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.

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.

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!