Guest Blog: Transcendence Theatre Company's Broadway Under The Stars!

Hello Broadway World!

Summer in Sonoma Valley has arrived, and here at Transcendence Theatre Company that means we are gearing up for our sixth season of Broadway Under the Stars!

We are so excited to be back here at Broadway World to share with you all about our Broadway concerts performed under the stars in wine country. Each of our four summer concerts features performers from Broadway shows such as Wicked, Mamma Mia, Les Miserables, The Book of Mormon, and more.

This summer we welcome two of our Transcendence Artists who will be sharing some behind the scenes looks at our Broadway Under the Stars experience.

First up is Meggie Cansler...

Where has the time gone? Another season is underway, friends! I will be a guest blogger this summer and introducing you to our artists every step of the way.

We had our 2nd annual Holiday show this last December, and our very first spring show, Best of Broadway Under the Stars, in March. We have been BUSY here at Transcendence, folks. (PS. during that time I got ENGAGED to Brian Ness!! A week later, we got two grand and glorious pups: Tuck and Polly!)

What a wonderful time! Or, as Amy Miller would say, BEST LIFE EVER!

Our Transcendence Artists in Jack London State Park ready to kick off the summer!

Oh, my friends, we have so much to be thankful for! Wine country is where it is at!! The cast of our first show, ANOTHER OPENIN' ANOTHER SHOW, has arrived; most of whom I have never met! New faces, new talent! GAME ON! We had our first Skits Under the Stars May 24th. Our community brought their A-game and we were all able to perform together at Chateau St Jean! What a beautiful setting!!

I cannot wait for our first production to come together and for the season to begin! Keep up because it will be exciting!

Jack London, here we come!!

And introducing a new blogger, and returning Transcendence Theatre Company artist, Jess Coffman...

My name is Jess Coffman, and I will be reporting to you as a Resident Artist for the 2017 season of Broadway Under the Stars with Transcendence Theatre Company!

Most of the performers for our first show - ANOTHER OPENIN' ANOTHER SHOW - have travelled from New York City or Los Angeles, to be here in Sonoma with us. This is officially my eighth show with Transcendence Theatre company, and like all of our casts, the performers rehearsing with us are as brilliant and beautiful as the stars in the Sonoma summer night sky. Amy Miller, Brad Surosky, and Stephan Stubbins hire not only immensely talented individuals, but they also hire team players and beautiful souls.

I love Sonoma Valley (The Valley of The Moon) and I absolutely love performing. But, what is unique about the Transcendence experience, are the people. Everyone who works for Transcendence, and what draws our audience, volunteers, donors and housing sponsors, is a strong collective collaboration, intentioned on community and joy. Here at Transcendence, the individual is truly celebrated for his or her unique talents and gifts. I have been performed in many professional productions, and I have enjoyed my experiences and met lovely people. But, I have rarely felt truly celebrated, for what it is that I uniquely do as a performer. Here, in our Broadway Under the Stars shows, not only do I get to have moments on stage where I am featured dancing and singing, I also get to be surrounded with peers who are being celebrated for who they are, and what they do best as well. It truly makes coming to work an exciting adventure every day. We definitely work hard, and our blood, sweat, and tears are poured into our rehearsals and shows. We are celebrating life together, and that is a big part of the Transcendence magic. It is definitely what our audiences feel when they come see a show. That celebratory energy is exchanged between the audience and performers, as a gift to one another. It is beautiful and inspiring to be apart of, and it's spreading.

Just today, I was waiting for rehearsal to start, and one of our new castmates, powerhouse Beth Kirkpatrick, was "singing her face off," as we say, in the next room. Ryan Hook, a member of our Intern and Apprenticeship Program, looked at me with raised eyebrows. As we exchanged smiles, heads shaking in appreciation, we agreed that hearing new voices in the vocal rehearsal process is one of our favorite parts. Music Director, Daniel Weidlein, put it well on our orientation day. He said that one of the best parts about Transcendence is that there are always so many new faces that he does not know in each cast... but he can trust that everyone will be amazing. I can definitely agree that this cast of ANOTHER OPENIN' ANOTHER SHOW will not disappoint. They won't disappoint onstage, and they definitely don't disappoint offstage either. We are having fun, and working hard in harmony. It's awesome!

Skits Under the Stars is a favorite of both community members and Transcendence Artists

This summer I get to stretch and show some other talents and colors of myself, too, which I am so grateful for. Not only do I get to write about our adventures here for Broadway World, I am also co-Emcee, with the hilarious and graceful Eric Jackson, for our community open-mic nights, Skits Under The Stars. I will also be spearheading our Transcendence service projects with the Boys of Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. I am super thrilled to share our "Life Lessons Through Theatre," with future generations of dreamers and visionaries in The Valley of The Moon.

Thank you for reading! I look forward to sharing our summer process and progress with you!

Needless to say, we have quite a lot to look forward to this summer, and many magical moments to share with you. Tune in this summer as we share with you all the wonderful moments with Meggie and Jessica!

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