News From The Road ...Ave Q Company Manager Kate Egan

There are a few venues around the country that could be considered among the legends, and all for different reasons, whether it’s their design, their history or for specific events in the annals of American entertainment – The Hollywood Bowl, the Colonial in Boston, the Fox Theatres in St. Louis and Atlanta, Madison Square Garden ... ASU Gammage in Tempe is among those legends.

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and referred to by road crews generally as "the upside down wedding cake", it's one of those buildings that a career in the arts just isn't complete until you've played. I’ve been at this for a while now, and I still get cross-eyed looks from other road managers when I say that I've never played ASU Gammage. We're rolling in this week with AVENUE Q, and I can't wait. I'm finally playing Gammage!

I've had degrees of knowing I'd successfully landed a career in show business - my first settlement on the promoting side was a Tina Turner engagement in 1997, which was a nice moment, and I’ve had a few others over the years where I’ve met my heroes or held company meetings in front of the stages where rock and roll, classical and Broadway stars have brought audiences screaming to their feet. It’s always exciting to get to play these incredible spaces, and Gammage is high on my list of to-play venues and “I’ve arrived” moments.

It’s been three years since I’ve been to the Tempe area. I worked as a promoter rep for a good while and spent about six weeks a year in the area between Broadway engagements at the Orpheum in Phoenix and the Mesa Arts Center. There are fond memories of my time in the desert and the envious phone calls from those enduring harsh winters as I basked in 70 degree Januaries. As I would drive the length of Apache Boulevard and pass Gammage, or sit in the audience at Gammage for other shows, I knew there would be a day that I would eventually be able to play this legendary venue. And that day has finally arrived!

I can’t wait to return to the area. I made a lot of friends over my time there, and miss my favorite nightspots. There will be dinner at Trader Vic’s in Scottsdale and lunch at the Arizona Biltmore. There will be late nights at Alice Cooperstown in Phoenix, and I’m sure late nights in new Tempe Marketplace. But best of all, there will be the opportunity to stand on the stage and look out over those 3017 seats, knowing that my return to the area has me in the place I dreamed of playing.

Kaleidoscope at ASU Gammage

On Feburary 27, ASU Gammage was delighted to host our annual Kaleidoscope program for 85 fifth grade students and teachers from Jefferson Elementary in Mesa. Each year ASU Gammage partners with the ASU Office of Youth Preparation to introduce students to live theater through Kaleidoscope, an eight-week curriculum based program.

Prior to attending a performance at ASU Gammage, students participate in an in-depth unit of lessons and activities that explore the historical and sociological aspects of the show. The Kaleidoscope program recognizes the power of the theatre as a springboard to learning, and reaches out to underserved students to provide an opportunity to experience live theater in a very unique and meaningful way.

Jefferson Elementary students spent the last two months immersed in the magical world of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, participating in a wide array of projects including reading the original P.L. Travers book, creating character poetry, exploring class and status in Edwardian England, and journeying into the imaginary worlds of their own artwork through creative writing projects. Through Mary Poppins the students also learned wonderful life lessons such as: the importance of family; the value of helping others; using their imagination to see the magical in the world around them and that no matter what challenges they might face, if they believe in themselves – anything can happen.

The students arrived at Gammage on Saturday dressed up, excited and ready for their special day. For many this was the first time they had ever attended a live performance. After seeing the spectacular show, students were treated to a dinner reception on the ASU Gammage Promenade with members of the MARY POPPINS cast. One of the highlights of the evening was the chance for students to hear from the cast members. They happily shared their unique experiences as professional performers, provided encouragement for the students to follow their dreams and reminded the students how important education is to their futures. It was truly a magical day!

MARY POPPINS is now in the next city, but she is sure to remain as a very special memory for the 5th grade students and teachers from Jefferson Elementary.

Greetings from Jacqueline Grabois starring in AVENUE Q

No words can describe how pumped I am to be performing at ASU Gammage this March! I didn't grow up completely in Arizona but I was there from middle school at Cocopah through high school at Chaparral. The most exciting part is that my friends from high school/middle school are able to come cheer me on!

I remember seeing shows at Gammage such as RENT and other Broadway National Tours that came through; now it’s my turn!
It’s gonna be nice to be able to stay in my old room for that week. See friends, family, go hiking! I am looking forward to this week in Tempe!
I just spoke to my high school drama teacher Debbie Carrick, she is gonna come see the show, which is kinda awesome that things are coming to a full circle! My mom has like 25 people coming on Friday night. I love her and she supports me and my career and it’s such a blessing to have that support in my life!

While I'm in Arizona, I will be stocking up on Trader Joe's, hiking, hanging with my mama, my sis and pa, and of course my awesome friends!

AVENUE Q has been such an awesome ride and I can’t wait to share it with everyone I know! Don't forget to get your tickets to see the show March 9-14 at ASU Gammage. You will laugh your tush off!

Poetry In Motion

I spent last week with an amazing teaching artist, dancer and choreographer Randy Barron. Randy is in town working with ASU Gammage, Peoria Unified School District and Mesa Public Schools through the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program. Since 1995, ASU Gammage has been a part of the Partners in Education Program. This program nurtures partnerships between arts centers and school districts across the country, providing professional development experiences promoting arts integration for teachers with highly trained teaching artists.

During the week Randy Barron has worked with teachers from Peoria and Mesa sharing his strategies for integrating movement with poetry to create powerful learning experiences for students. Randy taught two three hour professional development workshops providing hands on experience for the teachers, and additionally modeled his teaching strategies in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classroom at Foothills Elementary School in the Peoria Unified School District. The Peoria Unified School District is also home to Desert Harbor Elementary, a pioneering arts integration school that began school wide arts integration in partnership with ASU Gammage creating the Arts Leading Learning Model (ALLM).

Randy’s work in the classroom was truly exhiliarating. Randy quickly gets the students off their feet leading creative movement exercises having students express verbs, adjectives and nouns through movement. The students are stretching their minds and their bodies and soon begin to choreograph short phrases, then move to whole poems. Energy fills the air as the students break into small groups reading a poem then quickly begin to work on the group choreography; planning, problem solving, cooperating and creating. The words of the poem fly off the paper and emerge in their dances as the flowing movement of water, the fiery sun, or soaring eagles.

It is easy to see the power of arts integration in the excitement and energy of the students, but also in the reaction of teachers who see the potential for this captivating work and the way that it reaches their students. Teachers observed that movement opens their students’ minds to greater possibilities with writing and visualization, and expressed their excitement in watching students gain confidence, engage in higher level thinking and enjoy active, engaged and meaningful learning experiences. Students and teachers are already thinking of ways that they will continue to use movement in their classrooms from poetry to science to social studies! I can’t wait to see where they will go next!

Kristen Markus
Cultural Participation Manager

New Cast From MARY POPPINS Celebrate At Opening Night Party

After a magical opening night performance at ASU Gammage in Tempe on Friday, February 12, cast and crew members from the North American Tour of MARY POPPINS celebrated at a party hosted by California Pizza Kitchen at Tempe Marketplace.

Debuting in the performance that evening were new cast members, Caroline Sheen (Mary Poppins) along with Rachel Izen (Mrs. Brill), Laird Mackintosh (George Banks), Dennis Moench (Robertson Ay) and Blythe Wilson (Winifred Banks).

To commemorate the occasion celebrity cake designer, Adina Schaefer, created an ornate and one-of-kind cake featuring signature elements from MARY POPPINS, including the London skyline, kites and of course, an umbrella. Schaefer, a renowned Arizona baker and Cake Designer at The Ritz Carlton in Phoenix, recently was the winner of the Food Network Challenge, “Cereal Bridges 2.”

PHOTO CAPTION, Pictured Left to Right:
Caroline Sheen (Mary Poppins), Blythe Wilson (Winifred Banks), Laird Mackintosh (George Banks), Dennis Moench (Robertson Ay), Rachel Izen (Mrs. Brill) and Adina Schaefer (Cake Designer) at the opening night party at California Pizza Kitchen in Tempe, AZ.
Mary Poppins photo courtesy of Disney Theatrical Productions.