BWW Blog: Casey Hebbel - Opening Weekend of Transcendence Theatre's 'Broadway Under the Stars'

By: Jun. 24, 2016
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Opening weekend was an amazing time!! Here to tell you more is Transcendence Artist Casey Hebbel...

Well...it has been another VERY well-lived week here in Sonoma filled with endless heart explosions and joy! Our summer season has officially begun and we are open for business!

All of last week was spent putting the finishing touches on our first show of the season, THIS MAGIC MOMENT. Tech week, the week before opening, is when we move into the actual theatre space at Jack London State Historic Park and begin to add in all of the technical elements of the show - lights, sound, the band, costumes, and more! Up until last week we had been rehearsing over at Sonoma Valley High School, which, as you can imagine, is quite a different space than the giant stage in the winery ruins!

A few shots from our rehearsals at the high school - that's me with the bright pink sneakers!

Our events team was working around the clock to get the park ready and our tech team worked ENDLESS hours to get the stage up and running.

Here is the stage setup in process in the winery ruins at the park.

Our tech rehearsals happen in the evenings (so that we can try out lighting cues the way they will look during the show based on where the sun is in the sky at certain times) and these nights are always filled with excitement. This time around we got hit with some surprisingly chilly "summer" weather! (Thank goodness for hot coffee!!)

Opening weekend of the shows was incredible! To see our big field of dreams come to life with hundreds and hundreds of people ready to see the show - filled with an electric excitement - was really magical! The show is ELECTRIC and if you haven't seen it yet, I hope you will run and get your tickets right now!

Here we are kicking off the show on Opening Night!

The dancing is some of the best I've ever seen on stage at Transcendence - shout out to Valerie Salgado (choreographer), Tony Gonzalez (associate director and associate choreographer), and Roy Lightner (director for THIS MAGIC MOMENT) for their killer choreography! The songs are diverse and cover such a wide range of genres that there is TRULY something for everyone. And the Transcendence band is absolutely rockin'!

If opening weekend wasn't enough, all of the Transcendence Artists (performers, and also staff, events and tech team!) had the opportunity to work with 75 kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Sonoma County this week!

One of the groups of kids we worked with at the Boys & Girls Club and all the Transcendence Artists.

We had the chance to play, sing, and dance with kids from Kindergarten through 6th Grade - many of whom have never experienced Live Theatre before. The best part is, not only did they learn a song and some of the choreography from one of the numbers in the show... this next Sunday, all these kids will be brought to the park to SEE our show!

We are so grateful for the generous donation from Sonoma Wine Country Weekend for making these workshops and the performance possible for all these incredible kids.

Circle up at the Boys & Girls Club as Nick Dalton leads the group.

There were so many magic moments in this past week, as there always are in a week with Transcendence, but I hope you will come see THIS [particular] MAGIC MOMENT real soon! Don't forget to come say "hi!" when you do!

Signing off for now... Go fill the world with magic!

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.



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