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.”

Jack London Stage Park is managed by Jack London Park Partners, a project of the nonprofit Valley of the Moon Natural History Association, said the park’s new executive director, Tjiska Van Wyk.

Van Wyk said she’s “just thrilled” to host the Broadway Under the Stars shows at the park.

“This is a way of having people who might not normally come out to the park come here for an event. Once they’ve been here, and experienced the beauty of the natural setting, they might come back,” Van Wyk said.

The Transcendence Theatre Company ultimately plans to stage full musical plays at the park, but the first season’s shows will be themed revues of songs from Broadway shows.

Miller will run the company with her husband, Brad Surosky, as executive producer, and Stephan Stubbins as executive director. All three, all age 34, have moved to Sonoma. Broadway credits include “42nd Street” for Miller and “Mary Poppins” for Stubbins.

“We have no big superstars but a lot of people who have done a lot of work professionally, on Broadway and in many regional theaters. We have a lot of people coming from L.A., who have done a lot of TV work as well,” Miller said.

“I was on a Wal-Mart television ad that ran for four years,” she said. “And my husband and I are famous on YouTube. We have almost two million hits for the toast from our wedding.”

“The Best Wedding Toast Ever (Amy’s Song)” is a fully choreographed eight-minute musical production with a live music. It offers a lively glimpse of Sonoma County’s newest troupers.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

What: “Broadway Under the Stars,” presented by the Transcendence Theatre Company
Where: Jack London State Park, 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen
When: picnicking and wine at 5 p.m.; concert at 8 p.m.
Admission: $20-$150
Information: BroadwayJackLondon.com; (877) 424-1414

The season:
“Dream The Impossible Dream,” July 14-15, 20-22.
“Fantastical Family Night,” Aug. 3-4
“What A Wonderful World,” Aug. 16-18, 24-26
“Gala Celebration: One Day More,” Sept. 1