Family of Dreamers

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

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