Let's Do This!!!

Hello all, Wiley here and ready to go as the show moves closer and closer to performance time. This is one of my favorite times as an actor because its when I get to craft my performance in a more specific way. We have moved out of rehearsal work and into performance work. This requires a different kind of concentration because you are working towards something that must be repeated consistently so many times. I studied directing for the past two years so its quite a relief to dive back into performing especially with such a wonderfully creative ensemble and director. Big Shoes, lets do this!!!

Family of Dreamers

I have been thinking a lot about our audience in rehearsals. Stanislavski said, “It is necessary to act for children as well as for adults, only better.” When children go to the theatre they can be blunt so they must feel engaged at all times. Visual communication is especially powerful for the child audience, so directing, acting and design are slightly more critical. All learning is increased by motivation, and theatre motivates. Open Dream allows children to see the beauty that exists in the world. Like we learn in Big Shoes, the imperfections people have are not defects but what make them unique. We are reaching the end of our second week of rehearsals and our family of dreamers have created quite a production. These past two weeks I have seen people work so effectively, so creatively and with so much playfulness.There is either something in the water over at the Stevens Center or Open Dream is on to something special. Rebecca and all of the Open Dreamers this season (actors, musicians, dancers, designers and composers) have worked in such a positive and collaborative way that my job is simple: in this process I have been given the gift of just being an editor. I work with brilliant artists that I have a deep respect for, I get to show up and listen. You have to understand the type of people I am talking about-- these people are fearless. They constantly challenge me and push for something deeper, funnier and sharper than the day before. New work demands lots of service. To the actor, the audience, the playwright and the play. Serving all masters. My ego as the director of a new work goes into the playwright. It is less about putting my finger prints all over the material and more about making sure the story that exists in the playwright’s mind is told. Lucky for me, Michaela has written a very special play and is an amazing person to dream with. To me, every creative environment must value failure and laughter but especially in a play like this. The people that make up this ensemble celebrate what is best in others and we “fail big.” That is what Big Shoes is about at its core. I constantly pinch myself after a long day of rehearsal, “wait we get paid to play and to laugh?” My experience at Open Dream has been a mixture of whimsy and gravity all held together by a respect for the multiplicity of perspectives and personalities. We have become quite a community and I am thankful for the experience. I can safely say we have all learned to love our inner Gordy.

This post is from our wonderfully collaborative director, Robby Lutfy.

Shoes for Feet, Hats for Heads

Last year I was a member of the Open Dream Ensemble. Like most of the company, I wore many hats. I'd written the story we were about to perform, which made me the first of several authors responsible for Big Shoes. Months before we opened, I was joined by Bruce, Kenny, and Ted (our composers) and from the beginning, I'd been collaborating with Rebecca (our artistic director). Weeks before we entered the room, a crew of designers and builders created the set and costumes -- the world -- we'd inhabit. And once rehearsals began, our team accumulated members, who in turn accumulated titles. If each member of ODE had to give a full job description, it'd be full of hyphens and slash-marks. The choreographer is also the tour manager is also playing Emily. The Nice Woman is also the props manager is also the lead teaching artist. All this hat-dancing means that between every pair of company members, there's also set of relationships which shift with the light: I was William's student when I had to learn bass; his co-teacher when we entered the classroom; his playwright when a line got flubbed; etc., etc., etc. Putting on an original musical is stressful and challenging for the same reasons it's so exciting. This kind of fluidity means that sometimes, it's not clear who's got the power. Usually, twelve people have the power, to varying degrees, and each of them has varying aims and concerns, all of which are relevant and real. Figuring out who needs what and keeping a story together all the while for the folks who (we hope) need it most -- the kids -- is a thrilling thing. It really is. My particular thrill in season one of Big Shoes was performing the same text I'd written, confronting the gaps in my own playwriting with a performer's tactics. I'd like to think it made me sharper all around (and what teaching did for all of us is the subject of a whole 'nother post). But this year -- here we go, the point of the post -- I've come in with fresh eyes. I tweaked scenes in the spring, but it's been at least three months since I read the script straight through. I've never -- never! -- seen it performed. So having just one official title is a huge opportunity, a chance to sit back and observe -- and still, somehow, to accrue a whole list of new hyphenations: this student-playwright-audience member has a lot to learn.

This post is from Open Dream's dream writer, Michaela Morton. Michaela is with us this week as a writer-in-residence.

Jazz Hands and Fancy Feet

We just started our second week of rehearsal and we are full-steam-ahead! Excited to continue the legacy of Open Dream while incorporating new and exciting elements, this years team is inspired and very talented. A lot has been accomplished in the first week of rehearsals and we are all eager to keep moving. I am personally thrilled to be choreographing for the second year in a row and you can be assured this year's production will be full of super-sweet moves! This year's cast in particular is full of natural movers that lend themselves generously to a very active stage show. Watch out Broadway - the gloves are coming off and the jazz-hands are in full-effect!

This post is from Open Dream's mover extraordinaire, Julianne Harper.

Play!

Rehearsal is always a beautiful and complex process. Searching for character and finding their truths in the life of the play does involve some technical craft but can sometimes be a whimsical journey. The sense of Play (of pretend) reminds me, and very much keeps me, connected to my child brain. My favorite part the one I used to imagine stories and when with my friends could become anything, anywhere, anytime and believe with absolute conviction in the worlds we could build. In our work we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to bring that same childlike wonderment, belief and fun into the rehearsal space and just....Play! This post is from the puckish Haydee Thompson. In our new production she performs the roles of a gasping fish, Weepish, and a kid on the playground.

Up and Running

We’ve revved up the engines again and Open Dream Ensemble’s ninth season is moving forward fast! It’s been a great ride so far; the cast is amazing; our director, Robby Lutfy, has established a rehearsal space of trust and “yes”; and we have a new trio of brilliantly engineered and lovingly crafted giant puppets. Ah, the puppets!

The first week of any rehearsal process is usually about getting to know each other and the work at hand. We are fortunate this year to have four veteran cast members and to be remounting a Big Shoes (albeit with some large changes in the script and casting). Watching rehearsal this afternoon, I was astonished with the great work that has already happened. Truly, the road is rising to greet us and I feel fortunate to have such wonderful artists to ride alongside!

This post is from Open Dream Ensemble Artistic Producer and General Manager, Rebecca Nussbaum.