ASU Gammage Executive Director Colleen Jennings-Roggensack on Racism, Diversity, and the Pandemic's Impact on the Performing Arts

Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, executive director of Gammage Auditorium and vice president of Cultural Affairs at ASU, recently chatted with Steve Goldstein of KJZZ. She discussed the pandemic's impact on performing arts, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, and more.

"We have COVID-19 as a pandemic, and we have racism as a pandemic. We will find a vaccine for COVID-19. We are the vaccine for racism. And it's, it's up to us to make that happen," she said.

Jennings-Roggensack talked about the importance of empowering young Black artists, as they are the next generation who will rise up through the ranks.

"One of the commitments we on the Broadway League board of directors are making is that we will also be mentors to young people," she said. "If our eyes are focused on a different prize of young people of color, then we will see that relationship build and we will see people come up through the ranks."

Read the full interview on KJZZ.

Phoenix Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. TOOTSIE (Arizona Broadway Theatre)

21.8% of votes

2. ANASTASIA: THE MUSICAL (Don Bluth Front Row Theatre)

8% of votes

3. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Starlight Community Theater)

6.9% of votes

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