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!

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.

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.