Expressions at ASU Gammage Review: Local Artists Take the Iconic Stage
Expressions at ASU Gammage Review: Local Artists Take the Iconic Stage
Most open mics give you a microphone, a couple of songs, and maybe a small stage in a restaurant corner.
Expressions at ASU Gammage gives you ASU Gammage.
That changes everything.
Emma and I attended the fall Expressions event on Thursday, October 8, 2026, and performed our original song “Leopard in a Cage” on the same stage normally used for major touring productions.
ASU Gammage's official description calls Expressions a free community event where ASU students, faculty and local artists can share music, dance, poetry, spoken word and other forms of creative expression directly on the Gammage stage.
After attending both a spring event and this fall edition, I think the easiest way to describe Expressions is this:
It feels like ASU Gammage briefly hands the keys to the community and says, " Your turn.
Quick Details: Expressions at ASU Gammage
Event: Expressions at ASU Gammage
Address: 1200 S. Forest Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281
Fall event attended: October 8, 2026
Frequency: Twice a year, once during the fall semester and once during the spring
Next expected event: Around February 2027, exact date still to be announced
Event time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Doors/check-in from our experience: Around 5:30 PM
Cost: Free for performers and audience members
Tickets: None required for the October event
Who can participate: Open to the community
Performance limit: Five minutes per act
Performance types: Music, dance, poetry, spoken word and more
Stage: Main ASU Gammage stage
Sound: Professional production crew and full PA
Backing tracks: Yes
Audience: Seated directly onstage with the performers
Best for: Solo performers, duos, trios, singer-songwriters, poets, dancers, spoken-word artists, beginners and experienced performers
ASU Gammage officially describes Expressions as a free event held right on its stage, and the October 8 event was listed from 6:00 to 8:00 PM with no ticket required.
Walking Into Gammage Already Feels Different
Before you even perform, the experience tells you this is not a normal open mic.
You go through ASU Gammage security, including the venue's bag and screening procedures, before entering the building. ASU Gammage currently requires all visitors to pass through security and publishes specific bag-size requirements. ASU Gammage
Then the ushers start guiding you through the building.
Down the stairs.
Through another entrance.
And eventually...
Onto the stage.
Emma and I both have backgrounds in live theater, so walking onto that stage brought back the familiar feeling of arriving for rehearsal before a show.
The difference was what sat beyond the edge.
Three thousand seats.
ASU Gammage's auditorium holds approximately 3,000 people and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The building was completed in 1964 and remains the only public building in Arizona designed by Wright. ASU Gammage
Emma and I have attended major productions there, so we know what that room looks and sounds like when it is packed.
Standing onstage looking out at all those empty seats makes it very easy to imagine.
That alone makes Expressions memorable.
But the Audience Sits Right Beside You
Here is the clever part.
Expressions does not put 30 people out in a 3,000-seat auditorium.
Instead, chairs are arranged directly on the stage.
Performers and audience members share the same enormous performance space.
Suddenly, what could have felt overwhelming becomes intimate.
You can still turn your head and see the massive theater stretching out in front of you, but the people actually watching you are just a few feet away.
ASU Gammage itself describes Expressions as an intimate setting designed to connect performers and audiences directly on its iconic stage. ASU Gammage
It is a really smart setup.
Five Minutes Goes Faster Than You Think
Expressions has the shortest performance slot of any open mic-style event we have reviewed so far.
Five minutes.
Tremayne Manahane, the Cultural Participation Program Coordinator who currently runs Expressions, explained why.
The event only lasts from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, and turnout can reach around 20 performers. Keeping each act to five minutes allows as many people as possible to experience the stage.
If fewer people sign up, performers may sometimes get a second opportunity.
That makes sense.
I normally prefer longer sets, but Expressions is not trying to give everyone a mini-concert.
It is trying to give everyone a chance.
One Original Song Was All We Needed
For our five minutes, Emma and I performed the acoustic version of our original “Leopard in a Cage.”
The song officially releases October 30, so it felt appropriate to use this event as one of the places to introduce it live beforehand.
This audience was perfect for original work.
Nobody was talking.
Nobody was ordering drinks.
Nobody was watching a football game over our shoulders.
The room listened to the song, the lyrics, and the story behind it.
That kind of attention can be intimidating, but it is also incredibly rewarding when you are sharing something you created yourself.
Expressions is absolutely a place where I would recommend bringing original work.
In fact, originality is part of the point.
Music Is Only Part of Expressions
Another major difference between Expressions and most of the open mics we review is the variety.
This is not just musicians taking turns.
We saw singers.
Singer-songwriters.
Performers using backing tracks.
Spoken-word artists.
Dancers.
In previous Expressions events, we have also seen comedians and larger collaborative performances.
ASU Gammage officially lists music, dance, poetry and spoken word among the types of art welcomed at Expressions. ASU Gammage
That makes the evening move quickly.
You never really know what the person after you is going to do.
A Spoken-Word Performance Stopped the Room
One of the most memorable performances came from Tyra, an ASU senior.
Her spoken-word piece dealt with depression and was performed completely from memory.
No phone.
No sheet of paper.
Just Tyra standing in front of the audience delivering the piece directly.
The room changed.
People who had been cheering enthusiastically for performers were suddenly completely still.
By the end, many people were emotional.
Emma and I exchanged information with Tyra afterward because the subject connects with themes we have explored through our own original song and music video “Soul Flame.”
It was also a good example of why having different forms of art on the same stage works.
A musician can affect the room one way.
A poet can change it completely five minutes later.
First-Time Performers Really Are Welcome
Performing inside ASU Gammage sounds intimidating because it is ASU Gammage.
But oddly enough, Expressions may be one of the better places to perform for the first time.
We saw several nervous first-time performers.
A couple struggled just getting started.
Instead of the room becoming uncomfortable, people called out encouragement.
“You've got this.”
Then they waited.
When the performer finished, they applauded.
Tremayne told us his own relationship with Expressions began similarly.
He first attended in 2018 while he was an ASU student and had no intention of performing.
After watching other artists, he worked up the courage to sing a song himself.
He now coordinates the event.
That story may explain Expressions better than anything I could write about it.
The Sound Crew Was Excellent
The production side was another highlight.
The sound crew had performers connected almost immediately.
Guitar.
Vocals.
Backing tracks.
Whatever the act needed, the crew handled it quickly.
There were no endless soundchecks or awkward stretches of feedback while someone tried to figure out which cable was causing trouble.
Emma and I plugged in.
They set the levels.
We played.
The sound was excellent from the first note.
When you are only allowed five minutes, that efficiency matters.
Free Pizza Is Also a Nice Touch
After checking in, performers were welcomed to free pizza, snacks, drinks and bottled water.
Emma and I could not take advantage of the pizza because of our gluten and dairy sensitivities.
We stared at it lovingly instead.
But it was a nice touch.
It made the event feel less like performers rotating through a stage and more like a small gathering of artists being welcomed into the building.
We brought our own water, although bottled water was available too.
Why Expressions Exists
Expressions is part of ASU Gammage's larger Cultural Participation work.
ASU Gammage describes its mission as Connecting Communities, with Cultural Participation programs designed to create access to the arts for people across ages, backgrounds and economic circumstances. ASU Gammage
Tremayne described Expressions to us as an opportunity for anyone to perform on an iconic stage while building community with artists, practitioners and neighbors.
That is exactly what the evening feels like.
Something else impressed me too.
Michael Reed, Senior Director of Programs & Organizational Initiatives, Leo Gonzales, Artist Engagement Manager, and Tremayne were there watching the performers.
These are people involved with programming and major productions at ASU Gammage, yet they were sitting there giving the same attention to somebody performing publicly for the first time.
Their current positions are confirmed by ASU Gammage's staff directory. ASU Gammage
For local artists who sometimes feel invisible, that matters.
How Long Has Expressions Been Around?
We're intentionally leaving this one fact a little open.
Organizers believe Expressions dates back to around 2012, but they're still verifying the exact founding year.
Tremayne confirmed that the event originally took place in one of the auditorium portals before eventually moving to the main stage.
Honestly, the move makes sense.
The stage itself has become part of the event's identity.
When Is the Next Expressions?
Expressions is now held twice a year, once in the fall semester and once in the spring.
According to Tremayne, the next event is expected around February 2027, although the exact date had not yet been set when we wrote this article.
I recommend watching the official Expressions page for the announcement and performer registration.
The official page currently includes a registration option for people interested in performing. On the evening we attended, there was also an on-site signup list where performers selected available positions.
Would We Do It Again?
Absolutely.
We already have twice.
The five-minute limit is short.
The trip through security feels much more official than walking into a coffeehouse.
And unfortunately, we can't make that free pizza work with our food sensitivities yet.
But those are small things.
There is something special about walking onto a stage normally occupied by national touring productions and seeing community artists sitting around you waiting for their own five minutes.
The giant theater is right there.
The lights are on.
The professional sound crew is ready.
And for a few minutes, it belongs to you.
Who Is Expressions Best For?
I would recommend Expressions for singer-songwriters, solo musicians, duos, trios, poets, spoken-word artists, dancers, comedians and other performing artists.
It is also excellent for first-time performers who want to challenge themselves in a supportive setting.
Full bands requiring extensive backline equipment may find a traditional music open mic more practical.
And if you only want to perform in front of people who share your exact art form, this may not be your event.
That variety is the whole idea.
For everyone else, Expressions offers something most open mics simply cannot:
five minutes on one of Arizona's most recognizable stages.
Sometimes five minutes is enough.
About the Author
James Mattison is a musician and blog writer for the Desert Vibe Podcast. He is one half of Emma & James Music, an Arizona-based husband-and-wife music duo performing mostly original music with select covers that fit their soulful, guitar-driven style.
Emma Mattison is known for her expressive vocal style and also manages the website, social media, marketing and online presence that help Desert Vibe reach listeners and musicians across Arizona.
Together, Emma and James are exploring live music events around Arizona for Desert Vibe's “What's Vibin' in the Desert” segment, sharing firsthand reviews designed to help musicians and artists understand what to expect before trying a new stage.
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