Little Miracles of the Season

At the conclusion of every season the dust settles, the energy shifts, and some quite moments of reflection are built into hectic schedules.

This Open Dream Ensemble season had some amazing occurrences, or little miracles. Hopefully these small events will lead to larger happenings as we build in seasons to come, but for now I am happy to ruminate and share some of the wonder.

When we began toying with the idea of a web series the logistics and realities of it were matters to be discovered. In the past year there was a lot of discovery, planning, feedback, writing, directing, cinematography, and ideas from a number of talented individuals. The wonder team of Brian Sutow, Joshua Morgan and Drew Wobler lead the way in helping Open Dream create the first web series for youth. And WOW, what a great web series The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble has turned out to be -- with nearly 6000 views to date!

Peril on the Red Planet returned to the stage for 50 performances and amazed nearly 13,000 youth in NC, VA, and CA. There were a few additions to the performance this season including an eco-rap by Jon, a tap-dancing robot by Julianne and a fight scene choreographed by Bryn. Of Bryn, a marine viewing the performance stated, “She’s fierce!” Nod. Yah.

Early one morning as the cast was on its way to a performance, one of our large vehicles backed into another of our large vehicles. Vehicle one kept driving, not realizing what had happened while the cast in vehicle two sat shocked in the parking lot. Thankfully, no injuries. Especially wonderful as the door Julianne was stilling next to was well dented in.

After FOUR seasons of performing every show, never having a sick day, and learning roles to cover for other cast members, Haydee succumbed to laryngitis and was out for a week of performances. The cast came through with Brandon learning the role of the pink robot, Tangent, overnight and Sonny switching from guard robot to “Deiter” in order to cover Demeter’s role and lines.

After a show in the mountains the stage steps collapsed under the cast during load-out. Sonny was well bruised and Jon injured in his Achilles. Coping well with a limping, gimpy Apollo, the cast quickly learned how to cover the transitions Jon was responsible for – and the audiences were none the wiser for it!

In the middle of the illnesses and injuries, we got word that our dual-citizen cast member was wanted by Homeland Security for paperwork gone wrong. A number of people, some across the ocean, quickly pulled together, figured out how to fix the problem, and thus we were able to keep IanBrian in the cast! Phew!

Our very own Brando showed he has a great sense of timing when he was able to rush to the Charlotte airport in time for our California flight – leaving Winston 20-minutes after the other cars but arriving at the same time! And that flight, by the by, was nearly empty so the Open Dreamers were able to enjoy a little quite sleep in route.

Meanwhile, the intrepid team of William and Steve DROVE the set from NC to CA. ROAD TRIP in a big big way. Safe throughout, no mishaps.

For years Peter has been talking about THE CHAIR. He had never touched or sat in THE CHAIR but carried pictures of it in his phone and spoke of it with a touching tenderness. The first night Open Dream was in Pasadena, he saw THE CHAIR, an Eames Molded Plywood Lounger from afar – through a window of a closed furniture store. During the course of the week, he returned to THE CHAIR and even had the opportunity to relax into its comfy contours. How happy he looks in the photo!

At a performance for the gifted students of Diamond Elementary in Santa Ana, the children chastised Diana for considering giving up and not taking responsibility. I stood in awe as the children in near unison started chanting, “Never give up!” and shaking their fingers at Diana until she made the right decision. Following the performance the Principal informed us that the school motto is, “Never give up.” It turns out that these bright and alert children were largely from families where the parents do not even have an elementary level education. Gumption.

This was the first season Open Dream had the opportunity to carry out a two-week residency. This was made memorable by the limitless hospitality of Benton Heights Elementary School of the Arts, (thanks!!!) and this was also the first time we created a quantitative assessment of a residency. The results: a 78% gain in test scores for the students Open Dream worked with in grades 4 and 5.

Perhaps the most amazing event occurred during a residency when a third-grader, known to her entire school as a “self-mute” verbally replied to the Open Dream Teaching Artists Haydee, Sonny and Ian. Needless to say, this astonished everyone and, we hope, has helped her move into a different realm of communication.

I continue to be awed and inspired by the work Open Dream Ensemble does. Short seasons have large impacts and the UNCSA-trained cast bring their best selves forward to put on show after show, smile through take after take, and instruct lesson after lesson. The dedication, professionalism, and grace of this season’s cast will remain a hope and beacon for seasons to come. Thank you Brandon, Bryn, Haydee, Ian, Jon, Julianne, Peter and Sonny. I am so grateful for the little miracles you pulled off over the 15-weeks you were the Open Dream Ensemble.

This post is written by Open Dream Ensemble General Manager, Rebecca Nussbaum.

Bryn’s Blogging It Up

This post comes from the witty Bryn Harris. Having completed the Open Dream season, Bryn is now in the process of setting up her life in Washington, DC.



I will remember
One Take Thompson
“Don’t forget your British Accent”
Josh’s step ball-change
The colorful silk fabrics that look like “Dragons”
All the Children’s faces and hilarious questions
Mr. Frank Casstevens
JPL
Rebecca’s blue hat
Marina Del Ray
The beautiful Pacific Ocean immediately followed by hell in an airport.
Ago/Ame
Abeona’s Beat Battle
The Kung Fu Challenge
Peter’s Sense of Humor, no I mean his $2000 bottle of wine ☺
Ian’s BOOMBA
Brandon banging on that effing BOOM DRUM
“Shep”, “No Ship”, “At’s wooh ah sed Shep”, “No SHhhhhhiiiiiihhhhhPP!!”
Alliteration
Bob the Robot
Haydee’s Demeter (it’s all about the hair)
“Get on my banana boat”
Mr. S
Many more unmentionables…
Helping Stevie Nix with her wings before the greatest show on earth
“We’re Fashionistas baby, we just off the bloody jet from London.”

It was definitely harder than I thought to…

A. Awake before daylight
B. Believe a word that came out of Peter’s mouth
C. Create engaging and multi-intelligence exercises
D. Describe how amazing JPL was
E. Eat before I fell asleep for the night by 4:00pm
F. Fight with a staircase running through half the stage
G. Grow deeper rather than expand on choices
H. Hold onto the integrity of the show with screaming kids
I. Inform kids how to create their own informances
J. Jam all the curriculum points into the residencies
K. Keep the show fresh every performance
L. Love little kids after they cough in your mouth
M. Make Breakfast before leaving for work
N. Not cuss or say anything vulgar in front of kids
O. Organize everyone to want to eat at the same restaurant
P. Put on wet clothes the second day
Q. Quarterstaff fight with bending and broken fake bamboo stix
R. Repeat the performance three times in a row
S. Shut the Van door after Peter ran it over with the Ryder truck
T. Tell the difference between little boys and girls in 3rd grade
U. Undo actions after they are taken
V. Visualize happiness sitting in LAX for 4 hours
W. Wave the fabric without kids grabbing hold of the end
X. Xerox the ODE logo on colored paper
Y. Yell over that loud Boom Drum
Z. Zip up Abeona’s unitard

I continue to believe in the arts having verifiable evidence in teaching people how to learn faster and deeper. This experience has confirmed for me how arts can not only be integrated into the curriculum despite the budget, but can in fact help deepen the learning of other fields such as science and math. I look forward to continue my study and appreciate the verifiable data we got from the Benton Heights residency.
I’m moving to D.C. because Josh and Brian talked it up so much and because I met Jon Odom, my soul mate.
As a performer I went into the work with absolute commitment and love for the project, I came out of it only slightly tainted, so that’s a good thing. I don’t know if I would want to perform children’s theater for the rest of my life, but there is something very simple and truthful about the work that makes it easy to go out there everyday and perform. I am really proud of us as a cast because we never once let the commitment drop, even if the show was a little off, we were in the world. There were no pranks or inside jokes that were meant only for us. We really performed every time for the kids and that is why they got so much out of it.
I really enjoyed the story that we were presenting. It focused on lessons in science, merging with art, which is a small important bridge in the world today, and anytime stories are able to encompass both I want to see and be a part of them. The dialogues these performances created with students from all fields of interest can be so valuable for their education, and the statistics helped get us that much closer to proving that the arts can be used for more than entertainment. Working with visual arts, music, dance, drama, and a great variety of materials and manipulatives helped make abstract ideas more easily understandable.
The best part of this whole experience was the kids. The residencies were where I learned the most and was challenged the most everyday. These specific age groups, 2-5th graders were remarkable in how fast they learned and their complete willingness to jump into new and engaging ways of learning. The teachers seemed to really find value in the work and our work sparked them to try new plans in their classroom. The kids as an audience were amazing because they were absolutely honest. If they didn’t like you they expressed it, and I learned so much about my craft as an actor because I was literally able to guide how the ship moved forward.

CALIFORNIA!!!!!

Early Sunday morning Open Dream Ensemble made our way to the Charlotte airport and boarded a plane to Los Angeles. From those first hours on the west coast to six performances into this week, we have been having a wonderful time!

So far we have enjoyed an amazing tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a standing-room only performance in their venue, and five in-school performances in Tarzana, LA, and Santa Ana. Amazing audiences and schools -- we thank all of them for their interest and hospitality. And extend a hearty thanks to all the wonderful people at JPL who took time from their busy schedules to give us a mighty tour!

Benton Heights week 1 and 2

This post come from the helpful and multi-capable Sonny Enseln. A first-year Open Dream member, Sonny comes to our group with loads of orchestral and chamber music experience.

Sonny is pictured here working in a Benton Heights classroom. Photo is by Drew Davis, UNCSA dance grad turned photographer.

Week number one of our longest residency this season is now over, and it's been quite an experience. Four classes a day, the first "informances" that we've had to work on this season, two performances of the show, and the great hospitality of Mr. Casstevens. The kids have been wonderful, and the teachers very supportive, it's nice to see that the adults are willing to dive in and be active with the students. We've been covering a lot of material and discovering how different classes have different fortes to try to build off of. The informances on Friday were a huge example of that, and it's great to see that much creativity coming to the stage.

I am actually late with this entry, so we actually have a substantial chunk of week two under are belts, and it continues to surge forward. Monday we met our new thrid grade classes and continued on with fourth and fifth, Tuesday we did workshops for teachers and then charged back to Winston-Salem to fulfill our civic duty (hope you all got out and voted as well) then had dinner with the Casstevens family (thank you so much for the great food and friendship), then back in the fray of teaching AND our first performance in over a week on Wednesday. Boy howdy, doesn't time fly when you're busy?

Upcoming California Performance

Open Dream will be having its first California performance this Monday. The details are below - hope to see some of our CA friends there!

Open Dream Ensemble performs Peril on the Red Planet

Monday, November 8, 2010
4:00 p.m.
Free admission

von Kármán Auditorium

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, California 91109-8099


RSVP to lyndal@kenanarts.org by Friday, November 5.

Open Dream Ensemble is a professional outreach program of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and is comprised of professional artists who trained in dance, drama, and music at UNCSA. Peril on the Red Planet, an original play written by UNCSA Alumna Mollye Maxner with Shona Simpson, is set in the future and tells the story of 13-year-old Diana as she works to end famine on Mars. For more information about the production and to read about the 2010 cast members, visit www.opendreamensemble.com.

The Imagine Mars Project, which is sponsored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, named Open Dream Ensemble as one of its four principal partners in 2009. Their support and collaboration helped make it possible to present Peril on the Red Planet. We hope you can join us!

Fun Times at Benton Heights

This post is from the lovely dancing robot-lady, Julianne Harper.



So...we just finished up our wonderful first week at Benton Heights Elementary! Ian & I are working with Ms. Norman's fourth grade class, Ms. Lewis' fifth grade class, Ms. Foster's fourth grade class, and I worked with Peter and Brandon in Ms. Hoover's third grade class. I want to take a moment to give all of our students a HUGE round of applause! (clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,CLAP:0)
The week was so much fun because of our students; they are all so creative, well mannered, bright, and enthusiastic. Not only did they already have a fairly comprehensive grasp on the curriculum we were covering, but every second of class time was filled with creative investigation. As as result, so many discoveries were made as well as deeper understandings of subjects that the students were not as familiar with. And bottom line...we had a lot of FUN!
Our third grade classes were able to share with each other what they had been working on during the week. We all gathered into the school's auditorium, and the kids were able to see what performing on a real stage is like. Ms. Hoover's class presented commercials that they had made up from scratch to sell soil, and let me tell you-I was ready to buy some soil!
I look forward to this week continuing with our fourth and fifth grade classes because they will have a chance to perform for each other just like the third grade. I can't wait to see what surprises each class has in store!

Benton Heights Residency Week 2!!

This post comes from Dr. Disrupto, aka Peter Shanahan. Peter is a third-year Open Dreamer and has performed various roles -- including a rapping sewage worker , tweedle-dee, Octave Chanute, Guard Robot and "Dad!" This season he has also taken on the role of our Residency Manager and Co-Tour Manager.




We've had a great first week at Benton Heights Elementary in Monroe, North Carolina; and we're ready for more! The cast returned to Benton Heights this evening and we're ready for another week. Benton Heights is an amazing school for many reasons. The arts are a core part of the school and all signs suggest they are headed in the right direction! The kids' demeanor really reflect the fact that they have plenty of creative outlets. The school offers a full spread of arts classes in drama, music, dance, and visual arts. There is a wonderful spirit of kindness and respect that seems to stem from their exposure to creativity and care. Bravo to the whole faculty at Benton Heights, an A+ school in every way!

It's also great to have the chance to really get to know the kids over a two-week residency. We're able to cover so many curriculum objectives in great detail, and it's clear the kids are really having fun and remembering what they are learning at the same time. Thanks to the amazing students and faculty at Benton Heights!

The Storyteller

This post comes from the lovely Ian Antal. Ian is a first-year Open Dreamer whose positive attitude and comical aptitude are appreciated by all in his work on stage and in the classroom. This photo is Ian as Isaac Newton in our original web series, The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble.



Lately, I have been strongly reconnecting with the concept of the storyteller. The storyteller's responsibility in society. Why humans across civilizations and throughout history experience the natural urge to share stories, and how that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. We view our own lives as stories. And history is little more than a story itself, and is not always quite as accurate as fiction can be. The more I think about my profession as one of telling stories, the more humbled and excited I feel about the future. Theatre is a kind of church, just like the Bible can be seen as a string of stories. A strong play can be equally as rousing and redeeming as a poignant sermon, and they often communicate very similar messages with the same tools. It just strikes me as such a privilege toad be able to consider myself a professional storyteller. Working with the children has brought me back to basic lessons in storytelling. In telling a story, the audience is the ultimate partner in the space and the connection to that partner should never be lost. Children will not do you the disfavor of feigning interest. Their intuition constantly keeps me alert and on my toes.

This first week at Benton Heights Elementary has proved to be a rather smooth adventure so far. There is an intriguing vibe in the school's atmosphere. As I understand it, Benton Heights Elementary has been very active in integrating the arts in their curriculum for quite some time now, and I really like to think that it shows. Every class has displayed a strong understanding of respect for their peers and the greater school community. In terms of ensemble dynamics, every 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class we are working with has a very strong and supportive collaborative energy. For the most part, there seems to be an intuitive respect amongst the students for each other's right to live and learn.

Over lunch today, eating amongst the children, Julianne pointed out the naturally low level of noise in the filled cafeteria and the discipline among the student body. Yet none of the teachers we have encountered here have come across as iron-fisted disciplinarians. We discussed whether the successful arts integration at this particular elementary could be directly correlating with the general stability of the learning environment. I just haven't perceived any need or urge in the students to really act out, possibly because the arts are serving the children as an effective release. Whatever it is, it seems to have rendered the students of this elementary school particularly receptive, curious, and positive.

It is a big privilege to be invited by such an institution to shake things up a bit. Just today, while Julianne and I were facilitating group work in our first 4th grade class of the day, their teacher approached us and pointed out how wonderful it was to see a number of the particularly shy students in the class taking charge on their own accord during various activities. As I observe the class dynamics and receive helpful feedback from the faculty, I am becoming more and more convinced that the energy the arts sweep into the space can be highly conducive to deep learning for the children. If nothing else, this energy offers a contrast to the routine inherent in a school schedule, while still engaging the kids with curriculum-based learning on several different levels.

Breaking News

This post is from the fantastic Haydee Thompson. This is Haydee's fourth season with Open Dream Ensemble and she has played many roles for us including an abolitionist, a pirate, a mother, a mad hatter, a space-aged whiz kid, Katherine Wright (sister of the Wright brothers) a robot, and a human-variant of the goddess Demeter. She is pictured here taking a well-deserved break.


Unbelievable! Friday morning Julianne and I lead the drive to Stokes County in the Ryder truck. It was, of course, still dark as we were winding up the country hill when a giant fire ball shot across the sky! Julianne exclaimed something to the effect of, "HUNGRY HIPPO'S, LOOK AT THAT!!!!" It was HUGE and bright with all the colors of fire. "Is that a meteorite?", I said as it gently glided behind the tree line. I immediately grabbed my phone and found the number for local channel 12, WXII. They should know about this, it looked very close and we wondered where it might have hit. Unfortunately, after 20 rings, no one answered and I hung up. I then tried to find the number for FOX 8 morning news, after all, they interviewed ODE last month and Cindy Farmer should want to hear about this! Sadly, I couldn't find their number on their website anywhere so again No Luck! Oh well, I suppose I'll never know where that space rock landed. Nor will I ever know how to report breaking news.

The Show must go On…and On, and On

This post is from sunshine Jon Odom. Jon is a first year Open Dreamer with great humor and talent.



This past week seemed as though the ensemble had been cursed, we started the week off with a bang, literally, a minor car door accident. The early morning calls and school germs began to take a hold on all of us, we have been passing around a wonderful fall bug, which has now made its way through each one of us, one by one, week by week, since the first week we started Residencies. So what once was Bryn’s, now is Haydee’s, who is the lucky contender for this week’s man vs. flu. Although she made it through our Saluda Elementary School performance on Monday she soon lost her voice and was bed stricken for the week’s performances, and the Residency at Pinnacle/Nancy Reynolds Elementary. That same morning, I lost the use of my ankle after a small load out accident , and limped not only through the production, but also through the curriculum as we worked with the wonderful, and mobile, children at Pinnacle/Nancy Reynolds. So with one and half men down we went through our week, each cast member putting forth even more effort into making the week successful. Whether it was Brandon and Sonny going on as an understudy, for roles they never actually studied under, or Juilanne and Peter taking on extra classes, or Ian , who’s week was full of international stress, strapping even more onto his back as he loaded the set in and out, while I sat anxiously watching with my ankle elevated above my heart, trying to at least keep people laughing at the disaster that was this week. In spite of it all the show’s were received with much praise and appreciation, the cast truly made the best out of a seemingly dismal situation. Although, I must say it is very hard to be dismal around the wonderful and imaginative energy of children, who continue to educate me, making me a student of their imaginations. I am continually humbled by their willingness to believe and eagerness to learn, which offers so much to me, not only as an artist but as a human. My favorite “children say the darndest things” moment of the week came from Miss Bryn and I’s fifth grade class residency, they were given an assignment to draw a picture of the villainous Zartox 3, write down their favorite part of the show, and one character they would play in the production. We went around the room and each child shared their pictures, which were so inventive, and their favorites part of the show. After we finished and the class ended a tiny sandy blonde haired boy, came up to me and tugged on my sleeve, I looked down, and he pointed to his picture which read, “ I would be the black protestor, ‘cause he can sing and dance good”, and then he bashfully ran off, I limped out of the classroom smiling at the irony and beauty of his picture.

After the weeks long and wonderful week of laughter and adversity, came a well earned restful weekend, followed by a quick return to the tour on Monday. We traveled down to Cherokee, North Carolina, and stopped in Asheville on the way for some shopping, sushi and sight seeing,….hey alliteration, how you doing? It was an absolutely stunning scenic route with all the fall colors of the south vibrantly painting the steep drive through the mountains. Our stay in Cherokee was just as soothing and picturesque as the journey. For a couple of us it was the first time we had been on a Native American Reservation. Although, we soon found out the Reservation is actually not a Reservation, but a Sovereign Nation, since the land had been purchased by the Cherokee Nation from the government. The school was a work of art in itself, not only being one of the greenest school’s in the nation, with solar lighting cylinders lining the ceilings throughout the campus, and the architecture represents not only a cultural and tribal influence, but also compliments the gorgeous landscape that is kept in pristine condition. It was a truly an inspiring trip and a perfect finale to last weeks Peril in North Carolina, yet another reminder that adversity really is the true test of strength, and ultimately true beauty. In the theater, as in life, things are bound to go wrong, but broken ankle or runny nose… On, On, On with the show.

“Ses-Ame and Carry-Away Mixed Vegetables with Angel Hair”: A Recipe for Teaching Artistry

This post comes from our very own Iron Chef, Bryn Harris. A director, actress and fight choreographer, Bryn has filled the shoes of Diana in our production of Peril on the Red Planet.



Even if you think you don’t care for tiny human Brussels sprouts, give them a try in this recipe for Teaching Artistry. The flavors of nutty artists yelling “I say Ago, You Ses Ame” and anise-like carry away seeds of curriculum are a wonderful accent to these tiny bite sized humans.

1 tablespoon “Ses Ame” seeds (Classroom Management)
2 teaspoons carry away seeds (Fun Activities and Theater Games)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (School Appropriate Curriculum)
6 scallions, chopped (Colorful Vocabulary Words: Post on the Wall)
3 cups Brussels sprout halves (Classroom full of excited children)
½ cup chicken broth (Various sized pieces of Orange cloth)
2 cups snow peas, trimmed (Handheld Instruments)
½ teaspoons ground black pepper (Verbal Discipline for out of line Sprouts)
½ teaspoon low-sodium seasoning (Airborne, Zycam, Hand sanitizer: after contact)
1 package Angel Hair Pasta (Supportive, Specific Reflections and Review)

Make sure you have a clean clear kitchen to prep your lesson otherwise the sprouts could become bruised or lost. Combine the “Ses Ame” seeds and “Carry-Away” seeds in a large open nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toast the seeds with “Circle Etiquette” by stirring at various tempos. Some like to stir to musical terms such as Andante (walking), Presto (fast), and Largo (long and slow). Use “Uh Oh” to shake the pan up and make sure all the little seeds are toasting on both sides evenly. Stir for 2 minutes, or until the seeds start to ZIP ZAP ZOP out of the pan with glee. Remove to a seated circular bowl.
Heat the appropriate EVOO in the same skillet over medium-high heat by introducing the essential questions of the lesson. Add the scallions and stir-fry for 1 minute (this smell will stay in the room after you leave). Add the Brussels sprouts own flavorful opinions and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Separate into groups. Note: Some sprouts will cook right away while others will need more attention. Keep rotating the sprouts over the center of the heat. Add the broth, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sprouts are just tender.
Add the snow peas and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the seeds, pepper, and herb seasoning and cook for 1 minute.
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl.

Makes 4 Servings:
Serve on a bed of carefully swirled angel hair pasta with a garnish of applause. Top it off with a little Magic Sword and you have a complex and flavorful scaffolding of multi-intelligences.

NUTRITION (THIS WEEK) AT A GLANCE
Per Serving:
610 calories (3 classes a day at this weeks residency),
25 g fat (4:45 a.m. call time),
4 g saturated fat (“Wohh, was that an Earthquake or did Peter just hit the passenger van door with the Ryder truck?”),
21 g protein (still dark, cold, heavy load in at new gym),
76 g carbohydrate (Run Peril to 400 Brussels sprouts at 8:30 a.m.),
4 1/2g dietary fiber (Load out; “Oh My Gosh the stairs just collapsed underneath Jon and Sonny and Jon might have broken his ankle),
5 mg cholesterol (Teach with disabled Jon 5th, 2nd, 3rd grades),
250 mg sodium (Take Jon to Prime Care, “You’ve bruised your Achilles tendon, wow your very lucky”).

SIDE EFFECTS
Haydee gets sick, loses her voice, out for the rest of the week. Between Sonny, Brandon, and Ian, Haydee is covered. Jon can’t walk and might have to do the show in a chair, everyone picks up transitions, which are longer with no waving flagger therefore less interesting, so we up the anti on comedy technique and truthful talking and listening, and we make it through to double show day on Friday.
Now we are home free; Jon’s Achilles is feeling better, One Take sounds like Kathleen Turner, but at least there is sound coming out of her mouth. No residencies next week and we get to go through Asheville. So the only worry now is that Julianne and I have been calling Demeter ‘him’ because Sonny took over for Haydee, and now that she’s back we may slip and call her ‘him’. Ahhhh days off, I think I’m in a Food Coma!

The Show Goes On

Audiences last week had a special treat -- the opportunity to see some real professionals keeping the show going!

In every season there are unexpected issues that come up. This season has been no exception. Last week we had a stair collapse when moving out of a space that resulted in Jon getting a leg injury that left him limping and Sonny nursing two sore and bruised legs. This was followed by Haydee getting a nasty case of laryngitis.

The result of these surprises was the cast springing into action -- learning new parts overnight and staging prior to show times in order to make sure the show went on!

(The image is of the cast moving the set out of a performance space.)

The Power of Belief

This post comes from the kind and generous-spirited Ian Antal. A recent graduate of the UNCSA School of Drama, this is Ian's first season with Open Dream Ensemble. He is pictured here as Isaac Newton in The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Take a second, really think about what you might want as a skill that sets you apart from the rest of society. A certain quality of supernatural strength. Flight? Invisibility? The ability to morph into various shapes and images? Maybe you saw a power that really spoke to you in a comic book or a cartoon as a child, or something in the Harry Potter series. After thinking long enough about it and settling for a specific imaginary power, that choice reflects something special in the chooser.

Earlier this year, I finally settled on wishing I had the ability to transform into a loony-tunes-style cartoon character at will, bringing with me all the nonsensical laws of a world where logic does not rule the universe; where two plus two do not necessarily equal 4, and in fact really shouldn’t! A world where pianos and heavy-duty safes sporadically fall from the sky without causing permanent harm and damage upon landing on their victim. A world where time can be distorted and rules of nature uprooted.

In a way, I think the unconscious desire for this power during my childhood led me to the magic of the stage. Performers hold the power to create and alter life in any space they deem suitable for their work. Over the years I studied this craft with steadily increasing commitment and soon enough, I got so caught up in the technique and study of it that I ran the risk of forgetting the origin of my passion and the sense of play that initially drove me towards it.

Performing for and working with the children at various venues and schools has served as a fantastic wake-up call for my childhood connection to my profession. More specifically, the children’s ability to believe strongly in any given circumstances―whether they take place on Mars, at the center of the earth, or in a tree house―is absolutely awe-inspiring. In every venue we have performed at this season, I have observed a natural willingness from the children to be swept away by the story. And they will certainly let you know when they are not feeling quite swept away. One could not wish for more honest yet forgiving audiences.

In a conversation I had recently with Robert Beseda, the Assistant Dean of the UNCSA School of the Drama, about the beauty and ease surrounding the children’s sense of belief, he told me a wonderful story about a young boy at a performance of Peter Pan he had attended. When Peter Pan first flew into the scene, thanks to the skilled use of the theater’s fly system, the young boy sitting in front of Robert leapt and stood on his seat, grasped his head with his hands, and let out a jubilant “WwwooOOoooww!” I wouldn’t say that I have altogether lost that sense of play and drop-of-the-hat belief that this child was exemplifying so ecstatically, but I certainly remember it being MUCH more accessible to me as a child. So when did I start allowing doubt and skepticism to cloud my imagination?

During the training at UNCSA I became acquainted with a very useful tool for giving your imagination a good stretch: the red nose. The comedy associated with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton reflects the world of the red nose very well. The nose brings with it child-like openness, playful positivity, and pure innocence. When wielded appropriately, the red nose holds an immense power to captivate audiences. More often than not, a simple shift of the clown’s eyes will tell all that needs to be told. Most importantly, the nose is fueled by imagination and belief. Thus, just like in the movie “The Mask,” starring Jim Carrey, ANYTHING becomes possible in the world of the nose. The only boundaries are set by the limits of your imagination. Suddenly the rules of time and space needn’t apply, and we can waltz with Mr. Keaton and Mr. Chaplin, picnic with Roger Rabbit, glide the skies with Peter Pan, you name it!

The chance to put the nose to work in classrooms of 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders was IR-RE-SISTIBLE! What other way to learn more about the clown within me could possibly match the splendor of working with the world’s finest imaginarians?! The joy and commitment the children expressed while interacting with the clown―be it while tossing an invisible ball of various sizes and weights back and forth or by reacting to the imaginary smells a tissue-paper-flower might have―revitalized my visceral childhood connection to acting in the matter of a few heartbeats. Over the course of these first residencies, the class clown routines have been refined and developed further, to the point where the class is improvising together for 30 minutes with various games using no more than 5 words―andante, presto, largo, piano, and forte (grunts, squeals, and whistles not included). The nose gives everyone the chance to go somewhere extraordinary with the sheer power of belief. Julianne (my teaching artist partner) and I discovered that the clown effectively warms up the children’s bodies and imaginations, as well as their focus and attention to detail, rendering them that much more receptive to the science curriculum we cover.

When I see the children’s eyes SO engaged in the game of learning, I think back to my 3^rd grade homeroom teacher, who thought it wise to pull my head back one day and caution me very directly with the words “don’t be funny” in reference to my efforts as the class clown. Without Mrs. Geary’s advice, I may never have developed into the professional class clown I am today, and it may have taken me much longer to rediscover the play behind belief that the children demonstrate so naturally. I cannot thank the universe enough for bestowing me with this precious learning opportunity. I feel my artistry and my soul expanding consistently throughout the process of touring and teaching. It is exhausting and invigorating all at once. It is such a gift to experience something I already know I will treasure for a very long time to come….and it ain’t over yet!

Ian as Isaac

For some reason, technology sometimes does not respond to my requests. I could not post a picture of Ian in the prior post, so here it is in this post...

facets

This post is from Julianne Harper - a lovely woman and fabulous tap dancer. She was in the cast for our first season and returns in our sixth season. We are glad to have her back!
(Shown here in rehearsal for her role as Abeona in Peril on the Red Planet)

Open Dream has just completed our week long residency with Mineral Springs Elementary. I am so fortunate to have Ian Antal as my teaching partner, and boy do we have fun! I am constantly amazed with the imagination all of my students have, and the fourth and fifth graders this week were no exception.
When making our lesson plans, Ian and I tend to cover the curriculum by using activities that offer the students lots of time to find their creative voice. This often means guiding them to think outside of the norm-"How would you act out or dance a mineral's color?" At first there are a few confused faces in the crowd, but in no time the students attack the assignment with such an amazing amount of imaginative thinking. The results are incredibly different interpretations that allow the students to show a little of themselves-the artist and performer that is uniquely them! We have loved getting to know these sides of our students, and I know that they had fun showing us! Thanks so much Mineral Springs, you guys were awesome!

The Open Dream Ensemble’s Adventures in SCIENCE!!!

This post is from the perpetually sunny and wonderfully enthusiastic Brandon Harris. This is Brandon's first year as a member of Open Dream Ensemble.

We’re currently in the middle of our second residency at Mineral Springs Elementary School, and I can’t tell you what a blast it is! Honestly, for myself, it is a little surreal. I mean, for the past 18 years of my life I have spent every September beginning a new school year as a student. And now, my first September OUT of school and I winded up... back in school!

And I couldn’t be happier. This week we of the Open Dream Ensemble are splitting our time between performing Peril on the Red Planet for local elementary schools in the morning, and heading to Mineral Springs in the afternoon to teach. As far as teaching goes, we’re currently “rocking” our 4th graders with a lesson about rocks and minerals, and “covering some ground” the 5th graders with an interactive lesson on landforms. I’m teaching alongside “Mr. Peter,” who is a wonderful teaching artist with lots of experience and a truly giving spirit. He definitely helped me get my sea legs under me during our first week long residency at Summit School last week. Combine that with spending my evenings watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, and I really feel that I’m coming into my own as a teaching artist. Today was my first day running a class solo, and I don’t think it could have gone better! :-) Tomorrow I’m bringing in drum sticks and fabric so that my 5th graders can lay down a beat while exploring the actions of tectonic plates. GO SCIENCE!!

As for Peril on the Red Planet, this particular morning we performed at Walkertown Elementary. We had to get to the school extra early, (6:45 am) to load in the set before the school busses got there carrying their precious cargo. We artists often tend to be a nocturnal bunch, so getting up at 5:30 in the morning to be ready for a 6:15 call time is quite a change of lifestyle to say the least. Especially after just graduating from a school where rehearsals regularly went until 11pm. (And sometimes 1am for side projects!)

We’re definitely a sight to see in those early mornings: a band of groggy headed artists wearing brightly colored shirts, loading into a van with a smiley face on each side (the smiley van!) in the pre-sunrise dimness, coffee in hand, eagerly awaiting the caffeine to hit our blood streams and sincerely hoping it doesn’t rain. Another day on the job.

It’s not always easy. It’s not always fun. And taking on a class full of kids can definitely be intimidating. But when you see the children’s excited faces during the show, when you feel their engagement and enthusiasm for learning growing throughout the week, and when you receive a hand written note from the “problem child” that says,

“Mr. Brandon
you ar a good teacher
Pleas come back next year”

You know it’s all worth it.

-Mr. Brandon"

I attached the mentioned note. I think it might be cool to post it on the blog. [notice the coffee stain from aforementioned coffee :-P ]

Summit School and beyond

This post is from third-year cast member, Peter Shanahan. He is pictured here as the maniacal Dr. Disrupto in our web series, The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble.



This week we are working at the Summit School in a five-day teaching residency. is turning out to be a real blast. The kids are very eager to learn and we've discovered just how energetic and creative they are! My teaching partner, Brandon Harris, is one of the Open Dream Ensemble's newest cast members and I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching him work with the kids. He is excellent and always seems capable of having more energy than 15 kids combined! Yesterday we played "air guitar" with our Fifth grade class singing a hard-rock tune with the words of "When I Wake Up in Pangea..." Brandon created the tune and was just as capable of getting the kids to learn about and imagine what Pangea was like as he was in exciting them and making them laugh! I'm lucky to be working with such a great actor and teacher.

I'm looking forward to next week's residency at Mineral Springs Elementary and shows throughout the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, but first we have a show coming up on the UNCSA campus at 2:00 PM on Saturday and we'll be filming the show in the afternoon.

I'm very proud to be working with such an excellent group of cast members and teaching artists! And if you haven't already, please check out our webseries: The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble!

Tomorrow - FREE performance!!!!!

This post is from the wonderful Sonny Enslen. Pictured here on the right as the "Quarkster" in Open Dream's web series.


Well here we are… a public performance in Raleigh, five school performances, and one week of residencies into the season. After rehearsing, filming, traveling, and all that general mayhem, it is now the time that we get really busy. All matters and the short amount of time considered, things are going quite smoothly.

This week has flown by, but not without first doing another public performance, this time in Winston-Salem. I haven’t performed on the UNCSA campus in 13 years, and here I return with a children’s show. When I finished school here I never imagined that something like this would happen, and it’s very heartening to see the school reaching out to the community at large. For a romping good sci-fi kind of time, come to the show Peril on the Red Planet on 25 September, 2:00pm, at Performance Place on the UNCSA campus.

Flitting across stage,
Fighting for the survival
Of the red planet

Rock - ing

This post is from the lovely and talented Haydee Thompson -- who plays Professor Poople in our new web-series, The Adventures of the Open Dream Ensemble.


So far this has been a whirlwind of a season. The winds really picked up last week as we performed our very first public school performance at Mineral Springs Elementary. I think there were near 400 bright faces there, cheering us along through every scene. I very much look forward to going back to Mineral Springs next week for a 5 day integrated residency.

Speaking of residencies, this year we have been nose down in science books trying to bone up on Birds, Landforms, rocks and minerals, and life cycles. The fun part is creating energizing physical activities that utilize our strengths as artists and personalities.

Everything was going quite well for me until the idea of a "rock dance" came up. In other words, using dance to define the properties of rocks. "Soooooo, you want them to dance like a rock?!", I said. I just couldn't wrap my head around it, I mean how would a rock dance? So then I decided to ask myself the same question but with a different inflection. "How WOULD a rock dance?" I mean, it's not very often we see it happen but rocks are always moving. In one single second there are a thousand/s rocks moving somewhere on earth, right? OPEN THE FLOOD GATES, By George I think she's got it! Rocks Dance!
They crack, they roll and tumble, they erode, melt, spew, rocks can even climb. Truth is, rocks move in endless numbers of ways. Get ready 4th Grade, Its called the "Rock Dance" and its coming to your school. Thank You, I'll be here all week.

ODE on the Road

We've been so busy this past month! We've managed to put up a show, film a web series, and complete teaching artist training.

Tomorrow is the start of the touring season for Open Dream. The cast will perform throughout NC and in the Pasadena area of California. We will also be carrying out a number of arts-integrated residencies. You'll be hearing directly from our great cast on how their season is going starting later this week.

For now, take a look at the first episode of our web series and visit our facebook page!

One week down

We are now in our second week of rehearsals and things are great!

We have a wonderful cast that has done some good work discovering and building characters as well as a great team of directors and designers who are coming up with terrific and exciting visuals.

We have a few dates open for booking -- if interested, you can find the Open Dream contact information at our website.

Keep Dreaming!

New Beginning

Season Six is underway! We have a wonderful, funny, creative and talented cast this season (three returning members, five new) as well as two directors (formerly cast members), a music director (also a former cast member) and an assistant director (former intern) hard at work putting up one show and preparing Open Dream for the world of the web series.

Rehearsal time is busy and challenging to everyone, but also a lot of fun. Here are some photos of everyone already hard at work on day one.

Amazing Adventures

20 days until we begin season six.

In the past five seasons, we've produced five brand-new original works. And, the original work for the this season is a seven episode web-series based on Isaac Newton and his Three Laws of Motion.

Our first four seasons included mounting and remounting of The Amazing Adventure of Anna Marie. This sweet story by Mollye and Kelly Maxner tells the tale of a girl who has to overcome her fear of being wrong in order to discover the power of asking questions.

In this clip from our second season, Anna Marie is trying to find a way over the wall to continue on her journey to visit the Dragon that is holding the key to the locked door of dreams. She is getting help from a pair of dancing crickets and her pal, Scout.

Open Dream has been an amazing and wonderful adventure so far! I am certain this season will continue our journey into the surprising and marvelous. 20 days - the countdown continues!!!

shoes

July is here and most of the eastern US is gripped in a stifling heatwave.

I've been spending some time in the Open Dream storage unit (not air conditioned) searching for shoes. I've found foot ware from many past seasons but not the mens shoes from last years production of Peril on the Red Planet. Alas!

I shrug it off with the prospect of finding the buried shoe-treasure at a later time and thinking that, perhaps, I am better off not unearthing 100-degree shoes that were worn for 40 sweaty performances until the weather cools....

Script Competition

Over the past five seasons Open Dream Ensemble has produced five original shows. We believe that original shows best allow students to experience live musical theater - no preconceived notions on what will happen, no expectations of characters, songs, or special effects, AND the benefit of allowing our writer, director, and designers to really be CREATIVE and use their IMAGINATIONS in bringing the production to life.

Our next original show will be written by .... actually, we don't know. We are holding a competition, open to all UNCSA alumnus, for the next show to be produced in the summer of 2011.

Dream Team

As the season begins in August and continues through December, the cast will make their contributions to this blog in the form of posts, photos, and video. We have a wonderful group of talented people taking up the call to be Open Dreamers this season.

Returning members include Haydee Thompson (actress), Peter Shanahan (musician), and Julianne Harper (dancer). New members are Ian Antal (actor), Sanford Enseln (musician), Brandon Harris (actor), Bryn Harris (actress / fight choreographer), and Jon Odom (actor).

We are looking forward to starting rehearsals six weeks from now with our co-directors (and former cast members) Brian Sutow and Joshua Morgan. James Stewart will return for the first week to coach the music and instruct the cast on the use of the sound equipment.

We are gearing up for rehearsal and looking forward to seeing this new Dream Team take on the challenges and joys of work with Open Dream Ensemble.

Open Dream takes on the Laws of Motion

1. An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in uniform motion tends to stay in uniform motion unless acted upon by an outside force.

2. The change in velocity (acceleration) with which an object moves is directly proportional to the magnitude of force applied to the object and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Fifth grade science. Remember?

Isaac Newton was an amazing thinker. Not only did he create calculus, discover properties of light and optics, run the British mint, and prove the laws of motion, he was largely responsible for ushering in the era of scientific method and proof.

What would our world be without him? Likely, very different.

What does this have to do with Open Dream Ensemble? Well, Isaac Newton and his Laws of Motion are the basis of our upcoming webseries. In a seven-episode series, Open Dream Ensemble will examine the Laws of Motion in the only way we know how -- through dance, drama, and music... and time travel -- of course.

More to come in later posts....

Open Dream on Facebook

Open Dream Ensemble now has a facebook page! Visit and become a fan.

Thanks!

Planning

June is a month of planning for Open Dream Ensemble.

We are planning the season, planning the rehearsal process, planning the changes to the set and costumes, planning an original web-series for youth, and planning slight changes to our website as well as launching a facebook page.

The planning period is both fun and crucial. Preparing for the expected allows us to move forward with confidence to the next step. Creating. Next month will begin the creation process for the set, costumes, final drafts of scripts, draft of the season schedule, an updated website and facebook page.

August brings the many elements together through the remounting of Peril on the Red Planet and filming the web-series (more about that in the next post).

For now, all things are in processes, planning, and flux.

Email is UP

Just a quick note to let everyone know that my email is back up. Thanks for your patience and the phone calls!!!!

My Email is DOWN

I take a deep breath and sigh. My opendreamensemble.com email has been down since Tuesday. Frankly, having no work email is a tiny bit liberating -- it opens up time to work on other aspects of the project that have been pushed aside. But, mostly it is frustrating. The worst part of the situation is that people who are emailing are not getting bounce-back messages. So my apologies to anyone who might be awaiting a response from me. I am not ignoring you. In this situation, I am simply ignorant. Call. Please.

I hope everything will be straightened out by Monday.

As John Tudor put it, “Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except over technology”

My much awaited (at least in my Mind) Open Dream Blog Post

This post is from Brian Sutow -- Open Dream Ensemble cast member 2009 and co-director 2010. Brian is currently starring in the No Rules Theatre production of Some Girl(s) in Washington DC. Read a review here.



Just this afternoon I had the honor of sending out my very first email to this year's "Open Dream Ensemble." Joshua and I were both blown away by the talent that came out to audition for the group this year, and we feel strongly that we have assembled an amazing team. I am thrilled at the idea of being back in Winston-Salem in August (I miss Winston, it had become a true home to me). I also can't wait to take last season's very successful Peril on the Red Planet and kick it up to the next level! The word, "kick" seems to come up a lot when Joshua and I talk about how we want our shows to be received - I wonder what that is about? A secret desire to be a Rockette? I'll have to ask my shrink.
In any event, we're gearing up to try to make this the best Open Dream season yet. I really believe that with this troupe of talented people, we'll be able to achieve amazing things!

To Be A Martian

Last season we were lucky enough to have a film team from the JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) in California come out and tape Peril on the Red Planet. As part of this taping, the folks at JPL and Imagine Mars have put together this "Opening Dreams" segment.

Enjoy!

Marching Onward

March is upon us and just as spring bounds around the corner with greater outward activity, so too goes life for the Open Dream Ensemble.

Last month we held auditions.

This month we selected a cast.

Next come the rewrites in script and music to make the show better fit the impressive talents of our incoming cast... once the script is revised, comes the reworking of the costumes and set.

And, we are preparing for our first season of creating a web series.... more on this in later posts....

In the midst of this creative work, the logistics of the upcoming season remain in the background. Contracts, budgets, timelines, mailings, bookings, trainings, etc. are all being discussed, considered, adjusted and improved.

The work continues apace - but just as the robins foretell the activity of the summer, the creative team's return to work foretells high hopes for Open Dream Ensemble, Season Six!

Consistency

This season Open Dream Ensemble will have an almost entirely new cast. Luckily, with the changes comes great consistency. Ren LaDassor will be returning to create and tweak costumes and Travis McHale will be returning to create and tweak the set.

The challenges remain the same:
Create costumes and set elements that look great, are durable, and cant be set up, torn down and taken care of solely by the cast (we have no crew). Happily, I know Ren and Travis are up to the challenge and look forward to their creative ideas!

Return Booking

This post is from the intrepid Joshua Morgan who agreed to return to work with Open Dream Ensemble for Season Six. We are happy to have him and Brian Sutow on board as directors this coming season!



Aaaaaaaaand we're back! You never know what's going to pop up as an actor, writer, director, etc. but our careers are usually relatively random. For example, Brian (the other ODE Season Six director) and I run a theatre company (No Rules Theatre Company) in Washington, DC and Winston-Salem, NC and have built a 3 year plan for ourselves knowing full well that things will come up monthly, weekly and even daily that can change the course of everything. Last year when we auditioned for the Open Dream Ensemble, it was relatively spur of the moment as we (graduating Drama class of '09) all had plans of moving to NY or LA to be the next Shia LaBeouf (we trade AB workouts). However, we were then handed this pretty fantastic, difficult, life changing opportunity that we realized was exactly what we wanted to do. We rehearsed and toured both of last years shows for 6 months and left ODE expecting to be back for occasional visits. We knew we wanted to keep up some sort of relationship with Kenan and ODE but had no idea we'd be back in the saddle 8 months later, remounting Peril on the Red Planet. Having toured with the show for such a long time, we have so much more insight than we started that project and are excited to see what we can bring to this already successful show a second time. Winston-Salem is a special town with a strong undercurrent of artistic passion and I'm so looking forward to being able to develop the theatre company and play with "Open Dream" for a second season!

Cast Call

One of the joys of every Open Dream Ensemble season is discovering our new cast. For Season Six, we are looking for a mix of people with complementary skills, abilities, and interests. Everyone will need to be a graduate of UNCSA by June 2010 and be top-notch artists of professional standing.

Check out the Open Dream Ensemble site for more information about our company and a complete job announcement.

Here are the basics:
Plans for the season include remounting Peril on the Red Planet by Mollye Maxner, Shona Simpson, and James Stewart, teaching artist training, performances and school residencies. We are in the initial stages of planning an original web series of youth. Joshua Morgan and Brian Sutow will direct this season.

Email Rebecca Nussbaum, General Manager, to arrange an audition time. Be sure to include your major at UNCSA and year of graduation. Rebecca@opendreamensemble.com

All applications must be received by: Monday, February 15, 2010
Audition Date and Location: Sunday, February 21, 2010 in Winston-Salem, NC, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Off-Season

I’ve often had people ask me what I do during Open Dream Ensemble’s off-season….

The simple answer – I plan. As much as possible all of the details for the next season are thought through and nailed down. This ranges from scheduling, to funding, to shows, set, costumes, residencies, and well beyond. While the off-season is less full of last minute issues and emergencies, there remains plenty to do!

What’s being planned? …. lots of great things including some more ground breaking work – but I can say no more as all is top-secret for the time being!

Meanwhile, look soon for a post regarding our auditions that are coming up next month.

And, Happy New Year!

Rebecca Nussbaum
General Manager, Open Dream Ensemble