Having Fun

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

Recently I was asked to compare the current Open Dreamers to casts from past seasons.  While there are some obvious answers, the one that seems to most shape how well they work as a team and respond to each other is this: they have fun. 

Take a look at the photos from yesterday afternoon's preshow and you'll see what I mean....

Precious Moments

This post is from Ali Bill, pictured here as Emily in Open Dream Ensemble's Big Shoes. 

Hello ODE followers!
These last couple of weeks have been overwhelming in the best sense of the word. We have traveled up and down this beautiful state and I've seen beauty that can only come from the southeast. It's just making it harder and HARDER to have the desire to leave here and go back to the Big Apple...

Our last residency in Charlotte was one that I will never forget. Just so everyone knows, we perform “informances” on the last day of five-day residencies, however we only had a four day residency at this particular school, so we didn't have time for one. However, the imagination and artistic ability that these children had was mind blowing!

On our last day, right before we hand out our book-marks, magnets, and flyers, the students and supportive teacher told us they had something for us, too. They formed in to three groups, thanked us for all that we had taught them, and proceeded to perform their own informances!!! I was blown away that not only did they learn the correct curriculum, they rose to the occasion and in their very own time, put together these skits with dialogue and movement. Our job had surely been done :) This is by far the most rewarding job I have ever had. And I will never forget those precious moments.

XO
Ali

Kind of Moment

This post is from Chesley Polk, pictured here in his role as an Open Dream Teaching Artist. 

I know my previous blogs have been on a super positive note and so I thought I would and should use this one to discuss one of the more painful parts of this job.  You get great kids and you get troubled kids.  The thing with the "bad kids" is they aren't bad. In fact, they are usually so eager to participate that it becomes distracting from the over all lesson and so they have to be disciplined or put out.  It is heartbreaking because you know all they want is to get the answer right or be involved, they just haven't yet mastered the art of "quiet focus". (Which is truly an art).

I hate being the one to tell them to calm down or sit out because I'm always afraid it'll make them scared to participate in the future or that they'll feel their efforts to participate are unappreciated.  I struggled with how to handle this, if only for my peace of mind, and with one student I left feeling I did what I could do.  This student was so active, always raising his hand, jumping with excitement to be able to do what we were doing - but he was so active that it became distracting and he began to shout out answers, jump into the circle, etc. This, as you may imagine, makes teaching the remaining 24 students pretty difficult.  On top of that, it became clear to me that he was a ring leader of sorts. Whatever he did three or four other boys would do as well; including turning their backs from the circle. 

We had to punish him and show him that behavior would get him no where - but I couldn't get that uneasy feeling out of my gut.  A feeling that I have to say something. I pulled him aside on our last day of residency and looked him in his tear filled eyes and said, "hey buddy, you have some great ideas.  You are really truly smart and we saw you knew so much - BUT one of the tricky things you have to learn is patience and how to also be an active listener.  You are clearly a leader in this classroom.  What you do - others do. They look to you as an example. That is a big responsibility". I asked him if he could handle that.  I asked him if he could try to lead the class responsibly and set an example for the other kids.  He looked up at me, tears still flowing down his cheeks, and shook his head yes while flashing a small smile then hugged me all the way to the door.  It's such a scary thing sometimes, teaching children.  I can't help but feel pressure and a responsibility to not only teach the curriculum but help mold them into good people and at times it seems hopeless, but that little teary smile sticks with me and I know, if only for that day, he understood something and that's the kind of moments that make this job a treasure.

Gratitude

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

Open Dream Ensemble is now in its ninth season! When I reflect back on the years of productions, performances, residencies, and web series, I am filled with gratitude. I am thankful to the cast members, the creative teams, the writers and the directors. I am thankful to the Kenan Institute for the Arts for its ongoing help and to UNCSA for the talent it develops. I am thankful to the arts organizations that book Open Dream and the schools that host us.

 By the numbers alone, Open Dream has now completed its 36th school residency (with over 2500 individual classes instructed), and has performed 450 times for approximately 180,000 youth in 40 North Carolina Counties. The talents and dedication from the 46 cast members over these years has been inspiring and has brought joy, wonder, and original musical theater across North Carolina.

With three weeks remaining in this season, the Open Dream cast is currently performing in Virginia.  This cast of eight has committed to the work of Open Dream with open heart and minds. They have stretched themselves to perform at their best on stage and in the classroom. And to them, I am thankful.

Working

This post is from Chesley Polk pictured here on the left as the Cobbler in Open Dream's production of Big Shoes. 

Having done a few residencies now, you hear all kinds of things from the kids. You hear about their favorite colors, you hear about what their mom does for work, you hear about who was mean at recess, but you also get to hear how you are making a difference.  That's the amazing part and after our last residency at First Ward Creative Arts Academy in Charlotte, NC my teaching partner, Julianne, and I have a chance to carry it with us.  Our class has written us letters describing our week together and sharing their favorite parts.  We see they clearly remember the show and the points that are made in the script.  They discuss our vocabulary words in detail and pull from our artistic lessons in a way that make it clear to me that what we are doing is working.  These letters are also a testament to the teachers at First Ward and most teachers I have come across on our tour and residencies.  These teachers have a tough job; not only teaching a hefty curriculum, but dealing with these children from varying backgrounds and levels of learning.  When we come into the classroom we can only hope for the kind of teachers that we found at First Ward.  In addition to seeing what these kids have learned with us, we get to see them use their imaginations.  Proven in several letters, we see children be inspired to allow themselves to have a dream and hopefully inspired to chase it.

"Dear Ms. Julianne and Mr. Chesley,
I had the best time with you! I thank you for teaching us about landforms and bodies of water. Also some music.  Here are some words we learned about:  volcano, mountain, valley, presto, andante, largo, piano, forte, island, canyon, and cave. Also when we played the games magic sword and when we learned eachothers names. Thank you."

All I can say is thank you!

Vastness of Potential

This post is from Cameron MacManus pictured here playing the trombone at an Open Dream Ensemble school performance. 

Reflecting on our four days at First Ward Elementary in Charlotte, I am struck by two things: the nature of causality in the classroom and the wonderful intuitive creativity of children. 

I’ve heard that good leaders make followers believe that the leader’s objective is actually their own, and that’s certainly true in the classroom.  It has been eye-opening to see just how different the same lesson plan can play out with just a few different choices along the way.  Getting a group of students to be enthusiastic participants is usually pretty easy, but providing them with the structure and guidance to get the most learning out of the experience and work together is an art that I am just beginning to wrap my head around.  The introduction of one errant impulse and the focused energy of the classroom gets splintered in a thousand directions.  When you’ve given them all the right tools, you can feel the momentum of learning pick up and we all seem to fly through the material as a team.  The more I work with students in the classroom, the better I’m able to guide them in ways that allow excitement to be structured and productive.  I felt very fortunate to be learning and growing in this craft every day at First Ward Elementary.

The really cool thing about the students at First Ward is that very few seemed afraid to fail.  They were ready to jump in 100% and the results were often fantastic.  I’m noticing that students at a schools that emphasize the arts like First Ward have much more confidence than those at non arts-centered schools.   By allowing themselves to take chances, follow their intuition, and be creative, they are becoming aware of the vastness of their own potential.  Pretty amazing stuff!

Fearless Firebirds

This blog post is from Julianne Harper picture here as the pink Triplet Ish, Sheepish, in the center.

Wowee! Just finished up another residency at First Ward Elementary in Charlotte, NC.  What a blast and what an incredible school! Each school we travel to is totally different, and you really don't know what to expect. From the first day we were welcomed with open arms and could really feel how important the arts are to this school.  The classrooms were filled with enthusiastic and creative minds, open to anything we threw at them.  Mr. Chesley and I were able to to have a room full of actors, dancers, and musicians at any given time. And of course we weren't just singing and dancing about just anything; we created songs with movement about aquatic ecosystems, made sound wave soul train lines, and composed an orchestral movement representing the flow of a stream into a river into the ocean...all in a day's work! And absolutely without a doubt, none of that would have been possible without the amazing teachers at First Ward. Every teacher we worked with fully supported our non-traditional way of teaching, and joined our lessons side by side with the kids. It makes such a difference when the teachers participate with the children. They adore their teachers and when Ms. Lewis is dancing down the soul train sound wave line, the kids don't hesitate to follow. It's hard to believe that we only have one more residency to teach this season, and the First Ward Firebirds are going to be a tough act to follow!

SO fun!

This post is from Haydee Thompson!      

We had a really great show this morning!  We are in Charlotte and just finished our first day of a four week residency at First Ward Elementary.  I LOVE this school!

You can tell by the bulletin boards and the art work on the walls that this school uses the arts fully to teach a standard curriculum. I appreciate the enthusiasm of the students and the teachers to our infiltration into the classroom, I sense they are open and excited to have us. 

We always start the week off with a performance in the mornings of our first day, and this morning's performance was tremendous, mostly due to the visceral reactions of our audience.  As a troupe it is a treat to hear our audience (the kids) react with laughs, gasps, applause, and in some cases shout outs!  So funny, SO fun!  Schools are chaotic but I really believe that when everyone comes together to watch a live performance we are all engaging in an expanded moment of mutual experience.  ODE is the talk of the campus as a shared and enriching happening!  What a treat to be a part of!

This post is from Wiley Basho Gorn, pictured here as Gordy in Open Dream Ensemble's Big Shoes.

I'm finding a nice flow in the system of the tour. The routines of set up and strike are much smoother and in a way, meditative. I like the repeated tasks that engage the body and mind. It sets me in a good place to begin the show. Building the word of the play from the ground up. I've been really enjoying the 10 minutes before the show begins. I lie on my back, close my eyes, and listen to the sounds of the room. It's a moment to breathe and find physical relaxation. This is definitely the most physically engaging role I've ever played so it's important to have a moment of calm before the storm. Next week we are back in the classroom and I'm looking forward to teaching my first third grade class! Over and out, Wiley P.S. While in Cherokee, Alexander and Gordy went on an adventure to climb a mountain together. Included are photos of their success!

Big Days for Big Shoes

This post is from Cameron MacManus. He is pictured here being hoisted up by the other Open Dreamers in the role of Alexander.

This week we are starting to take Big Shoes on the road. There is something really cool about meeting in the UNCSA parking lot before dawn. The air has this certain energy and a feeling of anticipation at the approach of first light. Still, the cast predictably looks a bit groggy. Everyone sips on a morning coffee or breakfast smoothie and compares notes on sleep quantity and quality. Then, right at the appointed time, we all pile into the van and head out on a new adventure. Some of the passengers stake out a space to sink down into for a few moments of repose. The van rolls into a school or theater parking lot and we all work to unload the gear, arrange our props, and then get our voices and limbs in working order. When showtime arrives we are ‘on it’ - ready to spring into action to deliver a performance that will stick with our young audiences forever. Today we were in Hickory, and then it's on to Mocksville and Cherokee. I have such wonderful memories of exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway and swimming in a frigid creek with last year's cast, and I hope we will have the opportunity for a hike with the entire cast during the mountain portion of our touring schedule this year. Time to catch some ZZZs. There is a big day ahead!