Sonoma teens meet young Broadway stars
It was no coincidence that the Transcendence Theatre Company’s “Broadway Under the Stars” troupe brought their talent and inspiration to Sonoma Valley High School. Members of the theatre company generously shared their creativity as well as their life stories and the journeys they took to fulfill their dream of performing with teens from Sonoma Valley Teens Services.
The August 30 event, hosted by Sonoma Valley Teen Services, was held in the Little Theater in the High School and included an improvisational play, entitled “The Unforgiven.” The students were each assigned a position in the play, which included casting every role in the production process of creating theater, including picking a scenic designer, a director, a choreographer, actors, and a producer.
Student Carlos Aldas called the event “exquisitely inspirational.” He added that the experience showed him how you can do anything you want in life: “It really changed my view of life and how you can do truly anything you want by having people that are so supportive around you that help you make you who you are. This really got my attention and I’m really going to learn more about performing.”
Evan Ruggiero, one of the “Broadway Under The Stars” performers, shared his inspirational story of how he continued to dance after he lost his leg to cancer. He also performed a fabulous dance routine using the “peg” leg that he had made to his specifications. The message for the entire event showed that “dreams can come true.”
This community engagement project was one of Transcendence Theatre’s three projects this summer — the first being a day project with the WillMar Family Grief & Healing Center, and the second being a performance for the Alzheimer’s patients of the Adobe House in Petaluma.
All three projects were made possible by sponsorship and support of the Sonoma Valley Rotary and the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, through the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance.
The “Broadway Under the Stars’ summer season ends with a Gala Celebration on Friday, September 5. See page 30 for details.
