Shannon O'Bryan

It's the final weekend of Broadway Under the Stars for 2016! Let's check in with Transcendence Artist Meggie Cansler...

Can we really be halfway through the summer already?! Meggie and Casey are BOTH here to share with you all about what's happening here at Transcendence...

The summer is in FULL SWING at Transcendence Theatre Company! Guest blogger and Transcendence Artist Meggie Cansler is back to give you the low down on the latest…

So that's it.  We not only opened and closed our last mainstage show, The Gala Celebration, but our guest artists have all packed and left.  And even though I thought I would enjoy writing about these final moments of the summer season, I didn't expect it to be so difficult.

Good Day Broadway World and Happy....September?!  I cannot believe how fast this summer of Transcendence has flown!May 20th, (when I touched down in Sonoma), feels like only a month ago, and yet it seems we've leapt up to the moon and back. This week we begin tech for our final main stage show, the Gala Celebration!  Three more performances, three more nights to perform for hundreds of people and share the divine connection of Art and Nature, three shows more!!  I couldn't be more grateful to be a part of the big dream!  And now for a little recap of some of the latest and greatest:

Wow, what a week?!?! Every day is so incredibly full and, as we like to say, EPIC, here in Sonoma. Last week was so beautiful. We had amazing shows, community outreach projects, artistic Salons, community open-mic events, family visiting, and overall THE BEST WEEK EVER!!! The week started with family in town. My folks got to experience their first Transcendence shows at Jack London State Park and were completely speechless at the end of them. They have been traveling around the world watching me perform my entire life... everywhere from summer fun in Germany to the freezing wintry temperatures of Moscow to multiple visits to Broadway and off-Broadway shows in New York to dozens of cities around our beautiful country, but this was their favorite experience of them all. What makes it different? The gathering of community in one magical space to share an experience TOGETHER before and during the show and the energy that comes from a group of people leaping and singing to unbelievable heights being inspired by the same mission while living completely in their own unique purposes TOGETHER and the undeniable feeling that comes from that being shared with your heart in those ruins under that canopy of stars. Special beyond words! 

We did it! We opened the 'Rhythm of Life' in Jack London State Park and the musical 'Hamilton' opened on Broadway.

Hello magical lovers of the theatre! Oh happy day of dreaming big to you! Last week was yet another glorious well-lived and fun-filled week for us here at Transcendence! 

Two mainstage shows gone.  Even with weeks of fully well lived days, if I blink my eye then the summer will be completely over.  This really occurred to me this past weekend when the curtain came down on our Fantastical Family Night Concert.  That event not only marked the end of our second (out of four) scheduled Broadway Under the Stars concert series, but it also was the end of a very special week working with over 50 students at our Transcendence Kid's Camp.  Major kudos go out to all of the performers hired on the Fantastical Family Night contract.  These performers do the most work in the shortest amount of time in the season.  But honestly, I think it's also the most rewarding show too.  

July might have just begun, but let me tell you things are in full swing here in Sonoma, CA.  Just recently at Transcendence Theatre Company we started a new show, closed the first show with a bang, actively participated in volunteering opportunities, and joined in our local 4th of July celebrations.  But I'll let some of our Transcendence resident artists go into more detail about their personal favorite activities of these past well-lived days.

Wow... I don't even know how to begin to wrap this week into a tiny little package of a blog entry?!? Here at Transcendence Theatre Company, we strive always to live fully in the moment with passion and purpose in order to make every moment the Best Moment EVER! This means that every day is beyond epic and sometimes a challenge to always remain completely present in order to suck every ounce of nectar out of life.

To quote Leslie Uggams, 'June is bustin' out all over..all the lidda bidda dridges and they hucka the bejeepers...'

Hi there! I'm Eric Jackson and I'm one of the handful of performers that has had the pleasure of being a part of Transcendence Theatre in Sonoma every summer since their first concert in 2011.  My path has taken me from Rochester, Michigan to The University of Michigan and then to NYC for the past 15 years.  But now I'm on a new path.  I accepted the position of Executive Assistant to the Artistic Director here at Transcendence and just recently moved to Wine Country to start a whole new chapter of my life!  On top of that, I am Associate Directing the 1st Concert, Co-Directing the 2nd Concert, and performing in all 4!  It's going to be a busy summer,     but it will all be worth it.  And as you follow this blog, hopefully you will understand the reason why I keep coming back and why I've decided to stay.

Transcendence Theatre Company, producer of the Broadway Under the Stars in Jack London State Historic Park concert series, announced the company of artists who will appear during the 2015 series of shows running June 19 through September 13. From June through September on select weekends, visitors to Sonoma County can conclude a day of wine tasting by attending Broadway Under the Stars, the main stage musical concert series presented by Transcendence Theatre Company in the open-air Winery Ruins of Jack London State Historic Park.

This won't be any old traditional production of the musical "On The Town," opening at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse as part of the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival on Aug. 6 in Central New York.

And so my summer in Magic Land begins….

You will find it truly refreshing to attend Gateway Theatre's beautiful incarnation of the Tony winning musical 42nd Street. I know what you're thinking... 42nd Street is done frequently... and you are correct. However, the right cast and a top notch director - Broadway's Randy Skinner who had a hand in the original Broadway production as well as the 2001 Broadway revival - breathes new life into a theatre staple.

The Gateway will open their 65th season with '42nd Street' - led by three-­time Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner - now through June 8 at Bellport's Gateway Playhouse. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Gateway will open their 65th season with "42nd Street" - led by three-­time Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner - May 21 to June 8 at Bellport's Gateway Playhouse.

Singin' In The Rain, the Tony nominated musical based on the famous MGM film, is certainly a must see among theatre attendees. With a screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green and music by Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Reed, Gateway's fantastic incarnation runs through August 10th and will surely have you leaving the theatre with a smile.