Being a Collaborative Artist

This post is from Kristin Schwecke! She is pictured here as the Nice Woman / Narrator in Open Dream's production of Big Shoes.

Growing up in theater and choir, I always thought I knew what being a collaborative artist was. I’ve worked with countless directors, conductors, accompanists and other musicians but, I’m just now discovering what it truly is to be collaborative. I’m a professional opera singer and we work with conductors, stage directors, stage managers, and a wide variety of instrumentalists. Being in Open Dream has truly opened my eyes to how unique each of our art forms are, from actors sitting down for table reads, dancers learning choreography, and living composers working one-on-one with the musicians. It is an incredible experience to be able to work so closely with so many talented people in their chosen fields. We each have had the chance to share our expertise and learn something new, because even though we each have our specific talents, we are all stepping out of our boundaries and trying something new as well.

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!

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.