Notes From The Road ... Cast of In The Heights Excited About Tempe Stop

Oh God! Tempe is one of my favorite cities on tour. I have stopped there with shows like CATS and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the theater. It reminded me of a birthday cake in the middle of the desert. The first time I was there, it was VERT HOT. I don’t think I ever felt temperatures that hot. I rented a bike and decided to ride amongst the rocks. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? But the crazy thing is that so much energy was coming from those rocks, I was putting the “pedal to the medal”. I could have biked to Sedona at that rate. LOL
I also like the downtown scene. I usually don’t go out that much but with SUPERSTAR we decided to have a girls night out and we had the best time. I still talk about it.
For those who are maybe undecided about coming to the show, well decide right now. You will get such a pleasure out of the story, the dancing and the music. And for those who have seen me perform before, this will be the first time you’ll see me play a mother. I am still in shock over that. But I am having a blast and I promise you, you will not only have a blast, you will want to go home and call your mother! xoxo Natalie Toro

A Word From Group Sales

Wow- it has been a whirlwind activity in Group Sales this past month! We are busy getting ready to put the new 10-11 season on sale to groups while wrapping up the current season. Disney’s MARY POPPINS was a HUGE success with lots of groups attending and enjoying this wonderful show. From our school groups to our active adult communities, everyone had a great time clapping and singing along to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. Mia Ricardo celebrated her daughter’s 10^th birthday by bringing her daughter and her friends to MARY POPPINS. “The 14 girls that attended LOVED the show! Seeing the show with them and the delight it brought to them just reinforced how important the arts are to our lives! It was truly a magical time! We rented a limo for a true theatre night out on the town, with Red Carpet Limo entry, Apple Cider Toast Post Show and a goody bag with MARY POPPINS goodies! The girls sang and talked about it days after.”

AVENUE Q in March and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in April were huge shows for groups as well- most ordering discount tickets online through their employer. ASU Gammage has a great program called EventUsher that allows individuals to order discount tickets to all our Broadway shows. The program is offered through many Valley employers or associations- would you like to know if you qualify?? Just call me!

EventUsher is password generated so employees log on with the password created especially for them. Linda Bird who works for Scottsdale Healthcare loves using EventUsher, “I wanted to Thank YOU for reserving such GREAT seats for the “JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR” performance yesterday! We absolutely LOVED it! Got tears in my eyes several times from being so close and being able to see the expressions on their faces as they performed! Thank You Once Again!!!” If you think your employer might be interested in offering this benefit, please contact me and I will send them all the details.

Two different non profits used group tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar to fundraise for their organizations. St Francis Community and Area Agency on Aging have successfully raised funds for their causes through the sale of tickets. We were able to offer these groups deeper discounts which allowed them to maximize their efforts.

The 10-11 season shows will go on sale Monday, April 26 - and remember….groups of 15 or more can order tickets for the new season before the general public. We have lots of fantastic shows coming next season including YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, HAIR, SHREK THE MUSICAL, BILLY ELLIOT and more! Check out the full listing on our website: http://www.asugammage.com/shows/season-preview

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.