Claire Brownell on tour with The 39 Steps

I’ve never been to Arizona before. I can’t wait to get there. With each new city we visit I start looking for interesting and exciting daytime activities a few weeks in advance. There is so much to look forward to: We’ll be playing the historic ASU Gammage – a grand challenge and an honor. We will be in the state of the Grand Canyon, Red Rocks and everything Arizona has to offer naturally – adventures and cacti abound. I’ve already gathered restaurant recommendations (My Florist in particular.) Lord knows I can’t wait to be in the sun for a few days in a row.

Tempe is especially exciting for this reason: Campus in Springtime. There’s something about being on a university campus in the spring that inspires a refreshing drive to learn something new, go outside and read in a park or have a lively discussion about the intersections of art and politics.

I love and have always loved school – and as much as I adore my chosen career and life beyond college, nothing turns on the faucet of nostalgia like dorms, ultimate Frisbee and part-time employment at the nearest coffee shop. The most lasting and important friendships of my life (with exceptions of course) were forged in college(s)…It took a while to figure out in what field and where I would graduate. My list of positive associations with college and graduate school is long, and it was my time at Carroll College and ACT that lead me to a career in acting.

Some of the riskiest and most thrilling theater comes to life on university stages. Plays are approached with limited budgets and unlimited creativity. Students come to shows, as actors and audience members, full of enthusiasm and with a palpable willingness to engage with what is happening on stage. The spirit of our show The 39 Steps is alive with that same energy. It is a joy to perform and I love seeing people laugh out loud each night no matter what city we are playing. On a related note, I saw that Nilaja Sun’s No Child is playing in Phoenix – if you have a chance to see this show SEE IT. I saw her perform at the Barrow Street Theater in New York, and the woman is brilliant. See? Another great thing happening while I’m in town. There’s so much to do.

I don’t know if I’ll have enough time to explore Tempe and Phoenix as much as it is due. We are only in town for a week, but if I spend a good chunk of my time under a tree on a groomed ASU lawn, you’ll know I’m truly happy.

Mara Jill Herman makes her National Tour debut in Jesus Christ Superstar

Making my National Tour debut with Jesus Christ Superstar has given me tremendous opportunity to travel, seeing most states for the very first time while fulfilling a life-long dream. As a native metropolitan New Yorker, I thrive in the hustle and bustle of a big city but appreciate the time-out to connect with the beauty of our land. The awe-inspiring mountains, plateaus and national forests were not a part of my childhood, so I am truly excited to be in Arizona, particularly Tempe, for a week.

The company has been on the road for four months and we’ve traveled to over 80 cities! Being in this warm climate is like a vacation! Musical Theatre, a tan and a pay check? How lucky can a girl get?!

Driving from Riverside, CA to Tempe, I had fond memories of my first west coast experience. In 2005, I spent four glorious months at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah. The scenic drive was reminiscent of reciting Shakespeare among the Red Rocks.

One of my favorite things about touring the country has been to reconnect with friends and family in each city. In Tempe, I look forward to exploring with Elyse, my college friend and native Arizonian.

It’s also so exciting to visit America’s college campuses and to feel the campus frenzy anew. When I was a 17 year old freshman at the University of Cincinnati, CCM, I saw the National Tour of Urinetown at the Aronoff Center. What luck that my tour played the Aronoff in February and that my life came full circle in this venue! Never in my naive freshman mind did it occur to me that I might be ON THAT STAGE one day.

I'm so grateful for this tour, for the Tempe sun, and the warmth of the Arizona audiences from April 6 through April 11th. See you at the show!

Written by Mara Jill Herman

Disciple Girl, Soul Sister u/s in Jesus Christ Superstar

Journey Home

Something magical is happening at Maricopa County Sherriff Office’s Estrella Jail in Phoenix; 22 women are digging deep and fine-tuning themselves in the Journey Home (JH) Program. From Ms. Brown and her down home wisdom straight across to the three Michelle's making sure that each one "gets it", the women on the inside are bringing something powerful to Estrella.

There are life defining moments as Imani from the JH team, speaks archetypal wisdom to their souls. They move in joy, grace and unity with JH teammate, Teniqua as they choreograph their final show; and they share their stories through their writings as I help them uncover their higher self. This is our 8th year doing the Journey Home program at Estrella and each year we learn something new from our sisters behind the wall.

Journey Home: an Arts Experience for Incarerated Women was initiated by ASU Gammage through the inspiration of Pat Graney's Keeping the Faith Program out of Seattle, Washington.

The program consists of creative writing, movement, storytelling, theater and visual arts that culminate in a final performance by the women to an invitation only audience. An anthology of their writings is produced as well as an exhibit of their visual arts projects.

The Journey Home team works with a core group of about 30 incarcerated women from all racial and socio-economic backgrounds. Three professional artists (a writer/storyteller, a dramatist/movement specialist, and a visual artist), instruct six weekly workshops. Workshops are designed to (a) help participants embrace change in order to shift their personal paradigm; and (b) provide a positive life-affirming environment in which inmates are encouraged to explore options that help to eliminate unhealthy patterns that lead to the revolving door of the penal system. The women learn how to stand outside the emotional self, take control of debilitating fears, and discover their higher self. It's a wonderful thing for all of us.

Thank you Arizona State University for another year of support because through you, the Journey Home team is blessed to meet another group of remarkable women. Visit blueprintforwomanhood.com for more information on Journey Home and other Life Paradigms, Inc. programs.

Fatimah Halim

Program Coordinator

Keo Has Arrived!

ASU Gammage welcomes Native Hawaiian artist Keo Woolford as an Artist in Residence this week! Keo will have a busy week working with ASU Gammage out in the community and on the ASU campus, and performing his autobiographical, solo show I Land at ASU Gammage on Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m.

I Land weaves together Hula, Hip-Hop and Hawaiian talk story and spoken word and takes the audience on Keo’s funny and poignant journey to understanding his Hawaiian heritage and his own unique cultural identity. We follow Keo through high school days as a teenage football star, his brush with pop stardom as a singer in a popular Hawaiian boy band that toured with Christina Aguilera, to the discovery of his Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero and the sacred art of hula. In I Land, Keo not only tells his personal story, but breaks through the stereotypes associated with Hula and speaks out about the marginalization of Hawaiian culture and the sacred rituals of Hula. Immediately following the performance Keo will participate in a talkback with the audience. This powerful show is not to be missed!

During the week Keo will be leading Hula workshops for the community, working on campus with the ASU School of Dance and Asian Pacific Islander Studies program, teaching a movement class with refugee youth from the International Rescue Committee and performing an adapted version of I Land for more than 1,000 fifth to eighth grade students as part of the Scottsdale Insurance/Nationwide Foundation Performances for Students series at ASU Gammage. Click here if you are interested in participating in one of Keo’s free Hula workshops.

For a sneak peek at I Land, check out the FREE Open Rehearsal on Friday, March 26 at ASU Gammage from 12 -1 pm. Keep in mind that no parking is available at ASU Gammage at that time, so please plan accordingly.

Kristen Markus
Cultural Participation Manager