Good Directions

A dedicated and talented cast cannot go far without an equally dedicated and talented director. Add to this mix a good script, and you might have a hit on your hands!

This season we are pleased to have three remarkable directors working with Open Dream Ensemble.

The team of Matt Cowart and Isaac Klein will direct Dream Machines starting in July. These two have a remarkable list of accomplishments as well as a truly remarkable amount of energy and enthusiasm. They created the script for Dream Machines based on transportation at the turn of the last century – think planes, trains, and automobiles and you’re headed in the right (or should I say “Wright”) direction.


Mollye Maxner returns to Open Dream for a fifth season of directing. Through the years, Mollye has written and directed three productions (The Amazing Adventure of Anna Marie, Max and the Indexicon, and The Red Planet: The Show Must Go On) for Open Dream Ensemble. Additionally, she and her husband, Kelly Maxner, helped to envision what Open Dream was to become in the development phase of the project. Mollye’s new show, Peril on the Red Planet was co-written by Shona Simpson and Brian Sutow.


Each of these directors will be posting entries on this blog in the coming months. I am certain that once the shows are up and running, their abilities to give good directions will be evident to all.

Dreamers

All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that is was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.

– T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Every season brings new and returning Dreamers. This season promises a talented, hardworking cast full of energized, enthusiastic and capable artists. Of the eight performers, four are returning and four are new. This is an ideal blend in many respects. The returning members lead through experience – they understand what is expected in putting up the shows, performing, working in the classrooms and touring. The new members bring the gift of being able to see things through clear eyes and offer insights to how things are done and what could be done better.

One of the joys of each season is watching a group of artists grow. Ideally, this growth is artistic, intellectual and emotional. Through the years we have had 26 Dreamers. Each has contributed their artistic gifts and pushed themselves to develop other skills. Open Dream Ensemble remains vital in large part due to the cast. To find out more about the incoming cast, visit: http://opendreamensemble.com/people.html

And to all wide-eyed Dreamers wherever they be, a hearty “THANK YOU” for making it all possible.

52 Days to go

Go Somewhere Extraordinary!

Countdown to July 6, 2009 and the beginning of the fifth season of Open Dream Ensemble. We have many exciting events planned to celebrate this milestone but for now, here’s a little background information on Open Dream.

In February of 2004 the initial conversations of what became Open Dream Ensemble began. Through the course of a year of research and development, the following guidelines were established.

Open Dream Ensemble would:
1. Be an outreach vehicle for the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and function under the umbrella of our primary funder and Executive Director, the Kenan Institute for the Arts.
2. Be comprised of professional artists trained at UNCSA.
3. Create original productions for youth that connect to the standard curriculum.
4. Carry out residency work in elementary schools throughout the state.

To date, Open Dream Ensemble has performed hundreds of times for over 50,000 youth across the southeast. And, we have carried out residencies from the flatlands of eastern to the mountains of western North Carolina.

Come back next week as we look ahead to season five!