Tempe, Arizona Arts and Culture Scene Heats up this Fall & Winter with Broadway Across America – Arizona Series and Tempe Festival of the Arts

Tempe, Ariz. September 15, 2006– Visitors to Tempe, Arizona (http://www.tempecvb.com) with plans beyond enjoying the sunshine will not be disappointed when exploring Tempe’s lively arts scene. With nearly non-stop shows and events such as M&I Bank Broadway Across America and exhibitions and festivals like the Tempe Festival of the Arts, Tempe is sure to be the hot spot for arts & cultural enthusiasts. Many hotels located in Tempe, Arizona offer fall special rates, making it easier to stay longer and enjoy more activities.

Tempe, Arizona is home to over 20 free museums on campus at Arizona State University, ranging from contemporary art to science exhibits. Visitors can also discover the rich history of the area around Tempe at the Arizona Historical Society Museum. The Tempe Festival of the Arts, December 1 -3, will fill the streets of the Mill Avenue District with over 450 artisans, live music and entertainment. For a more complete schedule of the exciting entertainment, arts and cultural events coming up in Tempe Arizona, visit Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Web site (http://tempecvb.com/calendar.asp).

The highlight of the arts season will be the M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona series held at ASU Gammage, a striking venue designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Upcoming Arizona Broadway shows include: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Doubt, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, The Light in the Piazza, All Shook Up, Sweet Charity, and Chicago. Dates for each of these shows are as follows:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - September 12-17, 2006
If you don’t want to see this show because it’s one of the funniest, best –performed musicals in years, then see it because money helps pay for our grandmother’s cosmetic surgery. Set on the glorious, glamorous Rivera, M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona is proud to present Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, a delicious comedy that follows two con artists as they take on the lifestyles of the rich and shameless – and end up with a lot more than they bargain for.

Doubt - December 5-10, 2006
DOUBT, Broadway's most honored play, winner of the 2005 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, is coming to Tempe, Arizona. This provocative production, starring Tony Award-winning Best Actress, Cherry Jones, written by John Patrick Shanley (Academy Award-winner for Moonstruck) and directed by Tony Award-winner Doug Hughes, leaves audience members deep in discussion long after the curtain has fallen. This is the first time in over a decade that a show will tour with its original Tony Award winning star. Set against the backdrop of a Catholic school in 1964, Doubt is the story of a strong-minded woman faced with a difficult decision. Should she voice concerns about one of her male colleagues…even if she's not entirely certain of the truth?

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - January 30-February 4, 2007
In the Tony Award-winning new musical comedy, six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.

Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life - March 13-18, 2007
Now direct from Broadway to ASU Gammage in Tempe, Arizona, two-time Tony winner Chita Rivera is coming here in a dazzling musical that celebrates her astonishing career. Written by four-time Tony winner Terrance McNally, directed by Tony nominee Graciela Daniele and featuring a cast of 11, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life charts Chita’s amazing journey from aspiring ballerina to Broadway legend.

The Light in the Piazza - May 15-20, 2007
Direct from Broadway and the winner of six Tony Awards including Best Score, The Light in the Piazza brings together the talents of Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas in an adaptation of Elizabeth Spencer’s novella, directed by Bartlett Sher. This lush, dreamy musical finds Margaret Johnson on vacation in the Tuscan countryside with her daughter Clara, and Clara’s unexpected encounter with a handsome Florentine named Fabrizio. Be swept away from Tempe, Arizona, to Italy, where true love and marriage abound in this contemporary, witty and elegant production.

All Shook Up - June 12-17, 2007
Romance. Rebellion & Rock ‘N’ Roll! Combining all-time favorite Elvis Presley songs with a surefire rock ’n’ roll story. All Shook Up tells the romantic tale of how a young girl’s dream comes true when a guitar-playin’ roustabout rides into a square state and turns the town upside down with his hip-swivilin’, lip-curlin’ and sexy song singin’. Features classics: “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Burning Love”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”

Sweet Charity starring Molly Ringwald - August 7-12, 2007
Sweet Charity offers fun, laughs, good times … and Molly Ringwald. Featuring such hits as “Hey, Big Spender,” “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This” and “If My Friends Could See me Now.”

M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona encore engagements during the 2006-2007 season include:

Chicago the Musical - October 17-22, 2006
It’s Broadway’s most popular musical – a razzle-dazzle tale of sin and celebrity. And now, you can see it LIVE in Tempe, Arizona. The recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy and thousands of standing ovations, Chicago the Musical is the sensation that just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

In its 17th season, M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona presented at ASU Gammage is the largest theatrical subscription series in the state of Arizona and one of the most successful Broadway series in the country. M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona is presented in affiliation with ASU Gammage and Live Nation, Inc. US Airways is the official airline of M&I Bank Broadway Across America – Arizona.

Tickets for the season range in price from $19.75 to $78.50 at ASU Gammage and Ticketmaster. For ticket sales, please call 480.784.4444 or visit (http://www.asugammage.com). ASU Gammage is located on the main campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona at Mill Avenue and Apache Boulevard. For more information on other upcoming events such as the Tempe Festival of the Arts, visit the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau special events calendar page (http://tempecvb.com/calendar.asp).



About Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau is a non-profit organization devoted to marketing Tempe, Arizona as a desirable visitor and group destination site. The Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau’s mission is to also provide visitors, media professionals and meeting planners with information on Tempe hotels, Tempe restaurants, Tempe entertainment, and local points of interest. To learn more about Tempe, Arizona please call 480-894-8158 or visit us at (http://www.tempecvb.com).