Message from 9 To 5 Cast Member!!!

Hey ASU Gammage!

One of my favorite tour spots has got to be Tempe! And lucky me... it has been a stop on every tour I have done (High School Musical, Legally Blonde, and now 9 to 5). 3 words: SOUTH MILL AVENUE!!! Great shopping, great food, and night life all in walking distance from the hotel/theatre! One of the first things I will do is go have a meal at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant! And then follow up with some shopping at Papaya: great clothes for great prices!!

I also love that Tempe loves musical theatre!! There’s always a huge crowd waiting for the actors at the end of the show. It gets us excited! The audiences are always fantastic, the crew are top notch, and I always feel safe with the friendly security guards at the stage door. And Being from California, I always appreciate the warm weather! I’m thrilled to go back soon.

See you guys soon!!!

Ashley Moniz (Candy Striper/Ensemble, u/s Doralee, u/s Judy, u/s Maria)

Note From Spring Awakening Cast Member Emily Mest

Hey Tempe! Emily Mest here! Currently playing Thea on the National Tour of Spring Awakening! Ahhhh! This is so amazing! Sitting on the bus after a great show in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our opening night for the second leg of the tour couldn't have gone any better. I am very tired but how could anyone be unhappy when surrounded by the beautiful snow topped mountains bordering the city and the lovely company of my hilarious cast. On tour, Target, Walgreens and Buffalo Wild Wings are the three places you love to see in a city because you'll be likely spending a lot of time there. It's also a good idea to prepare for tour to purchase an egg crate to sleep on top of on the bus floor. Not so glamorous huh? But, so completely rock star.


It's great to have Michael Linden on tour with us because he is a food connoisseur and restaurant snob so he always finds the best places to eat and I cannot wait to come to Tempe! I'm sure you have some great food, any suggestions?! I have never been to Arizona and love dry warm weather so I feel like Tempe might be my place! Actually, the entire cast can't wait! Being in Spring Awakening is a dream come true and this cast and crew is super close. I’m walking into the hotel now about to collapse on my bed and sleep like a baby. But I do so knowing that I am so lucky to be showing the world a beautiful and touching show, Spring Awakening, and that I will never forget this experience. Hope to see you soon!

- Emily

Hello from the cast of Spring Awakening!

What's up Arizona State??? This is Jim Hogan, I play Georg in the National Tour of Spring Awakening which will be visiting ASU Gammage January 27-28 and I couldn't be more excited about it. I went to Penn State University last year so I love touring through big schools - it feels like home!

So, here's what's up with Spring Awakening. We just arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, a few days ago and rehearsed all day yesterday to prepare for our first show in seven weeks. That's right, after teching and touring for three months, we were lucky enough to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years at home with our families. How awesome is that? But now we're back on the job performing and doing the show we love. We open tonight at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake with an 8pm performance after a 2pm dress rehearsal.

Let me give away a little secret here - putting on a show in high altitude in a cold climate with bad air quality is one of the hardest things I've had to do. I completely lost my voice for a little bit yesterday - that was rough. Not to worry, though, because once we put on our costumes, grab our handheld mics and hit that stage, nothing is going to stop us from putting on a production with the highest energy you've ever seen. Which is why we're so excited to bring it to Tempe! Also, it doesn't hurt that after spending 5 days in 20 degree weather, your high for the day is 75 degrees... in January??? Oh yea, this is going to be a good stop.

All right, so, before I go eat something so that I don't pass out today let me just tell you - If you have not seen Spring Awakening: RUN, don't walk, to get your tickets. This is not just your average musical - it's a groundbreaking rock concert at heart topped with incredible choreography and a beautiful story that everyone can relate to. If you have already seen Spring Awakening, I know you've already purchased your tickets so I can't wait to give this story to you with this new cast!

See you in two weeks!
Jim Hogan

Message from Cynthia Elek, Kennedy Center Teaching Artist

Happy New Year to teachers, staff and students in the extended ASU community!

A new year brings resolutions to do things better, smarter, faster – to find new challenges and get new ideas.

ASU Gammage offers workshops for teachers through its Kennedy Center partner school districts, and I’m honored to be presenting not once but twice – in Mesa on Tuesday January 25 and in Peoria on Tuesday February 8. My workshop is called “The Power of Chant: Building Oral Fluency and Reading Comprehension.”

As a trained singer, I love words and music and art and drama, and what better way to bring them all together in the classroom than by using the incredible treasure trove offered by picture books? Take a look at the contemporary picture book genre, with illustrations that mix photos and paintings, cartoons and watercolor and text that leaps off the page in a mix of sizes and typefaces. And the words! Rhythms and rhymes, vocabulary and word play get students’ feet tapping and bodies moving. Picture books target every age, every grade level and every subject – from literature and social studies to science and mathematics.

“Chant” is what I call these inventive rhythmic book texts, and in my workshops I lead my participants through the steps of performing chant in the classroom. We brainstorm in large groups and small groups and with partners. We ask questions and discuss the process. We apply what we’ve learned to new books and share our discoveries through performance. We also try our hand at making up our own chants to explore topics that may not be available in picture books.

Teachers who have been through workshops in the past have commented on how accessible the process is. They can go back to their classrooms the next day and immediately apply what they’ve learned with confidence! They also value the book resources. Some of their comments follow:

“The literature was fantastic. It wasn’t too familiar. It was vivid, colorful, and grade appropriate (and easily differentiated).”

“Using language, musicality, and movement together to reinforce reading and vocabulary is genius.”

“Cynthia challenged me to think differently about books and the words and characters in books.”

If you’re feeling adventurous and want a challenge, check out Chant - space is still available for the Mesa workshop on January 25. Hope to see you there!

– Cynthia Elek, Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and Workshop Presenter

Workshop registration form: http://www.asugammage.com/pdf/professional-development-for-teachers/Prof-Development-Workshops-10-11-Reg-Form.pdf