space on campus. When Julie Beren Platt, C’79, and Marc E. Platt, C’79, announced their leadership gift to name the Platt Student Performing Arts Center, Katz saw an opportunity to help ensure that future generations of students would have spaces designed specifically for their creative work. “It just felt right,” she says. “This brings together everything I love about Penn—the performing arts, building community, and helping students discover and share their passions.”
Her gift will name the Sally Katz & Class of 1982 Theatre, a 125-seat flexible studio theatre in the new Platt Student Performing Arts Center currently under construction at the corner of S. 33rd Street and Woodland Walk. In choosing this name, Katz wanted to honor the classmates who have consistently supported Penn alongside her. The Class of 1982 has long distinguished itself through more than two decades of extraordinary reunion participation, scholarship giving, and volunteer leadership. This year, class members will also have the opportunity to leave their own legacy by supporting programming in the new theatre through their 45th Reunion gift.
Sally understands that the value of the arts extends far beyond the stage. The performing arts help students become more creative thinkers, stronger collaborators, and more effective leaders. This theatre will give generations of Penn students a place to develop their talents, build meaningful connections, and cultivate the skills they will carry into their professions and communities.”Christopher Gruits
Executive & Artistic Director of Penn Live Arts
For Katz, that is her true legacy. She envisions students filling the theatre not only to rehearse and perform, but also to take risks, experiment with new ideas, build confidence, and forge friendships that will last long after graduation.
“I am immensely excited about the creative opportunities this space will provide for Penn students to explore their talents and discover what they are capable of. It brings me so much joy to know what this space will mean for students,” she says. “If it helps them flourish—if it gives them the same sense of belonging and possibility that Penn gave me—then I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
To learn more about opportunities to support student performing arts at Penn, contact Kristin Winch at kwinch@upenn.edu.
