Tech Talk

Wow, it always seems to me that the Fall goes by so fast! First LEGALLY BLONDE, then PHANTOM and now LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE THE MUSICAL have all done their thing at ASU Gammage and now it’s time for ASU’s wonderful School of Music to strut their stuff on stage! I am writing this as I sit backstage at a rehearsal for the ASU Symphony wondering what “Tech” things may peak your interest.

I think I should tell you all about our Orchestra Shell. Our “shell” as we call it is a one-of-a-kind structure that was never meant to be moved off stage. In the early 90s, a very large tour of SHOWBOAT came through Gammage and the rider (the packet of technical details that is sent out to venues prior to their arrival) stressed the need for a stage depth of “No less than 38 feet.”

Well, the stage at ASU Gammage has a depth of 40 feet, but the upper-most nine feet was used to store our shell. The tour said that they could not fit on the stage so work was started to figure out a way to move our shell off stage. Here was their main question: How do you move an object that is 60 feet long, nine feet deep (when retracted), 40 feet tall and weighs more than 70 TONS!?
The answer they came up with was, let’s build a garage on the stage left wing so that it will fit in there and then float it there for storage. Yes, I said FLOAT it! A design company in New York created devices that would lock the shell pieces together and an air caster system that enables the shell to rise up to about 1/8” off the ground and safely be towed by wench into its garage. Where is the garage, you may ask? Have you ever seen our huge billboard by the Box Office that has all of the shows on it? Well, that is the shell garage! Matches so well you wouldn’t know it’s an “add on!”

The structure was completed in time for the show and has been a nice option for tours to utilize. Most of the larger tours (LION KING, WICKED, etc) have the shell stored in the garage for the duration of their run, but some (STOMP, ANNIE and others) choose to leave it on stage to save some money. It takes a crew of eight people six hours to move it in either direction! Well, it seems that rehearsal is wrapping up and I need to do the same, hope all of your holidays are the best they can be! As always, drop me a line if you have any questions, I’m always willing to Talk Tech!

Jeff

Habitat Build

LITTLE HOUSE is the uplifting story of an American family forging a new life amid the mighty challenges, heartbreaks, joys and triumphs that face them in the newly-settled heartland. Above all, it is the celebration of the pioneering spirit and the core values on which this country was founded - a spirit that still resonates today. The show has participated in Habitat for Humanity builds in every city of the tour.

The star of the show, Melissa Gilbert, also participated in the build and said "We're really pleased about LITTLE HOUSE's ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity throughout the course of our national tour. It's the perfect marriage between a show and an organization. LITTLE HOUSE is all about the importance of home. But more than that, it's about the value of what home brings to all of us - not just as individuals but also as a community.”

Cast and staff had the opportunity to participate in drywalling the home. Cheryl Amick a Gammage staff member was grateful for the experience - she said “It was an amazing and humbling experience!” We were able to see a photo of the single mother and her three children that will be calling the house we worked on home. The Habitat volunteers were incredibly patience as they taught us safety, the process, and how to hang drywall.

Sounds so easy….it wasn’t. Who knew hammering nails could be so hard. In the few hours we were there the team I worked with was able to drywall one and a half bedrooms and two closets. I will always remember this experience and will volunteer again for Habitat.

Family First Night

One of our newest programs at ASU Gammage reaches out to a very special group in our community, families of deployed Arizona National Guard Soldiers and Airmen.

The Military Family First Nights program will bring 100 family members of deployed Arizona National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to see three shows at ASU Gammage throughout the year.Thursday night’s LITTLE HOUSE show got the program off to a great start!

The families enjoyed a magical evening of theater, which provided great entertainment and an opportunity to spend quality time together. The families loved seeing the classic Little House story brought to the stage and praised the family values of the production.

The night ended with a special chance for the group to meet with members of the cast and crew, including Melissa Gilbert. Melissa Gilbert shared with the group that her 20 year old son is a Marine, and many other company members also have military personnel in their families.

Meeting the cast and crew members was definitely a highlight of the evening and very meaningful to the families.

I know that all of us here at ASU Gammage are honored to have the opportunity to work with military families, and to show our appreciation for the many sacrifices they make for our country. We look forward to creating more memorable nights for these terrific families.

Bringing a Group to Gammage is Easy!

People always have the same reaction whenever I tell them I work for ASU Gammage in group sales. They say, “Oh, that must be so fun”. And actually, yes it is! It is very rewarding to meet people who have organized a group to see a Broadway show in this beautiful building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The groups that come to Gammage are as varied as the different Broadway shows. As you can imagine, a group interested in ANNIE is most likely not as interested in a show such as AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. Both great shows- but they appeal to different audiences. We try each season to present a Broadway line up that has something for everyone- from great family shows such as LITTLE HOUSE to hilariously funny, adult oriented shows such as AVENUE Q.

Bringing a group to Gammage is easy and I am glad to report that we are off to a fantastic start. The fun began with our first show of the 09-10 season LEGALLY BLONDE which was here in September. Many of the ASU sororities on campus purchased group tickets in the balcony and they all wore pink! It was quite entertaining to look out over a ‘sea of pink” each night and realize everyone was having such a great time.

The next show (which just ended this past Sunday) was PHANTOM. LOTS of groups came to enjoy this wonderful show- including two large student groups. The first group attended our ASU Gammage “Girl Scout Night” which includes a post show Q & A with cast members and a GS patch. On November 10, nearly 400 scouts and troop leaders attended Phantom and had the opportunity to ask questions of the cast. A BIG thank you to Susan Russell at the Cactus Pine Council who helped coordinate this special event. The second large group was 200 students and parents from the Highland HS Marching Band in Gilbert, AZ. Congrats to this fantastic band who just placed first in the State Marching Band competition. What music did their award winning show feature? Andrew Lloyd Weber’s music from PHANTOM, of course! What a great opportunity for them to see the show and meet the Associate Music Director, David Robinson, who was so generous with his time after the show.

Even though I have highlighted two large groups, you only need to purchase 15 tickets to qualify for special group pricing and benefits at ASU Gammage. As a matter of fact, most of our groups are less than 50 people. So, take a look at our season line up and contact me if you have any questions about bring a group to one of our Broadway shows. I’d love to hear from you!

--Jennifer Gadek, jennifer.gadek@asu.edu

From Kevin Massey, Actor from Little House on the Prairie the Musical

"LET’S GO WEST!...WAY WEST!

Having traveled mostly in middle America, I know we are all excited to be the farthest west yet when we arrive in Tempe! I’ve heard a lot about Frank Lloyd Wright’s ASU Gammage. A number of our cast members took a small field trip in Tulsa to see some of Wright’s work nearby. I think Gammage will be the most unique house we have played thus far.

Plus, it’s right on the corner of the ASU campus. I loved my days at UNC-Chapel Hill and the great energy of a college town, so I’m sure Tempe will not disappoint. We’ve got a lot of kids fresh out of college who will probably feel right at home.

A new city brings a new experience with the show. It’s always interesting to see how the audiences react a little differently in each state we visit. Some jokes land incredibly well in one place and then get a more subtle response in others. For instance, one line in the show is “Well, it’s 20 degrees below zero…thank goodness the cold snap is over.” In Minnesota, it’s one of our biggest laughs of the night. In Arkansas, we get a smaller but respectable chuckle. But in the end, everyone really seems to enjoy the journey. We’ll see if Tempe gives us a hearty guffaw!

We’re looking forward to bringing the wagon train into town soon!"

Kevin Massey (Almanzo Wilder)