Learning, Teaching, Moving, Dreaming

This post is from magnificent Marie Madesclaire. She is pictured here working with children in a Union County classroom.

It's cold and bleary here in Seattle, with the ever present rain I can't help but miss North Carolina a little. Since Open Dream ended I've moved cross-country and started an exhausting job search. And yet I can't shake Open Dream. Just the other day I was reading a book to a 4 year old boy, as part of my nanny interview, and I found myself using the tools we'd learned during Teaching Artist Training. I asked him to find his nose, or ears, when the book talked about noses and ears. Automatically I would ask to see his happy, sad, or grouchy face when the main character was happy, sad, or grouchy. I think he had a blast, he started to do things without my asking him to, or pointing out things before I could. It was sweet and reminded me of those days spent in classes with Marissa asking the children to do the silliest things. Make your body a VOLCANOOO!!!!!! Boosh. 23 little volcano's in a room, building up pressure and erupting into the sky to the soundtrack of Carmen. All this to say, I learned a lot while a member of Open Dream. Some of it from Rebecca, and Mister William and the other Dreamers, but mostly from those adorable little pipsqueaks in the classrooms and auditoriums. Thanks kiddoes :)

Moving Mountains

This post is from Cameron MacManus. In addition to his many musical and stage gifts, Cameron possesses those rare gifts of perpetual positivity and a highly-functional immune system. He is pictured here in the role of Gordy.

Around every corner of the trail and every turn of the page lies the possiblity to move in new directions and explore new roles. The chance to work as a teaching artist with the Open Dream Ensemble came as quite a surprise last spring. Now after over three months of total immersion in Gordy’s world, I can look back at the season and marvel at all we accomplished together. We moved mountains. That most daunting upward projection of the earth’s crust - Mount Blacklock, along with pink trees, the roll drop, the improbably heavy floor, the table and bench, instruments, the (un)sound equipment, and a myriad of costumes and props traveled with us along the highways of North Carolina and Virginia and helped us to engage the imaginations of thousands of young people. While those set pieces now slumber in a dark storage unit, the living inhabitants of that wonderful world continue our lives in the arts. For many of us, that means taking up day jobs that allow us to pursue our creative endeavors. As I return to other employment, I find that I have not simply spent a quarter of the year in another world, but have broadened the world I live in. Not only have I benefited in my own artistic life from the inspiration of working with some of the most talented and dedicated people in our community, but I feel more connected to the Winston-Salem arts community and the community at large. It is encouraging to discover that the two are more intertwined than it feels during those many solitary hours of practicing my instrument or writing music (or working other jobs to make sure that I can do those things). Already, several people in my neighborhood have mentioned that they saw either Big Shoes at a local school or the performance with the Winston-Salem Symphony. Having ascended to the summit, I see that there are so many more mountains to climb, and so many wonderful explorers to share the journey with. Thank you Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, UNCSA, and all the wonderful people who make the Open Dream Ensemble a reality!

Photo Blog from Haydee!

Haydee Thompson is a widely and deeply talented woman. In addition to her work on stage, she is also a visual artist, musician, and photographer. These are some of the pictures Haydee took during Open Dream 2012. They give a glimpse to ODE-on-the-road including residency work, connecting with children, creative practice space, and what happens when a container of chocolate-covered espresso beans is left in a hot van. (I am happy to report that Cameron survived the caffeine-induced heart palpitations, insomnia, and increased gastric acid secretions).

If the Shoe Fits (or not!)

This post is from William vonReichbauer. A consummate professional, William filled many roles with Open Dream Ensemble this season in addition to the ones he played on stage! He is pictured here playing bass.

GORDY: But I think, what would be really impressive, is if you could be everybody all at once. Now that would be something! ROBBER: Well, I can do that! Of course I can do that! All I’d have to do is wear one person’s shoes on each of my feet! Thanks to the illness that recently made its way through the cast, several of us ended up trying on a few extra pairs of shoes as we assumed various roles left vacant by our fallen comrades. The most fun for me was the opportunity to take on the role of The Robber, with his multitude of shoes, for four performances. While Alexander is certainly an antagonist in Big Shoes, he is ultimately not a bad person, and even comes out of the play a changed and better person. The Robber, on the other hand, is unarguably the bad guy. And it's fun to be the bad guy. And when you consider that he is holding an eleven-year-old boy captive in his magical upside-down house in the woods and plans to steal said boy's soul via the theft of his footwear, he's a pretty creepy and menacing foe. And The Robber's Song is great fun to sing; a surreal, sadistic tango with lots of room for humor, punctuated by Marissa's awesome clarinet playing, and backing vocals courtesy of the voices of all of the souls The Robber has stolen. The opportunity to play both The Robber and The Cobbler back-to-back also brings added meaning to Deepish's line to Gordy, "Look for the maker where the taker was." Of course, having absent cast members creates far more problems than simply leaving parts to be filled, as every one of us has many more jobs than simply performing our roles on stage: props and set pieces need to be set and moved throughout the show; many jobs left undone had to be reassigned in terms of getting the show set up and broken down; many lines, choreography, and even musical parts needed to be rewritten and/or adjusted to accommodate missing performers; and those who remained had that much more gear to haul each time we loaded in or out of a venue. I am proud to say that through it all, the remaining cast truly pulled together and performed admirably under very some difficult circumstances. And though it was great fun to try on a few extra pairs of shoes, it was a welcome relief when the "ODE Plague of 2012" passed and I could return to wearing the shoes... er... boots that truly fit my feet!

Disrupto Dissappears with Teamwork!

This is the fun final post this season from our wonderful Julianne Harper. Enjoy!

Well, well, well...our final day of ODE season 8 has snuck up fast, but it's here, and who else would make sure to have one final attempt to foil The Open Dream Ensemble's plans? None other than the disasterously evil, menacingly maniacle, undisputablely handsome, one and only - DR. DISRUPTO!!!!!!!!!! Most of you might recall this evil villain from our web-series adventures in which the team and myself traveled back in time to help Isaac Newton and Pythagorus complete their written roles in history. At every turn Dr. Disrupto was waiting for his chance to change the course of history and therefore, rule the world! Well our last day of the season would be no different. Disrupto surprised us by showing up at our place of departure, begging to be a part of our team. Promising that he had learned from all of his past mistakes, he desperately asked to join us on our journey to somewhere extraordinary. He sealed the deal with fresh baked muffins and piping hot coffee to enjoy on our final drive. In dire need of nourishment and some extra hands, we reluctantly accepted the Doctor's offer. Little did we know the snacks and coffee had been "doctored" and the whole lot of us instantly fell into a deep slumber. Disrupto's plan had worked, and for our final performance of the season- the stage would be all his! Although Disrupto was thrilled to have stolen our show, once he got on stage in front of the audience, he froze. He didn't realize how much skill and bravery it took to perform in front of an audience. So now we find the evil Dr. Disrupto at his most vulnerable, and just as the show was coming to an arresting halt, the rest of the team and myself woke from our slumber and rushed to the stage. Even though Disrupto had done us wrong we felt that through his grave embarrassment he had learned his lesson, and we stepped in to save the show! We aren't sure if Dr. Disrupto will change his evil ways for good, but at least he got a lesson in the enormous value of teamwork. Without the amazing talent and dedication of each individual member of ODE season 8, Big Shoes would have never been filled or arrived in such style at the finish line...THE END! P.S. Thanks to Peter Shanahan for inspiring this tale:)

Vlog-Blog

Super fun VLOG from Marissa and William!

Blown Out of the Water

Another great blog from Michaela Morton!

She is pictured here frolicking to Robert Wendel's Ride of the Headless Horseman with the ensemble. The Winston-Salem Symphony is in the background. This weekend, Open Dream had the good fortune to perform with the Winston-Salem Symphony in a Discovery Concert for kids. Collaborating with a full orchestra in a fancy hall, Julianne choreographed us a smart, silly, and altogether beautiful set of mini-shows. The symphony team was welcoming, and it was especially lovely to perform with a couple of former Open Dreamers, now symphony members. My favorite part of the show was, yet again, the pre-show. As Sonia the Duck, I marched around the lobby for an hour beforehand, quacking and diving while Mr. Cameron chased me with a trombone-rifle (and taking costume notes from audience members -- I added a feathered tail at the request of a young gymnast wearing jazz slippers). Marine and Ted appeared in elegance, dressed to the nines as Jasmine (Aladdin) and the Narrator (Peter and the Wolf). Mr. William stumped about in suspenders with a disgruntled expression and Haydee frolicked as a light-footed Peter. The kids were tickled, as were we all. I feel fortunate that this season of Open Dream has included concert showings as well as school residencies, performances for adults and kids -- we've stretched our skills in so many ways and learned how our work lands with a range of different audiences. We've seen each other at our best and at our beginnings, and that's one more reason to celebrate as the end of this season draws near.

November 2

This post is from Cameron MacManus. A trombonist by training, Cameron has been walking in the shoes of an actor as the protagonist of Big Shoes, Gordy.

A few days ago we Open Dreamers met again in room 126 of the UNCSA Drama School building to work on Julianne Harper's inventive new choreography for the upcoming Discovery Concert with the Winston-Salem Symphony. It was interesting to be in the same space that we had utilized for our teaching artist training at the beginning of our season. We are in a much different 'space' now, having performed, toured, taught, and lived together now for several months. I find myself getting a bit nostalgic for the strange, fun, amazing times we have shared and wondering if I'll actually miss the more taxing parts of our journey as well once we hang up Big Shoes in a few weeks. Yesterday, we performed for a wonderful group of students in Warsaw, NC in the eastern part of our state. Gordy - my character - had just fallen asleep in the robber's house when the commotion started. "Don't fall asleep!", "Lookout!", and all manner of concerned warnings came from the audience as The Robber (Ted Federle) slinked onto the stage to steal Alexander's shoes. When Gordy woke, peered out the window, and noticed The Robber, the cries grew still more emphatic. "Get out of the house!", "Jump out of the window!" exclaimed the children. It is great to have such an invested audience. A few days prior, Gordy managed to convince a whole gym full of children to turn and look for Blue Bear when in fact Ted's mid-season illness kept that character out of Topsy-Turvy all together. It seems there is still plenty of room in the toes of these old Big Shoes for more fun. I plan on enjoying every moment of our season as it all-too-quickly approaches its conclusion.

Wow there really is a 5 AM…

Hi everybody my name is Ted and I’m a singer and we do not typically like to get up early in the morning and the thing we like to do even less in the morning is sing a show. However this is the bread and butter of the Open Dream Ensemble and a new tool I get to put into my toolbox. The big plus of this new skill is getting to see so many sunrises and there have been some really beautiful ones. Believe it or not it is a pleasant way to start your day. Well, off to the next show. Until later, Ted

Open Dream Ensemble is in the NC mountains today and tomorrow. There are gorgeous sunrises and sunsets in the mountains that Ted will enjoy!

2 shows at the same time

I’d like to use this post to discuss my life this last month. Balancing the Open Dream Ensemble and Piedmont Opera has been a Herculean task. Early morning performances and late night rehearsals have truly been a test of endurance and my vocal technique. Now that the opera is over it is safe to say mission accomplished. Aside from a nasty case of the flu I have successfully accomplished both tasks and look forward to the next challenge...

This post is from talented Ted Federele. Thankfully, Ted is now healthy and fully back with Open Dream!

On the Road to Warsaw

No, not Poland. Warsaw Elementary School here in North Carolina. The ride out is pleasant and great for napping. Our travel this season has been pretty minimal, and I have to admit that it's nice to go away for a couple of days- under the illusion that everyday life is in a parallel universe far, far away. My existence right now is Sheepish, and my triplet sisters Weepish and Deepish and I are on a mission to get Gordy to Topsy Turvy. I wasn't going to tell anybody, but I have a crush on Gordy. Maybe you can tell anyway because I blush excessively- especially when he jumps every time I talk. I can't help talking so loudly, but he's nice anyway. So nice... Sigh. In real life, this show is a blast to perform. It's always a sign of success when we hear enthusiastic laughter and applause roar from hundreds of children- and see wonder and anticipation in so many little faces when the Robber enters the stage to steal the big shoes from Gordy. Plus, it's rocks my world to act, play my clarinet and a harmonica, sing and dance in the same show, and collaborate with stellar colleagues. Yeah, loading the set in and out is a lot of work, but it truly is worth it. Oh look... We're here. Time to load in the show...

This post is from the marvelous Marissa Byers. As this post goes up, Open Dream has completed the Warsaw performance and is currently performing in Kenansville!

Halloween!!!

Is today, and we are spending our time figuring out our costumes. Not for tonight, but the upcoming discovery concert with the Winston Salem symphony. The array is pretty awesome, Cameron is in the corner headless, William has pulled his pants up to his waist as Grandpa and Michaela is dancing around as a duck. I for one am basking in my character, the Cat. I've had cats all my life and can finally say it was for character study!!! See mom it was all worth it. Other than that, our finish line is quickly approaching and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Today we had yet another performance for yet another school and yet again the kids blew me away. They reacted as if they'd never seen a play, which they probably hadn't, and ooh and aah and were quite vocal. They even yelled at Gordy to get out of the house before the Robber came and one kid decided jumping out the window was Gordy's best option. As rowdy as they were it was a pretty special thing for me to do, and I hope they take something away from this that'll further their aspirations. Or maybe just make them think about art as a fun and exciting thing. This post is from Miss Marine Madesclaire. As Season Eight of Open Dream Ensemble draws to a close (in 15 days!) it is amazing to reflect that, among other things, Marine has taken on the role of a teaching artist, learned to play the mandolin, and proven her prowess as a cat!

A Voice From The Voiceless

This post is from Michaela Morton. In addition to playing a number of roles in Open Dream's Big Shoes, Michaela wrote the script!

I'm informed that our ensemble is historically unfortunate: in one week, two triplets struck voiceless and a third castmate compromised by flu. Dare I mention that this same week, Carmen opened downtown (featuring Ted, that same flu-bitten baritone), and our schedule was made up of straight two-a-days? But If we're historically unfortunate, we're also hysterically brave. After two days of cancellations, enough was enough. We marched over to the High Point theater. We warmed up what was left of our voices. And we lip-synced. Julianne and Haydee masterfully covered for Deepish and Weepish (they covered for just about every one of my roles, actually). I gulped down applesauce. The next day, with Ted sleeping away his sickness, William played every singing male, belting out 3/4 of the shows' musical numbers. Marine lifted everything while I watched in nausea. And Friday it was me who capitulated, spending the morning at PrimeCare while Julianne picked up my purple leotard and middle harmony. If I thought Open Dream was a good team before, I'm awed now. Plus, the disaster showed me how flexible Big Shoes is as a show. Though not every compromise was ideal, BS survived without becoming ... BS-y. And this week, as the wind picks up all along the East Coast, we're hollering above it -- with lungs refreshed!

Warm receptions

This post is from the outrageously talented William vonReichbauer, pictured here in his role as the Cobbler in Big Shoes!

October has been a very busy time for the Open Dream Ensemble. We have performed for a couple thousand elementary school children, conducted residencies at Meadowlark Elementary in Winston-Salem and University Park Creative Arts Elementary school in Charlotte, and have begun rehearsals for a special upcoming performance with the Winston-Salem Symphony in November. One of the most powerful experiences of the past few weeks, though, was a performance for students at Carter High School in Winston-Salem. Carter High School serves a student body with special needs and places an emphasis on preparing these students for life after high school. Although we did not have the opportunity to work with any of these students in the classroom, it was apparent from the stage that the range of special needs among these students is vast. Many students were in wheelchairs; some appeared catatonic, several wore bibs, some displayed severe physical deformities, while others did not appear to display any physical symptoms of their special needs. We did know, however, that each of them lives with a unique set of obstacles to getting through every day that most of us will never have to face. Prior to the show, we worried that some students would be particularly sensitive to loud sounds so we brought down the overall volume level of the show. However, we quickly realized that we would have to bring the volume up a considerable amount to be heard at all. Throughout the performance, we were greeted with a steady stream of vocal outbursts from the audience; sometimes in response to the action on the stage, many times not. At one point early in the first scene, I exchanged a glance with a fellow cast member: "how in the world are we going to get through this?" It was just so loud. And unrelenting. As the show progressed, though, we found it easier and easier to perform amidst the constant din from the audience; their genuine enthusiasm fueling us to give a bigger and bolder performance. All of the musical numbers ended to thunderous applause (one student in particular couldn't resist jumping up and dancing during every song) and the show concluded with one of the warmest receptions we have received, thus far. Being a performer involves outputting your skills and energy. Thank you, students of Carter High School, for inputting so much energy into your reception of our performance.

Residency Work(s)

This post is from Open Dream Ensemble General Manager and Artistic Producer, Rebecca Nussbaum. Today marks the final day of Open Dream Ensemble residency work this season. At first glance it seems like an impossible mission: artists, Essential Standards, 20+ children in a classroom, arts activities. Each year we take artists, give them a week of training, a teaching artist partner, and a charge to bring the performing arts into the classroom through science standards. Artists are used to being diligent, patient, and creative. They are used to using their brains, bodies and reflexes to create and interpret art. They are generally NOT used to ingesting elementary science standards, teaching classrooms full of children, and writing out lesson plans. But year after year I have found that most artists are intrinsically good teachers. They enjoy the challenge of creating something that combines seemingly disparate fields. They enjoy getting children on their feet and bringing them into the wonderful realm when science, music, drama, dance, and imagination live. This has been a wonderful year to watch the Open Dream Ensemble artists develop in the classroom. From the opening day of teaching artist training to the tentative first moments running a class to where they currently are, 234 classes completed – capable, gifted, creative teaching artists. The returning cast has deepened their practice; the new cast has developed some impressive chops. Kudos to all of them and my thanks to each of them for being such curious, creative, and compassionate people!

Open Dream Gets SYMPHONICIZED!

This post is from multi-talented Marissa. She sings, she dances, she acts, and she plays clarinet! Peter and the Wolf in the making! Prokofiev scored a timeless box office hit, and it is undoubtedly one of my favorites in classical music literature. We get to perform it with the Winston Salem Symphony on November 11th for a kids concert. This is the first time I'll be performing with an orchestra where I'm not in the clarinet section. So instead of playing that killer cadenza with the clarinet as the cat running up the tree, I'll be running and jumping around on stage as the bird with giant wings and lots of facepaint. Julianne has done a fantastic job choreographing the piece in a very short amount of time, and it's a riot to see all the members of the ensemble find their characters. Haydee plays an endearing and extraordinarily convincing Peter. From a distance, you would never know she wasn't playful and

mischievous young boy innocently up to trouble in the meadow. In addition to Peter and the Wolf, there are 4 more pieces on the program... The Headless Horseman, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Goldilocks, and Aladdin (where I make a brief Bellydance appearance shimmying from one side of the stage to the other). It's going to be a ridiculously fun concert, and I'm telling every parent I know to bring their kids to Reynolds Auditorium on November 11th. It's Sunday at 3pm. If you're free, BE THERE.

Every Day a New Adventure

This post is from the fantastic Mr. Cameron. He is pictured here as Gordy in Big Shoes.

I can’t believe that this year’s “Big Shoes” experience is more than half way over. It has flown by so fast. Instead of griping about the heat during endless load-ins and outs I gripe about the early morning chill. We have now performed “Big Shoes” for thousands of spellbound students and shepherded them along their own imaginary adventures in the classroom. I am getting better conveying Gordy’s emotional life on stage and gauging what needs to happen in the classroom. Still, every day holds surprises: an unanticipated reaction, or an improvised moment on stage and in the classroom that keeps me on my toes. The Open Dream Ensemble cast has also started rehearsing for a performance of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” with the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra. Our choreographer Julianne Harper cast me as one of the hunters. Sweet! My trombone serves as my rifle and I wield it with a great measure of pride as well as comic ineptitude. Outside of the Open Dream Ensemble I continue to work on my music. I’m getting involved with some regional swing to salsa groups and having a great time trying to gain some degree of proficiency on the tenor saxophone . . . every day a new adventure.

Packing in lots!

This post is from lovely Marine Madesclaire pictured center in the photo! (I hope her Maman reads it....)

Phew! It's been an amazing, albeit exhausting, week or so. We've moved on from three-five day residencies to two-show-a-day touring. An entirely different beast to master, and just after I'd gotten used to residencies. Early morning call times, cold weather and heavy scenery aside it's been a blast getting into the true swing of things. Un-loading and loading the show twice a day has gone from tentative and lengthy to the well oiled machine it is now. I know exactly what I need to do, and the best way to do them. I've even mostly memorized the packing order for the Ryder van. Trees, house, table, floor, leg stands, soundbox,pink then blue trunks, boxes without stuff, JBL, monitors, big mamma, poles and stands, shoe box, bench, costumes, bass case, sandbags. Everything else. Thankfully I didn't have to figure that particular puzzle out, that was Mister William and Mister Cameron's job. Technical stuff aside I've settled into the play much more comfortably. Weepish has slowly but surely started moving from a place entirely made from her name, to a character who's highly and extremely emotional. Able to change moods on the drop of a pin, and yet (hopefully) never false in her emotions. I'm still working on that last part, as an actress my heart dropped when I read the part; the one thing I cannot seem to do is cry onstage, but I no longer feel as if the character is silly. My school-girl and her twin Seth are working on a possible video blog, have an amazing secret handshake, matching glasses and alter egos. And of course I'm having a blast as Wanda, the mandolin playing daughter of the Cobbler. She's a little on the simpler side than her sisters Darlene and Sharlene. No word from Pa as to why Ma didn't call her Warlene. Finally I've been able to spend a little quality alone time with William's mandolin (it's been put into my care for the duration of this season) and after being taught a folk song I've ventured out and started learning some new songs. Which means, Maman, I'll be wanting a mandolin under the Christmas tree in December....

I'm Peter

This post is from the fantastically versatile Haydee Thompson, pictured here as a pirate in Open Dream Ensemble's The Amazing Adventure of Anna Marie.

I'm PETER!!! In Peter and the Wolf with the W-S Symphony. Started rehearsal today. Pinching myself truly! This will be the largest band I have ever fronted. I was asked today if I have ever before played a "pants role". I have. I've professionally played a pirate and once, when I was 16, the Santa on the Hershey Park Trolley fell sick and I was, somehow, the most qualified around to cover his shift. I also played a bearded woman, but that really doesn't count. This role is less a "pants" challenge then an "age' challenge. Peter is a young boy and I'm playing him @ 7yrs. It is indescribable the magic that happens when you can dismiss the weight and worry of being an adult and, as your profession, get paid for the opportunity to escape into a child's brain and body. I have spent the past six years teaching and studying "a many hundred" kids while coasting upon, as well as directing, their worlds of imagination and wonder. Peter is a dream role and I hope an homage to all of them.

Groundlings Are Good For You

This post comes from our bass-playing, play-writing, swing-dancing, Deepish, Michaela Morton. She is pictured here on the right.

In just under a month on the road with Open Dream, I've found that each auditorium, gym, and cafeteria has its own character -- especially when filled with 80-350 elementary school characters! We've performed for kids who live and breathe the arts, who walk in hallways hung with crafts and anticipate our answers to questions about theater history and music terminology. We've also performed for kids who may call Big Shoes "a great movie," and who'll definitely admit that this show is the first "play" they've ever seen. Lately, I've been relishing the responses of kids who know assembly-room etiquette, but haven't been taught a rigid code of theater do's and don't's. They cheer -- loudly -- for the stuff they dig. They laugh uproariously at strange moments. They clap along. They stand to see. They take off their shoes and wave them around during curtain call. They shout encouragements to the actors: "You're doing great!". Sometimes they even pee on the floor, but I don't think that's a referendum on our show. They are a rowdy bunch of groundlings. Shakespeare would've loved them, and I do, too. I'm especially pleased because of what all this means: these kids think Big Shoes is for them. So all in all, we know they've got the right idea.

Heavy Lifting!

This post is from Open Dream Ensemble GM and Artist Producer, Rebecca Nussbaum. Today she got to watch a performance of Big Shoes and witness the cast load the set in the rain!

The Open Dream Ensemble cast was hard at work in classrooms across North Carolina last month. During the past three weeks they created and taught a total of 167 classes. This week, they will load-in, perform, and load-out a total of 10 times. As anyone who has seen Open Dream in action can attest, this is a talented and hard-working group of people. Not only does the cast perform and teach, they also do the load-in, set-up, tear-down and load-out for each performance. And with a full set, sound equipment, props, and costumes, that is some heavy lifting. Thankfully, they bear their load with humor, grace, and more than a little muscle.

Combining Real World and Play World

This post is from joyous Julianne Harper, aka Emily.

"Gordy...have you been out back? There. See? You got to the summit, Gordy. We both did." -excerpt from Big Shoes How wonderful it is to combine our real life world with our play world while on tour with Open Dream. We are currently working with Saluda Elementary located near the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. After a delightful day of working with the kids, Cameron, myself, Marrisa, Haydee, and William decided to head out for an adventure. Gordy, Emily, Sheepish, the Nice Woman, and Alexander journeyed to Sliding Rock in Brevard,NC. The 60' natural rock slide with a 8 foot deep pool at the base was a site to see. The challenge was made...who would be brave enough to fare the near freezing cold water? Of course Gordy was the first! Sheepish soon followed, then Emily made her way. The Nice Woman and Alexander provided a great support team with warm towels waiting at the bottom. We weren't ready for the adventure to be over, so we decided to keep traveling upward until we reached the summit...riding in a dry,warm van this time- saving the explorers' way for another time. As you can see, the view was amazing! We are having so much fun, and I can wait to see where our next adventure takes us!

Between Confucius and Cotton Stands the Land of the Teaching Artist

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

As Open Dream Ensemble heads out to its third residency of the season, I am reminded of this quote attributed to Confucius: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” In the past weeks the Open Dream artists have made the transition from performers to teaching artists. They have entered classrooms and coaxed the students into caves, caverns, and canyons. They have hiked up mountains to experience volcanoes, earthquakes, and landslides. They have explored valleys, ecosystems, and food chains. They have dived into oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and more – all through the performing arts. The purpose of integrating the arts into the science standards is to have the students experience what the standards mean through being on, in, at, under, around, between and betwixt the many aspects of natural science they are mandated to learn. Drama and music are used to tell the story of a volcanic eruption preceded by an earthquake and landslide. Vocal techniques are used to examine how various landforms toss sound around. Dancing is used as a tool to better understand how the producer, consumer, and decomposer flow together. And the hope for the learner is, “I do and I understand.” One can read through the blog posts of the Open Dream cast to see that the experience of teaching artistry is one that requires a great deal of thought, preparation, and learning. One of the wonderful attributes of being an Open Dream artist is the desire to continue to improve, learn, experience, and take on challenges. This season’s deeply talented cast of eight are exceptional artists with an incredible array of talents and skills. They are blessed with alacritous minds and generous spirits. But mostly, they have the drive to keep learning, and thus teaching. After all…. "Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." ~John Cotton Dana

Fantastic Learning Experience

This post is from the terrific trombone-toting Cameron MacManus. He is pictured here leading a class at Benton Heights Elementary School of the Arts in exploring what a gaseous volcano would smell like.

It’s funny walking the halls at Diggs-Latham Elementary when almost a week after the latest showing of “Big Shoes” the students are still calling out to me “Hey Gordy!”. In the classroom, I’m “Mr. Cameron”. It’s easy for me to get wrapped up my new role as a teaching artist and forget about Gordy’s world. Another pair of shoes to wear, and this time I’m not supposed to trip! Whether I’m being Gordy or Mr. Cameron it is a privilege to get to work with so many young people. Every day is a new learning experience for me as I slowly venture out from under the wing of my talented teaching partner Haydee Thompson. Am I smarter than a fifth grader? Some days more so than others it seems, but every day has been a fantastic learning experience. Little did I know what magic we control as artists and teachers, where our spells could take students, or what a wonderful feeling it is to know that you’ve made a positive impact on a child’s day that can last a lifetime.

The Art of Teaching Artistry

This post come from the multi-talented Marissa Byers, our Sheepish in Big Shoes. Kids! Our performances of Big Shoes make us celebrities. It's adorable to see the students lined up in the halls or in the cafeteria wave at us with enormous smiles and stare as if they were starstruck. Of course some of it wears off as we become teaching artists in the classroom- and they realize we're there to discuss science, but this is when the real deal begins to happen.

Inside the structure of raised hands, personal space, and eyes, ears, mind and body focus, they are encouraged to speak like an actor, sing like an opera singer, move like a dancer and create soundscapes with percussion instruments. My teaching partner, "Miss" Marine and I have found our groove. We take the students on journeys through the earth's ecosystems, have them become the weathering and erosion process of a mountain becoming a cliff, show them how to be a ferocious consumer monster in our imaginary food chain, and our most recent success- the Rock Opera, which actually isn't rock music, but a song about the formation of a volcano and how magma becomes lava rock. It is set in two parts (melody and accompaniment) to the Habanera from Bizet's Carmen. Thanks to my wife, Jacqui Causey-Byers, we have beautifully written and concise lyrics that the students seem remember effortlessly. It sounds amazing in the classroom with 20+ kids singing! Residency work as a teaching artist is challenging and tiresome, but seeing the intelligence and the imagination of the kids take flight is exciting- and by far some of the most rewarding work I've ever experienced.

Gushing, Tweaking, and Mandolin-ing

This post is from our mandolin-strumming Marine Madesclaire. She wrote this on Friday at the conclusion of a three-day residency at Benton Heights Elementary School of the Arts.

It's now the final day of our first residency here at Benton Heights Elementary School of the Arts, and I'm gonna miss these kids. Our third graders have the most amazing teacher who participates in every exercise and even jumped up to google images on his smart board while we were talking about caves, canyons and island. Amazing! Even better the 4th and 5th graders are so far ahead of us that they taught me the curriculum! I have to stop gushing... It's embarrassing. :)

Getting the show on the road and claiming it as our own has been an interesting experience. I actually got very sick our first day there, powering through the first day of classes thanks to the children's enthusiasm. My teaching partner Miss Marissa and I got into a wonderful rhythm by the second day tweaking our class curriculum to fit the classes. We even figured out a jig to play the kiddos with the mandolin and the penny whistle.

With these three days done and over I'm excited to see what come up on our next residency.

Glow Stick Moments

This post is from our word-ninja, the marvelous Michaela Morton! She is pictured here, in purple, as Deepish in Big Shoes.

Here's what it is to tour with Open Dream: I head down to the pool at 4PM, after a long day of teaching (three grades and four science classes each), performance (one run of Big Shoes at 7:50 AM), and loading out the set. I expect my cast-mates to be lounging. And while they're gleeful in the afternoon sun, they're certainly no lazybones. Marissa started swimming yesterday, and with a team of coaches has gone from barely making it through the pool crosswise to proudly swimming its length. She has also written a re-vamped "Habanera" from Carmen -- now with volcanoes! -- and is rehearsing on a penny whistle while Julianne sings bass. Ted just remembered the answer to a killer question in 4th grade science ("hydroponic bays!" he shouts, apropos of nothing) and while William tries to puzzle out the source of a burn on his arm -- we agree that with her all-seeing logic, Marine would know -- I lie in the sun. Occasionally I do a crunch, just to keep up my end of the bargain. It seems that it's learning and teaching, 24/7, and the work is indeed play.

In one whirlwind month, Big Shoes has gone from bare bones -- the script -- to in-the-flesh live performance. Now you could say that we're toning the muscles. And while hauling sets is definitely tightening our triceps, the heaviest lifting happens in the classroom.

It'd hard to work simply. I've found that it's difficult to heed my own advice -- to bring a playful spirit to work -- as I often get so boggled by the complexity of classroom dynamics that I forget to have fun. And then William brings out his guitar and I can't help having fun. It all just flows. Haydee's craft in the classroom inspires me with its simplicity, and two days in, Julianne has given me words that will stick: "I always think about tempo. Don't push too fast. Don't get frustrated. Keep an even tempo." (She was talking about swimming, but it works for teaching, too.)

I'll let you in on a secret: in college, people used to ask me whether I was going to be a teacher. It's something about English majors: we get that question, all the time, and I do mean all the time. My answer was usually a definite, emphatic, let's-change-the-subject-now kind of "No." Once or twice I might have said, "Maybe college, maybe when I'm older, maybe someday, but it's not in the cards for now." Given my reluctance, it was almost inevitable that I'd be teaching right out of college. And I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised at how delightful that has been.

Today, we asked a group of 5th graders to unpack a definition of decomposers. Quinn raised his hand and asked if he could explain. He told us that decomposers are like the linking pieces that connect a chain of glow sticks. Without them, you might as well leave the sticks alone. With them, you can turn a flat line into a circle of light.

My new name for moments of magic in the classroom: glow stick moments. And these kids are lighting the way already.

My life in Topsy Turvy

by Boo Beary Crunch translated from Bear by Ted Federle

Ever since I was a cub learning how to fish salmon out of the river I knew that I wanted to be a squirrel. I used to spend hours watching them climb trees and bury nuts (which I like much more than salmon) all the while wishing I could do that too but all the other bears laughed at me and said I’d never be like a squirrel. Undeterred I left home in search of the magical world of Topsy Turvy. After an exhaustive journey I finally found it and met other animals just like me. There is a bird that barks, a fox that hops, an owl that meows and my best friend THE DEAR. In Topsy Turvy I can spend my days climbing and burying nuts but, the other day the most exciting thing happened! We had two visitors, a girl-human named Emily and a boy-human named Gordy. The girl-human wasn’t as peculiar as the Gordy, who had giant feet! My friends and I thought he would be a great addition to our group since he seemed to want to be something called an Alexander but he ran away from us… Boy humans are so strange… but I’m content to climb higher each day in my favorite tree. I think with some more practice I can get all the way to the top and see the world like all the other squirrels do.

Diligent and Cerebral

This post is from our prized veteran Open Dreamer, Haydee Thompson. Through the years she has guided one dancer and now five musicians in the craft of teaching artistry. She is pictured here working with a group of fourth-graders last season.



This week we were assigned our teaching partners. I was not surprised when told Cameron would be mine. Every year I am paired with a musician and last year my partner was Guy who was also a trombonist. Drama requires using your body as an instrument and completely relies on the physical, whereas a musicians craft tends to be more cerebral in nature. I like working with musicians. So far I have been lucky to see them as diligent in there facts and enjoying the study of science. I often can rely on them to be a great source of knowledge which inspires me to co-create exciting lesson plans. Cameron is doing a great job and I know it will be an absolute pleasure to work with him this season!

Looking Both Backward and Forward

This post is from our fantastic singing/dancing/bassguitarmandolin-playing Cobbler, William vonReichbauer. He is pictured here as a teaching artist during one of our residencies last season.


It seems as though the premiere of Big Shoes was only yesterday and we are already three days into our week of teaching artist training. It has been a very productive week, thus far and it is always a joy working with Rebecca, our fearless leader and guide into the magical world of teaching artistry. I am very excited to be teaching partners with Big Shoes playwright and word-ninja, Michaela.

The premiere of Big Shoes went smashingly. We had an amazing audience and I was deeply moved and humbled by the response we received. However, with the launch of the show, we had to say goodbye to our wonderful Director, Beth, and our amazing Stage Manager, Lindsey, both of whom are deeply missed. Also, goodbye and a very special "thank you" to our gracious hosts at the Steven's Center, where we rehearsed for the past four weeks. But although we have to say goodbye to some, we are looking forward to hitting the road and meeting the thousands of students across North Carolina and Virginia who we will reach through this amazing work.

IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL FOR THE OPEN DREAM ENSEMBLE!

This post is from Open Dream Ensemble artist Julianne Harper. This is Julianne's fourth season in Open Dream and as you can see from the photo, she is a pro at working with children during our residencies!


Our Teaching Artist training began this week, and let me be the first to tell you, I've had a few "Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" moments while brushing up on K-5th grade science curriculum. Relearning information old and discovering information new, has my curiosity and imagination fully engaged! There are so many exciting parallels to the arts and sciences. We are hard at work developing ways to use music, theater and dance to help further the understanding of earth's life cycles, ecosystems and fossilization processes. The hope is that an observer of our class will gain new understanding of creative thought and performance art while solidifying lessons learned in this year's Science curriculum. The student will leave the class with an equally enhanced understanding of each!

Awesome Enterprise

This post is from the beneficent Beth Bostic. All last month, Beth spent most of her waking hours in the Stevens Center basement directing the cast in preparation for the debut of Big Shoes. She is pictured here leading the cast in a movement exercise.

While giving my house a long over-due vacuuming this morning, I finally had a chance to reflect on this Bold Adventure, this Awesome Enterprise that is "The Big Shoes" and the Open Dream Ensemble.

The mission of O.D.E. is, as I understand it to bring a theatrical experience incorporating as many disciplines as possible and of the highest esthetic quality to children in a school setting and to offer a classroom experience with the artists integrating active learning of actual curriculum topics.

Knowing the cast, as I now do, I can't imagine a better ensemble to fulfill this mission.
I have been continually over whelmed with their talent and courage in trying and succeeding beyond the boundaries of their comfort zones. And I have observed that each has a definite gift for teaching. In order to create the show, they have had to teach each other new skills.

We all know the old saw, "those that can do..."etc., but in the Performing Arts it's a little different; those that can also teach. A life in the Performing Arts is continual teaching and learning. It is one of the last bastions of the Master/Apprentice learning mode - to reach excellence there is no other way to learn it.

Directing "Big Shoes" has been such a joy. Working with this extraordinary cast, - I hope you know I love you all madly - and the wonderful folks at the Kenan Institute, has been a true high point in my artistic life. But a special and specially loud shout out has to go to Rebecca Nussbaum whose passion and dedication are remarkable and who holds the vision that is the Open Dream Ensemble.

Showtime!

We’ve had a luxurious four weeks of rehearsal to prepare for the world premiere of Big Shoes! The cast has done an admirable job of getting this work ready and polished, the set and costumes are fabulous, the music sounds terrific, the choreography is fun and effective, AND we are all set up in the wonderful UNCSA Performance Place Thrust Theater.

So what do we need now? An audience.

Big Shoes World Premiere
UNCSA Performance Place Thrust Theater
2:00 PM, Saturday, September 1, 2012
FREE and open to the public. No tickets, open seating.

The Show is On... Like a Bostic

This post is from the magnificent Marissa Byers, Open Dream's clarinetist/ fire dancer / actress / and now tap dancer. She is pictured here as Sheepish (in pink) along with her Ish sisters Deepish (in purple) and Weepish (in blue).



We are in the middle of week four, and Big Shoes has come to life. With some trimming around the edges, the show is ready to hit the stage on Saturday. I think there must be a little bit of magic at play here. Beth Bostic seems to have that kind of touch as a director- the kind that can't be taught. She managed to create a synchronicity with the ensemble from the start- which enabled us to work efficiently as a team, bounce off of each others' energy in every scene and set change, guiding us through a rehearsal process that kept stress and overdrive at bay. I have learned so much through Open Dream this year, and I'm still processing the extent of it- beginning with a fresh new love for acting, and facing the challenges of integrating clarinet, sound design, acting and dance (we're learning how to tap dance from Julianne- LOVE IT), as well as teamwork and speedy set and costume changes. The growth I see in myself as an artist is invigorating. I think the most significant Bostic gift is the ability to instil healthy confidence in the performer. I always feel that I have the space to find my character (Sheepish) within myself at a pace that suits me naturally. Somehow, this expedites the process. It's about respect. Mad respect. Hats off to the captain. I am in awe of what we all accomplished in the blink of an eye. It's showtime!

No, really. . . I'm in a play!

This post is from a fellow who is willing to take on new challenges and succeed, Cameron MacManus. Cameron is pictured here as Gordy with the Triplets Ish in our new production, Big Shoes.



Whew! It has been a crazy journey putting “Big Shoes” on its feet . . . and three sizes of big shoes on mine. Yesterday, we ran the complete show three times and it’s feeling better and better to be Gordy. I had no acting experience when I auditioned for the Open Dream Ensemble - just the willingness to dive in and explore new things. Our amazing director, manager, composers, and set designers had done so much work to make Michaela Morton’s wonderfully imaginative script jump to life by the start of rehearsals that it was a little nerve-racking to step into those shoes and stumble my way into their world. There was no need to worry. Everyone involved is as encouraging as they are fantastically talented. Playing Gordy these last three and half weeks (a character whose life frustrations are all-too-comparable to my own middle school experience) and working alongside all these great artist-teachers has been inspiring and thought-provoking. This fall is going to be awesome! I can’t wait to share this show and its message on the stage and in the classroom, and grow more and more into these Big Shoes!

Oh wow. My Fingers Hurt!

This post from the marvelous mandolin-playing Marine Madesclaire!

Somehow in the midst of learning to pass instruments to William, our resident multi-musician, I ended up having to learn to play the mandolin. Well, having is the wrong word. Or not enough words. I ended up having the opportunity to learn to play the mandolin. And boy is it fun!

It's been an interesting process learning to work with different mediums and different artists. The language we all use is English, but we all have our own vocabulary that comes with our craft. It's easy to forget that not everyone has spent the last four years in the Drama department, and it's been fun to watch people learn things I take for granted. And vice versa, of course.

That Robber Not Only Stole My Shoes But My Heart!

This post is from the terrific Ted Federle, pictured here as the Big Shoes Robber of Soles.



Accepting a position with the Open Dream Ensemble I knew I was going to be stretched as a performer but I had no idea what I was in for… Being an Opera singer I have spent most of my time training to act while singing, so I knew I would have to work to make the transition to spoken theater. However, I was pleasantly surprised how easy the transition was. This is in no small part due to the wonderful script by new playwright Michaela Morton. The role of the villainous Robber has fit me like glove in part because as a Baritone I frequently play villains on the Operatic stage, most recently as the land grabbing/neighbor accusing Thomas Putnam in Robert Ward’s The Crucible with Piedmont Opera. As the Robber I get to steal not only peoples shoes but their personalities. Some of my favorites are Carlotta, the fashionista who goes hiking up a mountain in high heals, Edgar the marathon runner and of course Gordy our protagonist whose massively oversized shoes are like walking around in flippers. All in all it has been a blast learning to tap dance from choreographer Julianne Harper and operating Boo Beary Crunch, the coolest blue bear puppet ever (blog post soon to come). This show promises to be a delight for children and the child in each of us, I know it has already stolen my heart.

Heading Up This Mountain

This post is from the magical Michaela Morton! Pictured here, seated on the far left, with the 2012 cast of Open Dream Ensemble.



Two years ago, in an airport in Texas, I started writing Big Shoes. I finished the play six months later, in France. And last week, I began it all over again, in the Stevens Center basement in Winston-Salem, NC.

I’ve had the kooky luck not only to write a children’s show and see it produced, but also to be a part of the ensemble of performers and teaching artists that make it come alive. This is my first gig out of college, and I pinch myself to test that it’s true. It was surreal auditioning for the Open Dream Ensemble using a monologue that I had written, and even surreal-er walking into the first day of rehearsal to hear and see the story of Gordy and his brother’s big shoes come to life before my eyes.

Of course, that life comes into theater in fits and starts – it’s not a full play until it’s played, until it’s scored and strummed and danced around, until it’s set on its set and seen. As we do the play, I’ve made countless minor edits to the script, often at the risk of sounding like a crazy person (“Cameron, could you just cut the ellipsis? And change that comma to a dash?”). Balancing the roles of actor and writer can be tricky, especially on a show about which I have many preconceptions. Listening helps.

What I’m learning when I keep my mouth shut is that our story is propelled by moments and melodies that my script did not contain. Thanks to my co-conspirators, Big Shoes now knocks out operatic high notes, boasts back-up singers, manipulates a brace of puppets, and marks time with tap-shoes.

I’m also learning that I can be wrong about what I wrote. Sometimes I don’t understand my own words as well as my director does. Sometimes what I thought I put down isn’t on the page at all. Sometimes I’ve created confusion, and I’m lucky that I get to clear it up in person (or watch as other actors settle the mess). Forget “teaching artist” – I’m learning first.

And that’s a real thrill. Like every ensemble member, I’ve picked up a range of new skills. I’ve lifted a truss, loaded in a tree, been fitted for a leotard. I’ve sung a wickedly tricky three part harmony, learned four dance numbers, and plucked a solid line on the upright bass. In fact, this weekend I’m taking said bass home, courtesy of our Jack-of-all-Strings, William. He’s made it possible for a couple of newbies to strum those strings like we had two weeks to learn, instead of just two hours.

As a team, our story is coming together. We’re heading up this mountain at a fast clip, and thank goodness, we’re not going it alone!

This Show RULES!

This post is from beautiful Haydee Thompson. She is pictured here as a cab driver in Open Dream's new show, Big Shoes.


This show RULES! Michaela Morton has not only crafted a beautiful work of theatre but I have had the pleasure working with her. The talented Michaela is also in the ensemble playing Deepish the philosophical ish sister and her casting is apropos, as she takes her part as actor and resident play write very seriously and it is an absolute joy to play in her world. This experience has been inspiring and so, in my 6th season in the ensemble, I am confident we have an amazing production on our hands and I can't wait to shoe this show to the kids!

"Wickedly Talented"

This post is from the wonderful William vonReichbauer. Not only does William play two roles in the new Open Dream production of Big Shoes, he also runs the sound equipment, plays upright bass, guitar, mandolin, and dances. He is shown here playing his upright bass.


We are now a day into our second week of rehearsals for Open Dream Ensemble's season 8 (!) production of Big Shoes. We have an absolutely amazing cast and crew, this year! Everyone involved is wickedly talented and has brought a ferocious enthusiasm towards bringing this show to life. I count myself very fortunate to be working so closely with such an incredible group of artists.

Julianne mentioned it in her post, but it bears repeating; the sets and costumes are absolutely stunning. Not only that, but they are lightweight and compact, which will make loading and unloading the truck twice per day a little easier, this season.

Speaking of Julianne, she is our choreographer, this year, and it has been very exciting learning to tap from her! I even get to go up against her in a mini tap battle in the show. If you've ever seen Julianne tap, you know I have my work cut out for me. Fortunately for me, I don't have to win.

I can hardly wait to get this show in front of audiences; I think it's really going to blow people away!