Video by Vianka Villa | Multimedia Producer
In the wake of Saturday's treacherous storm, ASU’s most prominent cultural center, the Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, turned 50.
To the mark the occasion, ASU Gammage hosted an open-house community celebration. The event featured engaging activities ranging from food provided by local and corporate vendors to an hour-long documentary about the institution's history.
Various booths on the third floor promenade dispensed treats to all in attendance. Upon entrance, guests received a punch card for the exchange of free food. This was by far the most popular area of the event — families gathered around on the beautiful Sunday morning to reap the benefits of the generous business community support.
While the food and beverages were great, the real emphasis of the event was on Gammage’s role in the community. A documentary, aptly titled "ASU Gammage Connecting Communities for 50 Years," informed attendees about the theater’s heartwarming origin story and 50-year community involvement.
Bred out of an ambitious Frank Lloyd Wright project to build an opera house in Baghdad, Gammage has a movie-esque backstory that sets the stage for what it is today.
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In the '50s, architectural legend Frank Lloyd Wright designed and attempted to build an opera house in Baghdad, according to the documentary. The building would feature an incredibly innovative structure that allowed for vast seating and high-grade acoustics. Due to political factors, however, the project was unable to move forward — until then-ASU President Grady Gammage stepped in to save the day.
Gammage, a longtime supporter of the arts, invited Wright to come take a look at the Southwest corner of campus, where a women’s playing field was located at the time, as a potential spot for his structure. In 1964, the groundbreaking structure was complete. It would host the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy, for its first performance.
ASU Gammage went on to host musical acts such as Johnny Cash and Elton John, various operas and orchestras and nearly every Broadway tour stop.
ASU Gammage has a rich history in the arts, but the documentary’s focus was on its role in the Tempe/Phoenix community. The auditorium offers Camp Broadway, a program for children to learn and experience theater firsthand. The documentary notes how important of a function this is, as many public schools simply cannot afford to maintain such programs on their own.
Further, Gammage goes to great lengths to help out female inmates. The program Journey Home seeks to enable these female inmates to develop creative outlets and to use their creativity constructively to give back to the community in a positive way.
This message of dedication to the community is echoed by Gammage's devoted following, including ASU alumna, event attendee and long-time Memorial Auditorium supporter Debbie Vincent.
"(The theater) is well spoken for the community," Vincent said. "When people think of Gammage, they think of all the community programs it brings.”
Along with the food and documentary, attendees could take a guided tour of the theater and watch live poetry performances, and their children could play in the children’s area. All activities complemented the communal theme, and the event made for an ideal family outing.
Reach the reporter at zjenning@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @humanzane
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