WINSTON-SALEM - The Open Dream Ensemble, a multi-disciplinary performing arts group sponsored by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), announces its 2008 cast that will perform throughout North Carolina, as well as selected engagements in other parts of the Southeast.

Open Dream Ensemble, a professional outreach program of UNCSA in its fourth season, brings the power of original live performances that integrate theatre, dance and music to students across the Southeast. Featuring the collaborative skills of professional artists trained at UNCSA, Open Dream Ensemble connects the palpable experience of live performance with artist residencies and educational workshops that align with school curriculum. Having captured the imagination of more than 32,000 students, Open Dream Ensemble is a creative force of transformation, affirming that the arts are vital, enthralling and relevant to the well-being and enrichment of young people.

The 2008 Open Dream Ensemble cast members, all of whom are UNCSA graduates, are:

Jonathan Gordon from Concord, NC (Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance 2008);

Amber Ferenz from Winston-Salem, NC (High School Diploma in Bassoon Performance 1990; Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance 1998);

Kjerstin Lysne from Fargo, ND (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance 2008);

Peter Shanahan from Colonial Heights, VA (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Flute Performance 2004);

Rose Shields from Duluth, GA (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance 2007);

James Stewart from Griffin, GA (Master of Music in Composition 2007); and

Haydee Thompson from Winston-Salem, NC (Arts Diploma in Acting 1994, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting 2007)

Rebecca Nussbaum (Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance 1997) serves as General Manager for Open Dream Ensemble. Mollye Maxner (High School Diploma in Contemporary Dance 1993) is the company's Creative Director.

Other UNCSA Alumni participating in the 2008 season are Kelly Maxner, Scriptwriter and Choreographer (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Contemporary Dance 1994, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Directing 2000); Matthew Smart, Costume Designer (2008 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Costume Design); and Jennifer O'Kelly, Lighting Design, (Master of Fine Arts in Scene Design 1993).

“The 2008 cast skillfully mixes artistry and spontaneity,” says Creative Director Mollye Maxner.  “With their array of different talents, the cast creates full and vibrant musical theater. Their commitment to young audiences is as alive in the rehearsal studio as it is in the classroom and on stage. I look forward to the ways they will inspire children and families over the coming months.”

The 2008 season opened July 29 with a week-long run at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo, NC, and the debut of its newest original show, The Red Planet.

In addition to performances in more than 15 venues throughout North Carolina, Open Dream Ensemble will take its innovative program to other venues in the Southeast, including Panama City, Fl; Statesboro, GA; Atlanta, GA; Paducah, KY.; Huntington, TN; Clemson, SC; Greenwood, SC; and Martinsville, VA.

The Ensemble will present two original shows in 2008:

The Amazing Adventure of Anna Marie, for grades K-5, is a story that dramatizes the power of courage, determination and imagination.  Original script written by Mollye and Kelly Maxner and music composed by Colin Tribby, Justin Poindexter, Cora Phillips, and James Stewart.

The Red Planet, for grades 3-8, is Open Dream Ensemble's newest original show about Earth's first community on Mars in the year 2158, as they prepare for a broadcast home that celebrates the challenges of adapting to an unfamiliar environment.  Original script written by Mollye and Kelly Maxner and music composed by James Stewart.

Open Dream Ensemble is a project of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, which builds partnerships to support creative projects, many of which are associated with The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. For more information, visit www.kenanarts.org.

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (www.ncarts.edu) is the University of North Carolina's conservatory for the arts, dedicated entirely to the professional training of students possessing exceptional talents in the performing, visual and moving image arts. UNCSA offers students a focused, intense, professional training at the high school, baccalaureate, and masters levels in its schools of Dance, Design and Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music.

For more information, visit www.opendreamensemble.com.

Cast biographies and the 2008 schedule follow, though additional performances will be added.

2008 Open Dream Ensemble Cast

Jonathan Gordon began performing almost as soon as he learned how to speak. He started trombone in 7th grade and found his love for acting in high school through the musicals West Side Story and Oklahoma! As Jonathan continued learning about trombone in college at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he also learned to love dancing.

Amber Ferenz is a musician specializing in bassoon and viola, and is a composer, artist and writer.   She teaches bassoon and freelances with orchestras in North Carolina and Virginia. Amber expanded her repertoire while living in California to include specializations in new and world music, which resulted in giving performances as diverse as bassoon soloist with a Javanese gamelan, faculty recitals at CalPoly San Luis Obispo, and as a chamber musician with Los Angeles-based inauthentica.  She is Professor of Bassoon at UNC-Charlotte.

Kjerstin Lysne began her ballet training at the age of eight.  Since then, dancing has transported her from Canada to Milwaukee, from North Carolina to France and London, as she has continued her training in ballet and also experimented with new dance styles, like tap, jazz, African, Flamenco, Caribbean, and contemporary dance.  At the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she studied with such guest artists as Neta Pulvermacher, Paul Matteson, Niki Juralewicz, Sarah Skaggs, and Jonah Bokaer.

Peter Shanahan is a freelance musician in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.  He plays with the Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Western Piedmont, Salisbury, and Carolina Chamber Symphonies in North Carolina, and with the Southwest Florida Symphony and Charleston Symphony.  Recently, Peter taught a master class at the Long Island Conservatory.

Rose Shields began dancing at the age of 3 and spent her early years training at the Duluth School of Ballet.  While at UNCSA, she had the opportunity to perform works by faculty and guest artists Camille Brown, Sarah Skaggs, and José Limón. She recently taught at and performed with Dance 101 in Atlanta, GA.

James Stewart is a performer, a composer, and a minister.  He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Composition degree from Toccoa Fall College in Northeast Georgia, where he received the senior music award. After college, he traveled around the country and world with the musical group, Carpenter’s Tools International.  James is the composer of all the music for The Red Planet.

Haydee Thompson currently lives at the "Werehouse," an artist collective and performance space in Winston-Salem that hosts national theatrical and musical performances.  Since graduating from UNCSA, Haydee has performed in several musicals including Annie, Gypsy, Showboat, and a nine month Broadway national tour of Guys & Dolls.

UNCSA Alumni Leadership Team:

Rebecca Nussbaum, General Manager, earned her Master of Music degree from the University of Maryland.  She has been a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Opera Festival of New Jersey and the Amarillo Symphony.  Rebecca has performed solo and chamber music recitals in a variety of venues including the Japanese Embassy, the Arts Club of D.C. and the Banff Centre for the Arts.  She has been teaching flute privately and coaching chamber music for over ten years.

Mollye Maxner, Creative Director, is also the artistic director of Chimaera Physical Theater / I.R.I.S and the SILICON DANCE PROJECT.  She has taught, performed and choreographed nationally and internationally. Mollye received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Choreography and Playwriting from Mount Holyoke College. She has worked annually since 1994 in Turkey, both for Modern Dance Turkey (Ankara) and for Mimar Sinan University (Istanbul). Mollye is now pursuing a second degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Directing from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Open Dream Ensemble Schedule

July 2008
29-August 1, Roanoke Island Festival Park, (Debut of Red Planet), Manteo, NC

August 2008
4-8, Camp, 9 a.m.-12 noon, Children's Theatre, Winston-Salem, NC
7, Elliott Center, 6 p.m., (Red Planet), A+ Schools Program, UNCG, Greensboro, NC

September 2008
15-19, Brunson Elementary School Residency, (Red Planet), Winston-Salem, NC  
22, Mariner Civic Center, 9:30, 11:30 a.m., (Anna Marie), Panama City, FL
24, Averitt Center for the Arts, 10 a.m., (Anna Marie), Statesboro, GA
26, Performing Arts Exchange, 8 a.m. showcase, (Red Planet), Atlanta, GA
30, Eaton Johnson Elementary, 9:00 a.m., (Red Planet), Henderson, NC

October 2008
2, The Carson Center, 9:30, 11:30 a.m., (Red Planet), Paducah, KY
6-10, ArtSpace Charter School, Residency, (Red Planet), Swannanoa, NC
13, Newton-Conover Civic and Performance Place, (Red Planet) Newton, NC
19-24, Pattillo A+ School, Residency, (Red Planet), Tarboro, NC
27-29, A.L. Brown High School, 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., (Red Planet), Concord, NC
30-31, Farthing Auditorium, 9:30 a.m., (Red Planet & Anna Marie), Boone, NC

November 2008
3, Dixie Carter Center, 9, 11 a.m., (Red Planet), Huntington, TN
5, Brooks Center, 9:30 a.m., (Anna Marie), Clemson, SC
6, Lander University, 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., (Red Planet), Greenwood, SC
10, Broyhill Civic Center, 9:15 a.m., 12 noon, (Red Planet), Lenoir, NC
12-14, Dare County Elementary and Middle Schools (Red Planet), Manteo, NC
17, A. L. Brown High School, 9:45 a.m., & 11:45 a.m., (Red Planet), Concord, NC
18, Stevens Center, 10 a.m., 12 noon, (Red Planet), Winston-Salem, NC
19, Mary McArthur Elementary School, 1:00 p.m., (Anna Marie), Fayetteville, NC
20, Wilkes Community College, 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., (Red Planet), Wilkesboro, NC
21, Piedmont Arts Association, 10 a.m., 1 p.m., (Red Planet), Martinsville, VA

December 2008
1-5, Benton Heights Elementary School Residency, (Red Planet), Monroe, NC