Inside the Tony Awards Weekend with ASU Gammage's Colleen Jennings-Roggensack
For most theater fans, the Tony Awards are a three-hour television broadcast. For Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Executive Director of ASU Gammage and ASU Vice President for Cultural Affairs and Arizona’s only Tony Award voter, Broadway's biggest night is the culmination of months of preparation, decades of relationships and a lifelong love of the theater.
When the curtain rises on the Tony Awards each June, audiences around the world see the glamour, the performances and the acceptance speeches. But for Jennings-Roggensack, the experience extends far beyond the televised ceremony.
"It is as glamorous and as amazing as you think it is, but at its heart, the experience is so much more than celebrity sightings at an awards show" Jennings-Roggensack said.
From early morning preparations and red-carpet appearances to late-night celebrations and meaningful reunions with artists and producers, Tony Awards weekend is a whirlwind unlike any other. Tony day itself begins at 6 a.m. for Jennings-Roggensack, but the Tonys extend further than just one day–something most people don’t realize. There is a full schedule of events filling the days leading up to the ceremony, with carefully planned logistics. From picking up her gown and jewelry and attending industry events, to completing Tony voting and supporting new theatrical works around New York City, Jennings-Roggensack's days leading up to the awards never stop.
"It's never just, 'La-di-da, Tonys, yay!' Things are happening and going back and forth," she said.
Throughout the week, Jennings-Roggensack not only participates in the annual ASU Gammage Broadway Adventure donor trip, but she also attends performances, receptions and gatherings with artists, producers, directors and fellow members of the Broadway community. But what makes those moments special, she says, are the relationships built over decades.
"This is a business of relationships, and the coin of the realm is showing up," she said.
Those relationships have allowed her to champion emerging artists, support new works and maintain connections with the people shaping the future of theater.
"It's about building relationships. It's about tending and taking care of those relationships."
From longtime friends to rising stars, Tony weekend becomes a celebration of not just the productions on stage, but of the people behind them. And for Jennings-Roggensack, attending the Tony Awards is also about strengthening connections that ultimately benefit audiences and artists in Arizona.
Relationships built over years often lead to opportunities for producers, playwrights and performers to engage with ASU Gammage and its audiences. They also provide insight into new works and emerging voices that could one day find a home on stages across the country.
"I'm bringing work back," she said. "Artists know we've supported their work, supported them, and that ASU Gammage is the place you want your show to come to."
That commitment helps ensure ASU Gammage remains a destination for world-class productions and creative partnerships.
And speaking of creative partnerships, one of the most meaningful aspects of the experience is the annual creative partnership with an ASU student fashion designer.
Each year, Jennings-Roggensack collaborates with an ASU fashion student to create a one-of-a-kind gown that will make its debut on one of theater's most visible stages. She also helps prepare students for media opportunities and introduces them to the many possibilities available within the arts. Preparations for this year's look began in the fall with ASU fashion design student Deven Tso, with design meetings, fittings and coordination taking place in the months leading up to the ceremony.
"I've taken a young ASU student on this journey and given his gown a world stage. What could be better than that?" she said.
The experience reflects ASU Gammage's commitment to providing opportunities that extend far beyond the classroom.
Ultimately, Jennings-Roggensack sees the Tony Awards as an extension of ASU Gammage's mission: Connecting Communities™.
"What it means to me personally is the culmination of connecting communities," she said.
"Connecting theatrical communities, connecting designer communities, connecting theater owner communities — truly living our mission of Connecting Communities™."
The experience also reinforces her belief in inclusion and the importance of amplifying diverse voices and stories.
"The world is about everyone," she said.
Despite decades of leadership and countless achievements, Jennings-Roggensack says she never loses sight of the wonder that first inspired her love of theater.
"I never stopped being my little fourth-grade self, going, 'I'm going to go to the Tonys one day. I'm going to wear a fancy dress and I'm going to be there,'" she said.
Today, that dream has become reality.
And while the parties may stretch into the early hours of the morning and the schedule may be nonstop, one feeling remains unchanged.
"I'm living the dream."
