RETURNING TO ASU GAMMAGE

I last played ASU Gammage about 15 years ago, and I can't wait to return! I have fond memories of the theatre & the beautiful people of Tempe. You see I played Gaston in the National tour of Disney's BEAUTY and the BEAST. It was a fantastic production that I loved being a part of. During our stay there in Tempe , my wife and I discovered that we were expecting TWIN BOYS, and it threw our lives into a wild party! The cast was behind us, the Disney company was behind us and we felt such support from our new Tempe friends as well.
What could have been a scary part of our working actor lives ended-up being quite amazing and bright !

It's now years later and I'm returning again to the great ASU Gammage. My sons are healthy and both freshmen in highschool. THANKfully they have no interest in the theatre. As much as I relish my life & career onstage ... I would HATE to drag a family member into this crazy world! You have to be a bit nutz to do what we do, day-to-day, year-to-year. Auditions, classes, union meetings, shrinking paychecks, changing rules, It's NOT the theatrelife of 15 to 20 years ago.

But , Tempe will love WHITE CHRISTMAS! I just know it! We have a top-notch cast, and this show is PERFECT to put anyone into a great holiday spirit! I've been looking forward to this production all season long. And the only 'negative' part is… it only lasts as long as the holiday season. Fans of the movie will be thrilled with the show, and fans of the songs will leave Gammage humming and trying a few tap steps ,mark my words !
When you watch me in the show, you'll see how much FUN I'm having, and that's with just a small role.

Put all of us together and you have one BIG Christmas party!! Please enjoy!

Tony Lawson

ASU GAMMAGE PRESENTS ITS 2011 SCHOOL TO WORK PROGRAM

As a graduating senior, it was a pleasure to get to experience what a working professional does day-to-day in the performing arts. When we arrived, we did not know what to expect for our day, but we were welcomed and treated with kindness and respect. We were given assigned groups and worked closely with each other as well as with the other groups to determine the best practices for bringing Blue Man Group to ASU Gammage. We made executive decisions within our teams and then connected with other groups to determine how to solve problems which affected all of us. It was a wonderful experience and one which will help me form my own decisions as I begin my college application process. Thank you for giving us this opportunity and helping us to discover our own passion.

Sincerely,
Omar Mohamed
12th Grade
Sonoran Science Academy

Nearly 40 students from Phoenix’s Sonoran Science Academy and Arizona School for the Arts took part in the “School to Work” program.

Since its inception 17 years ago, School to Work has been an interactive workshop that highlights potential career choices in arts administration. During the workshop, students interact with ASU Gammage employees and learn what it takes to run one of the top arts presenting theaters in the United States.
“I am proud to open our doors to these students; this could have a lasting effect on what career choices they make in the future,” says Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, ASU Gammage executive director.
The students were assigned a job in an ASU Gammage department such as the box office, marketing, cultural participation, accounting and technical production. They were tasked with working together as a staff to execute projects and solve problems. At the end of the workshop each department presented a final report of the work they performed within their departments.

Students also got an exclusive backstage tour with the company manager of BLUE MAN GROUP, which performed at ASU Gammage November 1-6.

Q&A with Bhurin Sead from the Blue Man Group


Q: Tell us why you are excited the Blue Man Group is stopping in Tempe.
A: I'm definitely excited about our time here in Tempe. It’s a nice treat to be performing at universities. There's always a great energy and buzz in the city that carries over into the shows.

Q: Besides performing will you have time to explore Tempe/AZ? If so, what do you plan on doing?
A: We usually have our mornings and afternoons free, so there will definitely be lots of biking, running and exploring. It’s great that Tempe has bike lanes available, makes exploring easier. I like to seek out local restaurants and farmers markets in my time off. I feel like you can grasp a lot of a city's culture through their food.

Q: Have you ever performed at ASU Gammage in the past?
A: I've never performed at Gammage before. We just did our first show last night and it's a beautiful space. The crowd really enjoyed themselves.

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a part of Blue Man Group?
A: My favorite part of being part of Blue Man Group is the opportunity to be creative on a daily basis. Being a character that doesn't speak challenges us to think of new ways to stay engaged while telling a clear story, whether it's through the music or moments of stillness. We're constantly on our toes and reacting to the moment which allows us to live in it each night.

Local Children to Perform in Iconic Macy's Parade

CAMP BROADWAY®

Announces Local Cast Members to Perform in the 85th Anniversary Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® alongside the first-ever ZhuZhu Pets® float

Following five weeks of national auditions, CAMP BROADWAY®, the award-winning theater arts education company has announced its cast of 132 theatre-loving kids, ages 12-16, to perform in the 85th Anniversary Macy‟s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. 14 of these talented cast members hail from Tempe, AZ and will appear on the ZhuZhu Pets® Zhu-niverse float and perform an original song on the national broadcast of on Thanksgiving morning, November 24..

Under the direction of CAMP BROADWAY‟s Artistic Director Tony Parise (Broadway credits include Me and My Girl and 42nd Street), the cast has been selected from a nation-wide pool of over 1,000 auditionees to perform original number There’s No Place Like HereTM, a song featured in 3D animated direct to DVD movie “Quest for ZhuTM.” “Camp Broadway seems to be drawing more and more talented kids,” said Parise, who is now in his 15th year with CAMP BROADWAY. “The auditions this year were a pleasure because of that, but made it much more difficult to pick only 132 performers.”

CAMP BROADWAY has created a special one-week program leading up to the parade performance, including a series of Broadway workshops, classes and rehearsals to prepare participants for the nationally televised performance. Continues Parise, “this program is the „real deal.‟ We will be preparing for a nationally televised event, so there will be much expected of the cast.”

Camp Broadway Cast Members from the area include the following:.

Tristan Blick, Paradise Valley AZ, 12

Jonah Carlson, Mesa, AZ, 13

Zoe Feinstein, Paradise Valley, AZ, 13

Michael Francis, Mesa, AZ, 12

Ruby Meza, Phoenix, 16

Destinee Nolan, Yuma, AZ, 12

Sabrina Parsons, Phoenix,AZ,15

Elias Sabbagh, Scottsdale, AZ, 12

Anna Sera, Scottsdale, AZ, 12

Hannah Sierpina, Scottsdale, AZ, 13

Max Stein, Scottsdale, AZ,13

Sari Stein, Scottsdale, AZ, 15

Alex Trumble, Phoenix, AZ, 15

Abigail White, Yuma, AZ, 12

Founded in 1995, CAMP BROADWAY® is Broadway‟s Original Summer Program for theatre-loving kids. Since then, Camp Broadway LLC has worked at the intersection of entertainment and education to become the industry leader in theatre arts youth programming, special events and educational publishing. The company serves the Broadway industry by being an authorized channel for families, schools and social organizations who believe in the essential value of the arts as a means of life-long learning. Proclaimed “The Camp of Dreams” by Live Magazine, Camp Broadway has hosted nearly 20,000 children from all 50 states and dozens of countries at its annual summer programs leading with its flagship programming New York City, as well as cities such as Atlanta, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Providence, Tempe, and elsewhere in America. Camp Broadway has also been featured regularly on the Macy‟s Thanksgiving Day Parade® telecast; performed with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall; and appeared in Broadway on Broadway®, an annual free concert in Times Square.

Camp Broadway has worked collaboratively with dozens of Broadway productions, estates and authors to develop and present interactive workshops that have enabled over 350,000 school children to attend Broadway shows. Since 2000, Camp Broadway LLC

has been the publisher of StageNotes®: A Field Guide for Teachers, a National Core Standards of Education compliant study guide series that features approved curriculum for dozens of Broadway shows, from classic musicals such as 42nd Street and Kiss Me Kate to contemporary works including Wicked, Legally Blonde, In The Heights, Billy Elliot: The Musical and The Addams Family. In 2002, Camp Broadway received the Educational Theatre Association‟s Standing Ovation Award for Leadership in Education.

Camp Broadway has served many corporate clients by creating and managing a wide variety of education-based programs including: The Pride Rock Project for Disney Theatrical Productions, Stages for Learning for Dodger Theatrical Productions, On With the Show for Bravo Television Network, Adventure Ocean for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Accentuate The Positive for The Johnny Mercer Foundation, The Getting To Know… series for The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, Future Stages for Fidelity Investments and No Snap Judgments for The Addams Family.