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Open Dream Ensemble Selected by Imagine Mars Project
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (SEPTEMBER 2, 2009) – Imagine Mars has named the Open Dream Ensemble, a children’s theater group based in Winston-Salem, as one of its four principal partners. The Imagine Mars Project is sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Endowment for the Arts.
A project of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, the Open Dream Ensemble is a public outreach program of the University North Carolina School of the Arts and is comprised of professional artists who trained in dance, drama and music at UNCSA.
The Imagine Mars Project is a national arts, sciences, and technology education initiative that inspires students to work together with scientists, engineers, artists, and civic leaders to design and share a futuristic Mars community for 100 people. The Imagine Mars Project Web site http://imaginemars.jpl.nasa.gov/index4.html launched in conjunction with Space Day on May 2, 2002 and serves as the gateway to the complete online presence of the project.
To celebrate Open Dream Ensemble’s partnership with Imagine Mars, Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines has proclaimed September 3 “Imagine Mars Day” in Winston-Salem. In conjunction, Open Dream Ensemble will premiere a new play called Peril on the Red Planet on September 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stevens Center.
“We’re delighted that Imagine Mars has selected the Open Dream Ensemble as one of its four primary partners on a national level,” Margaret Mertz, executive director of the Kenan Institute said. “The Open Dream Ensemble is the only one of the four that focuses on an artistic interpretation of the goals of the program. Peril on the Red Planet is a major project that the Open Dream Ensemble has done in collaboration with Imagine Mars. It will be exciting to see Open Dream's work with Imagine Mars continue to unfold in coming months, including a teachers' workshop on September 23rd.”
Peril on the Red Planet is set in the future and tells the story of 13 year-old Diana as she works to end famine on Mars. She reconstructs the machine that made human habitation possible on Mars and unexpectedly unleashes more problems. Her efforts to save life on Mars lead her on an important quest, during which she learns life lessons about community, responsibility, teamwork and sacrifice. Peril on the Red Planet is geared to grades 3-8.
Prior to the performance of Peril on the Red Planet, Open Dream Ensemble will debut Dream Machines: The Impossible Happens at the Stevens Center. Dream Machines begins at 6:30 p.m. Both shows are free and open to the public, and the audience is welcome to attend one or both productions.
“Both of our new plays focus on important life lessons including dedication, determination, courage and teamwork,” said Rebecca Nussbaum, general manager of the Open Dream Ensemble. “They also highlight the power of imagination and learning in fun, creative, and engaging ways. We are thrilled to have the chance to share these new productions with the Triad community.”
Using the diverse skills of its cast, Open Dream Ensemble presents original performances to school students throughout the Southeast. Open Dream combines the power of live performances with artist residencies and educational workshops, aligning the content with current school curriculum. More information on the Open Dream Ensemble is available at www.OpenDreamEnsemble.com.
The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts incubates projects that sustain artists at every point in their creative development through strategic partnerships that capitalize on visionary thinking in the arts. For more information, visit www.kenanarts.org.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (www.uncsa.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 focused, intense, professional training at the high school, baccalaureate, and masters levels in its schools of Dance, Design and Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music.
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