Why Become a Donor?

Why become a VIP donor? Your dollars MATTER! In addition to the BENEFITS, your support has lasting IMPACT!

What our donors are saying:

“We believe in supporting the Arts. Art is a perfect medium to help tell cultural stories in a manner that can change lives. As ASU Gammage VIP members, we are also privileged to participate in many special events (backstage tours, meeting of cast members, the VIP Lounge and interaction with other art lovers and Gammage’s knowledgeable staff). The concierge service provided to contributors makes the enjoyment of the season even greater, it has surpassed our expectations.”
-Dr. & Mrs. Charles Goldstein

“We have only lived in the Valley for a few years, coming to and supporting ASU Gammage made us feel like a part of the community. We now look forward to seeing our “theater” friends before the show in the VIP Lounge. We have found the productions excellent, sometimes better than New York!!”
-J McD

“I am an accountant by training, I have several non-profits as clients, I understand the importance of contributed income to Gammage. The theater cannot survive on ticket income alone, that is why investing in Gammage is so important and vital it the institution’s health and resiliency during these economic times. I am proud to support Gammage and the benefits i.e. seat location, ticket concierge services and reserved parking make the contribution even more fulfilling.”
-Abe Cohn CPA

“As a VIP, I love meeting the actors!!! I was active in high school drama but took the conservative route in college, getting a degree in business. I now have two girls 8 and 6 years old who are just learning about theater. Gammage always brings a show for the little ones- for that I am grateful. I grew up coming to Gammage and my kids will too!! This is a family tradition that is important to me.”
-Jane Einhorn

Experience what these VIP members love about being a part of ASU Gammage for yourself:

BENEFIT HIGHLIGHTS (these are highlights only, for a full list, visit asugammage.com)
$250 Opportunity to purchase tickets before the general public
$500 Access to the VIP Lounge and invitations to “behind the scenes” events
$1,250 Great seat location (2 tickets)* and VIP ticketing concierge services
$2,500 Reserved parking, great seat location (4 tickets)* and your photo in the
Gammage lobby
$5,000 Great seat location (6 tickets)* and photo opportunities with visiting artists

*Opportunity to purchase tickets in rows 3-15

China Cultural Exchange Project

I was very fortunate to be a part of the China Cultural Exchange Project and a guest of the Cultural Ministry of China. David Fraher, Executive Director of Arts Midwest, and Kat Duvic, Executive & Program Assistant, who have been presenting and touring Chinese artists for many years, organized this trip. Over a ten-day period in December, seven major university presenters, myself included, traveled to Shanghai, Chengdu and Beijing. During this time, we were able to see over 150 artists perform and engage in dialogue about cultural exchange.

Our trip would not have been as wonderful if it were not for the advance work done by Cathy Barbash, an American consultant who decided 20 years ago to go and work in China. Her contacts and understanding of the art and culture of China made her an invaluable leader.
The artists were as varied as Tibetan throat singers to Chinese rock and roll bands to some of the finest and most highly trained ballet and modern dance companies. And for those of you who follow our Gammage Broadway season, you know that we will have THE 39 STEPS in April. I had the opportunity to see the Chinese version of THE 39 STEPS presented by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center. It was equally as engaging and funny in Chinese as it was when I saw it on Broadway.

Mr. Wu, the Deputy Director of the Chinese Cultural Ministry, led our trip and we also met with the directors and deputy directors from Chengdu and Beijing. All were gracious and provided us with an insight into the traditions of China and the food, the sights and sounds of the cities we visited. It was quite amazing to be in a city of 20 million people and how everyone moved effortlessly about with grace and calm. It was even more astonishing to realize that these cites are twice the size of New York, which most Americans think of as a large, bustling city.

Highlights included a trip to the Expo in Beijing as everyone prepares for the world to return to China in 2010. The Chinese Pavilion is a large, red lacquer pagoda, which sits in the middle of all the nations’ astonishing pavilions. It was wonderful to hear traditional Chinese music performed in the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and then to attend the Little Bar in Chengdu and hear the performance of Asura Band and rock out in Chengdu and then attend the Beijing Peking Opera Company and to watch maestros and third generation artists perform and to see the Uigur Union, three musicians perform traditional work and close out the evening with the Hanggai Band and the Huilang Band combining traditional and contemporary music. We saw a contemporary play RHINO IN LOVE by Meng Jinghui.

Our trip closed out with a formal luncheon by Ms. Li Hong, Deputy Director General for the Bureau of External Cultural Relations and a mad dash on the morning of my departure through the Forbidden City.

We will surely see some of these Chinese artists tour through the United States and look forward to welcoming them to ASU and Tempe, Arizona.

Prior to my trip to China, I had the opportunity to see some great plays on Broadway--Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig in A STEADY RAIN, Jude Law in HAMLET, Julia Stiles in OLEANNA, Sienna Miller in AFTER MISS JULIE and my personal favorite, SUPERIOR DONUTS, by Tracy Letts, who is the Tony Award winning playwright of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, which opens on January 5 at ASU Gammage.

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.