Broadway under the stars

Shakespeare contended all the world’s a stage, but the new Transcendence Theatre Company was a bit more particular. Its founders traveled the whole country looking for just the right venue.

“We decided we should do a two-month, cross-country research tour all around the U.S., researching the state of theater, but also trying to find a location where we wanted to build our company,” said Artistic Director Amy Miller.

And they found just the spot they wanted at Jack London State Park in Glen Ellen.

That’s where the company of young but experienced performers from New York and Los Angeles, most with Broadway or national touring company credits, will open its summer-long Broadway Under the Stars series next weekend.

“We were driving through Wine Country, and we felt like we’d found a home, someplace that was very beautiful and had a large tourist population. That was in 2010,” Miller said.

“We started researching outdoor theaters across America, and found that many of them started in parks,” she added.

Last year, Miller and company took a Memorial Day weekend road trip up from Los Angeles to pinpoint a venue for their venture. A stop at Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa, and a chat with rangers there, soon led them to Jack London State Park, long a popular site for outdoor events.

With state parks threatened with closure because of budget cuts, and local park supporters seeking innovative ways to keep parks open, Miller and her colleagues pledged $5 from every ticket sale to support Jack London State Park.

To test its concept, the Transcendence Theatre Company staged an open-air concert of show tunes at the park last October, and drew 900 people to an outdoor stage at the old winery ruins next to Jack London’s cottage on the park grounds.

“It makes an extraordinary outdoor amphitheater. We bring in the stage, lights and chairs. The vineyards are behind it,” Miller said. “And what’s really amazing is that at night, there aren’t a lot of lights out there, so when the stars come out, it’s exceptional.”