Corporate Support

Peter Means, ASU Gammage Director of Development

Corporations play a critical philanthropic role in the communities where they do business, especially where their presence is strong. For many corporations, it is a gesture of appreciation to the community members, cities and towns that support their businesses. It is also an investment in the places where corporations’ employees live, work, go to school and enjoy social and cultural experiences. When times are tough economically, however, corporations often have to reduce or eliminate corporate giving because their first duty is to the shareholder. At ASU Gammage, we have been very fortunate to have continued support from caring corporate partners throughout the economic downturn.

Here are just a few examples of how gifts from US Airways, Arizona Lottery, Scottsdale Insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, APS and Target helped ASU Gammage brighten lives and enhance education in Arizona during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

- 3,418 K-12 students attended performances at ASU Gammage’s Scottsdale Insurance/Nationwide Foundation Performances for Students Series. Students either paid a $3 fee to attend the performance or were admitted free based on need. Attendance was up 66 percent over FY09 due to a new bus scholarship program funded by Scottsdale Insurance/Nationwide Foundation.

- 800 students and 45 teachers from the Peoria Unified School District: Desert Harbor Elementary School took part in Arts Leading Learning Model – an adapted arts integration model based on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA), in partnership with ASU Gammage.

- 198 students, 9 teachers and 2 administrators at Foothills Elementary School in the Peoria Unified School district took part for the first time in the Arts Leading Learning Model project.

- 91 K-12 teachers attended 4 Kennedy Center Professional Development Workshops learning how to incorporate the arts across the curriculum. The workshops were hosted by ASU Gammage in our partner school districts, Peoria Unified School District and Mesa Public Schools, but were open to all teachers regardless of district affiliation.

- 575 students participated in artist residency activities with international artists Nora Chipaumire, Thomas Mapfumo, Kristina Wong and Keo Woolford. An additional 1,750 students and community members attended performances by these artists at a small or no cost.

- 400 Broadway show tickets were given through the Military Family Ticket Fund to spouses and children of Arizona’s deployed military and recently returning military from Arizona’s National Guard and Army Reserves.

- 121 K-12 students from Crossroads Focus School in Mesa, Raymond S. Kellis High School in Glendale, Tumbleweed Transitional in Phoenix and the Learning Foundation and Performing Arts School in Gilbert took part in School to Work programs. The School to Work program provides students with unique insight into some of the careers available in an arts presenting organization like ASU Gammage through a three hour interactive workshop at ASU Gammage.

- 85 fifth grade students and teachers from Jefferson Elementary in Mesa took part in the Kaleidoscope Program. The students spent two months participating in a wide array of projects relating to the Broadway show, MARY POPPINS, 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. The program culminated in attending a performance of MARY POPPINS at ASU Gammage - for many this was the first time they had ever attended a live performance – and a dinner reception with the MARY POPPINS cast.

- ASU Gammage provided $42,000 in full and partial scholarships for 20 students to attend Camp Broadway, a performing arts summer camp that allows campers to work collaboratively with Broadway performers, directors, musicians and choreographers.

- 75 youth and mentors from Phoenix Youth at Risk participated in the Art of Me Workshops; a series of visual and performing arts workshops that inspire self-esteem and confidence in participating youth.

- 25 women took part in Journey Home. Presented by ASU Gammage at Estrella Jail each year, Journey Home is an arts residency program designed to enable incarcerated women to discover a sense of their identity through performance, visual arts, creative writing and storytelling. The program has proven to reduce recidivism by 60 percent.

- Thousands of ASU Students, local k-12 students and community members participated in ASU Gammage Free Public Educational Activities including open rehearsals, backstage tours, , post-performance talk backs with the casts and crews from the ASU Gammage Broadway and BEYOND performances and free performances.

- Thousands of students received half-price tickets on day of show for all Broadway Series performances and $10 tickets for BEYOND series performances and took part in master classes with national Broadway touring artists.

- Hundreds of ASU students participated in Campus Connections at ASU Gammage events including the Broadway Buzz and Open Mic Nights.

- 26 free morning concerts at the Kerr Cultural Center. 6,500 total attendance.

New Partnerships

ASU Gammage has forged a new partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization which directly helps thousands of refugees from around the world who have been uprooted from their homes and have settled in the Phoenix area. ASU Gammage invited refugee youth to participate in interactive dance workshops with ASU Gammage BEYOND artists Nora Chipaumire and Keo Woolford, and provided complimentary tickets for youth and families to attend BEYOND performances. 63 youth participated in workshops. Additionally, ASU Gammage was excited to provide full scholarships for two refugee youth to participate in Camp Broadway.

Thank you to ASU Gammage’s wonderful corporate partners. Together, we make a big difference!

Camping Out at ASU by Bill Ahearn

What a magical way to spend the week. Camp Broadway is underway! 75 Arizona theater-loving students, ages 10 - 17, are spending these five days learning about singing, dancing and acting ... and gaining self-esteem and life skills that will benefit them no matter where the future takes them.

As a long-time ASU Gammage patron and supporter of programs for our youth, I’m helping out by taking pictures of their classes. In reality, that’s just an excuse for me to sit in on the theater tips being given by the staff, all Broadway professionals. And that’s not all, for the student’s week is not all work. They will attend the Broadway show IN THE HEIGHTS which is currently playing at ASU Gammage. To top off the experience, they will also get a backstage tour and lunch and a question-and-answer period with members of the cast and crew!

Their classes and rehearsals culminate in their “Family Finale” on Friday afternoon. The younger students present a shortened version of “Guys and Dolls,” the older kids, “Fiddler on the Roof.” In keeping with Camp Broadway’s philosophy that “every child is a star,” all have the opportunity to have some dialog or a solo in a song. Of course, the show has to end with a big Broadway spectacular, with all 75 in the concluding production number.

If that doesn’t seem busy enough, they spend time daily in small groups to write and choreograph a skit. They mix the plots of two Broadway musicals, adapt the words of several of the shows’ songs, practice, and hit the stage Friday with their new show. Imagine combining “Hairspray” with “Little Shop of Horrors” and you’ll have an idea of how zany their creativity can be.

Camp Broadway is Broadway’s original summer theater camp. ASU Gammage is proud to have been the first to bring the program on the road 10 years ago. ASU Gammage thanks the many patrons and companies whose support has made this opportunity available to our students.