BWW Blog: Casey Hebbel - Wine Country Summer Days

By: Aug. 22, 2016
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Transcendence is having so much fun these beautiful wine country summer days! From community Transcendence Connects projects to special performances outside our regular Broadway Under the Stars season and our last Skits Under the Stars night of the summer, here is Casey Hebbel to give you the latest...

Well, it's been another whirlwind week in Wine Country! We have been dancing the night away and speaking easy, all at the same time! Not to mention we connected with Becoming Independent and held a Skits Under the Stars as well! ALL IN ONE WEEK! We sure do pack the days full out here! Let me tell you a bit about these exciting projects...

On Tuesday, cast and staff members participated in a Transcendence Connects project at Becoming Independent, an organization with locations in both Santa Rosa and Sonoma that serves developmentally disabled individuals.

We worked within their professional art division headed by Meredith Nevard. About 15 of their visual artists joined with us in a performance workshop. We played theatre games, explored emotions, worked on developing "superhero selves" (celebrating our strengths), and even learned some of the choreography to "Thriller", a number which appears in the current production of Dance the Night Away.

Our Transcendence Artists working with the artists at Becoming Independent

Then, on Sunday, these same artists came to see the show at Jack London Park! It was so amazing to have them in the audience! After the show we got to visit with our new friends; it was an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience for both Transcendence artists and Becoming Independent artists alike! Personally, it was one of my favorite experiences of the entire summer thus far!

Our new friends at Dance the Night Away!

Wednesday night, we headed over to Muscardini Cellars in Kenwood for our final Skits Under the Stars of the season. Our gracious hosts provided delicious wine to sip while we were serenaded by a pair of Marilyn Monroes, watched a precious six-year old dance her heart out, heard some Irish folk songs, and listened to original poetry about the beautiful Valley of the Moon. It was a delightful evening! I can't believe we have to wait almost a whole year till the next one... Where is this summer flying off to?!

Skits Under the Stars is always a night of fun and surprises

Have you seen Dance the Night Away yet? If not, you have only one weekend left and tickets are flying! I can't even begin to describe how much fun this show is. I am having the time of my life. It is not often that you get to dance under a blanket of stars with vineyards as your backdrop with a team of extraordinary human beings. I am truly so grateful to Transcendence for placing me in the company of such remarkable people and allowing me to dance alongside them. Come visit us this weekend!! You will be very sad if you miss it...I can promise you that!

Now, about this Speakeasy....... Shhhhhhhhhhhh! Have you heard the buzz? We are having the grandest time galavanting around Cornerstone Sonoma in full 1920's garb, speaking the lingo and drinking the bubbles! From start to finish, this experience is like none other that Transcendence has ever produced. I am sure Meggie will have lots to say about this in her blog next week, so for now, I will just say that it is truly decadent and dazzling!

What do you think? Did we get enough in this week? I am thinking that I am not sure we could have packed in just about anything else...except that I did! My sweet boyfriend flew all the way from Nashville to come visit out here in wine country! We explored the best of it, sipping wine at Buena Vista and Benzinger (two of our amazing sponsors) and even making time for a trip to Six Flags on our Monday day off! It was such fun!

Visiting Benziger Winery is one of our favorite Sonoma Valley stops

We had a BLAST at Six Flags on my day off!

My heart is full of gratitude and joy for the amazing people in my life here in sunny Sonoma and those who travel from afar to visit :) Hope to see you at a show soon, and don't forget, use your magic!

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.


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