BWW Blog: Casey Hebbel - A Fantastical Week at Transcendence

We have had a FANTASTICAL week at Transcendence!!! Not only did our Artists put together a magical show, FANTASTICAL FAMILY NIGHT, but our hearts were exploded on a daily basis by the amazing kids in our 2016 Transcendence Kids Camp!! Here to tell you all about it is Casey Hebbel...

I don't even know where to begin with all of the amazing, heart-exploding moments that happened in this past week! Holy cow! What an amazing roller coaster ride! I don't think I have even fully processed all the awesomeness that occurred.

The shows that Transcendence puts on are always magical and special, but there was something about this particular Fantastical Family Night that really soared above and beyond. There are so many things that this soaring could be attributed to: the beautiful show so masterfully crafted by Eric Jackson and his team, the absolutely incredible cast of performers gathered together to make art, the 60 children who participated in Kids Camp and the show, the amazing weather of the weekend, having so many families and friends in the audience, or maybe it was the perfect combination of all these things and more. Whatever it was, after the full week of camp and the perfect weekend of shows, I am still floating on Cloud 9!

These future Kids Campers melted my heart!

There is something about bringing children into the mix of this creative process that completely lights it up in a whole new way. I want to share something that I wrote in my application for Transcendence this year. The question we had to answer was something to the effect of "why did you choose a life in the arts". My answer included the following, which I think pretty much sums up how I feel about the magical experience of the Kids Campers:

"My heart explodes every time I see the glow in a child's eye watching a stage for the first (or hundredth) time. More than that, my heart explodes tenfold when I see a child take the stage, find a completely new confidence, and soar to unlimited heights. What is it about the stage that is so freeing to a child? The unbridled enthusiasm that they bring touches even the hardest of hearts. It is contagious. It is undeniable."

Our Kids Campers at the FANTASTICAL FAMILY NIGHT show!!

Throughout the week of Kids Camp, while the campers wrote original songs, created choreography, explored improvisation and master classes, I watched with grateful eyes as beautiful, young souls blossomed into their fullest selves. The creative minds that filled the classrooms were bright and independent and confident. Then to see all of that creativity brought to life for an audience of 800 people?! My gosh! I could cry all over again just thinking about it!

I loved spending the week watching these kids blossom.

And these teachers!? The amazing artists you saw on stage this past weekend, singing and dancing their hearts out? Those are the same amazing artists who poured hours of heart and soul and love out over these children, giving all they had to give and then even more! I am so grateful that such a beautiful team of hearts was brought together to create this magic.

Here are a few of our Artists leading Kids Campers in an exercise.

The Fantastical Family Night team was truly something special, and unlike any other team I have experienced in my career. The friendship, fellowship, and love that was shared in the rehearsal room, in the classroom, and on that stage...well, there is just no way to describe it other than magic. I feel like I have used the words magic and grateful over and over again to describe this past week, but they are the only words that truly encompases the experience.

Who doesn't love an awesome cast selfie?! These Artists make magic!!

So with a grateful heart, full of belief in magic, I say Thank You. Thank you to the team, thank you to the campers, thank you to the parents and guardians, thank you to the volunteers, thank you to the audiences, and thank you to the universe for putting together the perfect collection of all these things for a brief time.

With gratitude, Casey

Casey Hebbel is a Performing Artist and Education Coordinator with Transcendence Theatre Company.

Transcendence Theatre Company's Broadway Under the Stars 2016 Season runs from June through September in Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, CA only 45 miles north of San Francisco in Wine Country. More information and tickets available online at BestNightEver.org or call 877-424-1414, Ext 1.