Transcendence Theatre Company
Steven Stubbins and Libby Servais

 
Transcendence Theatre Company
Steven Stubbins and Libby Servais
 
Mr. Stubbins and Ms. Servais presented a program which detailed the fascinating history of the formation of the Transcendence Theater Company, which performs regularly at Jack London State Park. They have recently won the Theater of the Year award from Broadway World San Francisco in 2013 and have been recognized as one of the 10 best venues in a USA Today survey for outdoor theater.
 
TTC grew out of a desire of numerous Broadway and Los Angeles performers to become more connected with their audience and with their community. All of the members of the troupe felt that they were not truly connecting with the people they were entertaining and wanted to do something more. They wanted more than recitation of lines, presentation, and creating performances that were soon forgotten by the audience. All members of the company are committed to giving back to the communities in which they perform. Their spirit of volunteerism sits well with the ideals of Rotary International.
 
Originally 14 or 15 actors came together with shared hopes and dreams of relating their art to the community in a less stressful and more meaningful way. One of their early experiences along these lines was witnessing a performance of “Nunsense” on a dirt road in Mexico. They ultimately created a show that ran for 4 months in the community. It also involved community members and social outreach by the members of the performing group that afforded each of their a much greater reward and sense of meaning in their performance and they had felt with their Broadway or Los Angeles-based productions.
 
Over several years, they developed the concept of performing in outdoor venues and relating to communities. Their shows had a great deal of appeal and the concept proved to be successful.
 
In 2008 they embarked on a nationwide search for an appropriate stage for their performances, and through perseverance and some serendipity, they discovered Jack London State Park. At the time of discovery, Jack London State Park was slated for closure by the state of California due to budgetary restrictions. They did a one night  fund-raising nperformance, with over 900 attendees, and began a long tradition of support of Jack London State Park, for which they have now raised nearly $100,000.
 
Now in their 3rd season they continue to have great success with their shows. Performances are scheduled throughout the summer beginning in late June and ending on September 6. For a listing of their shows visit their website, www.TCCsonoma.org  , where you will be able to purchase tickets as well learn more about the company. You may also contact them by telephone at 877-424-1414.
 
At the end of Steven’s presentation, Libby  brought the house to their feet with a rendition of “Popular” from “Wicked”. If that wasn't enough to entice all members of the audience to attend a performance, I don't know what it would take.