Our People

Rebecca Nussbaum

General Manager, is an administrator, educator and flutist. She received her Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Master of Music 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. In 2002, the ensemble Origins, which she co-founded, won the National Flute Association Chamber Music Competition. Rebecca has been a teacher and chamber music coach for over fifteen years. In 2004, with the generous sponsorship of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, Rebecca was able to bring her love of performance and education together through researching, designing and developing the Open Dream Ensemble. In addition to her work with Open Dream, she is a Fellow for the A+ Schools Program where she assists in instructing professional development sessions on arts-integration for teachers and artists.

Mollye Maxner

was born in Massachusetts. When she was eight years old, she rode her green bicycle to her first dance class. At the age of fourteen, Mollye left her home to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts to study ballet and contemporary dance. After graduating, Mollye started her own physical theater company (Chimaera Physical Theater, named after the mythological beast) and has spent the last ten years traveling around the world performing and creating dances. She has spent the most time in Turkey, a country she loves so much she calls it her second home. Alongside her love of the arts, Mollye loves math, science, literature and history. She is particularly intrigued by quantum physics and the study of other cultures. Her favorite book is The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. Her love of academics inspired Mollye to go to Mount Holyoke College, from which she graduated summa cum laud. In the past few years, Mollye has found a way of life that integrates her loves of arts and academics: as a theater director and choreographer Mollye gets to research a multitude of subjects and then transform what she discovers into the art of live performance. When she is not working, Mollye enjoys hiking, kite flying and spending time with friends and family.

Shona Simpson

Writer, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and as a child her family moved to England and New Zealand before finally settling in Dallas, Texas. After college at Duke University, she chose to go to graduate school in English Literature, much to the surprise of her family, who are all scientists. After finishing her Ph.D. and teaching literature at several universities, most recently at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, NC, she decided that she still wasn’t quite doing what she most wanted to do, which was to write stories and poems. So she stopped teaching and is now working on her first novel for children. She also plays the piano and is a long-distance runner, and she is never happier than when she is outside playing with her three daughters, Fiona, Ellie, and Jessie.

Brian Sutow

is a professional actor and writer, and the Co-Artistic Director of No Rules Theatre Company. As a native Chicagoan, Brian has performed professionally at Eclipse Theatre, Co., Apple Tree Theatre, Light Opera Works, American Theatre Co., and Wildbait Theatre Co. Additional professional stage credits include work with Roanoke Island Festival Park, The Open Dream Ensemble and most recently the leading role of Guy in NRTC’s critically acclaimed production of “Some Girl(s).” His film work includes appearances in High Fidelity, Train Wreck, A Bowl of Cherries (finalist at the Chicago TV Comedy Pilot Competition) The SunnySide Singers, the comedic webseries Assembly Required, as well as many industrial films for the military and the police. As a writer and lyricist, Brian’s work has been work-shopped and performed across the country. His original comedic writing has been requested and reviewed by companies like Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Turner Entertainment, Paradigm and William Morris. This summer, his adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut short story, “A Long Walk to Forever,” along with his original stage comedy, “Assembly Required: How to Write Produce and Stage a Musical – The Musical” will both appear at the 2010 Capitol Fringe Festival (both pieces are collaborations with longtime writing/business partner Joshua Morgan). Brian holds a BFA in Drama from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He is thrilled to be returning to work with the Open Dream Ensemble, where he previously co-wrote, “Peril on the Red Planet,” and performed lead roles in both of last seasons touring shows.

Joshua Morgan

As an actor, Joshua graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Judith Blazer’s 2005/2007 company of the Artist’s Crossing. Performance credits include roles in The Trojan Women, Godspell, Burn This, Comedy of Errors, Children of Eden, Othello, Show Boat, Sunday in the Park with George, The Good Doctor, Sweeney Todd..., The Laramie Project, and Les Miserables to name a few. Joshua has worked as a Musical Director/Rehearsal Pianist for many shows within the NY/NJ/DC tri-state area and coaches a handful of select students. The musical play, Definition of a Housewife, conceived and written by himself and Jeffery Self had a workshop production in the summer of 2006 at Columbia University. Most recently he directed three sold-out productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and became the Co-Artistic Director of No Rules Theatre Company which is based out of Washington, DC and Winston-Salem, NC.

Ren LaDassor

Costume Designer, has had a love of clothes since she first put them on. Some of her recent designs include 7 Days- (feature film) Those Guys That Girl Film Production; Launch of MUDasMAN- MUDasMan Productions; Baby With The Bathwater- GroundUP Productions; Kikibaby- (workshop) Primary Stages-Lonny Price; Adventures of Ezra Jack Keats- Weston Playhouse. Ren is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, School of Design and Production.

Travis McHale

Recently, designer Travis McHale has worked on lighting for MY FAVORITE THINGS starring Shirley Jones, directed by Lonny Price (Colorado Festival of World Theatre), the world premiers of LOVE DRUNK by Romulus Linney and FREUDIAN SLIPS Off-Broadway (Abingdon Theatre Company) and has created scene design for the New York premier of Keith Reddin’s ALL THE RAGE (Manhattan Theatre Source). His Off-Broadway Scenic and Lighting work includes the premiers of THE PEOPLE VS. MONA (NY IT Award nom.), THE OPTIMIST, directed by Jace Alexander (Ground UP Productions), SHIRLEY AT THE TROPICANA (Access Theatre), MAKEOUT SESSION, GLASS JAW, and A STEADY RAIN (The Barrow Group).  He has worked on lighting design for Lonny Price’s KIKI BABY (Primary Stages), the Lincoln Center Institute, Partial Comfort Productions, Manhattan Theatre Source, Ground UP Productions, and Erica Essner Performance Co-Op.  Regionally his work is seen in A RAISIN IN THE SUN (tour), I AM MY OWN WIFE directed by Hal Brooks, NO CHILD…, A NUMBER (Weston Playhouse, VT) and for Colorado Festival of World Theatre, Auburn University, UNC-Chapel Hill, Ballet Spartanburg, Actor’s Repertory Theatre, and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Associate/Assistant design work includes the current national tour of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, starring Topol, CRIMES OF THE HEART (Roundabout), CAMELOT (NY Philharmonic), BROADWAY: THREE GENERATIONS (Kennedy Center), SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Goodspeed), PIRATES OF PENZANCE (Indianapolis Opera). Travis has toured extensively for The Kennedy Center, Game Show Network, and Weston Playhouse. He serves on the board of New York’s Ground UP Productions. Travis is from Long Beach, CA, earned his BFA in lighting design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He lives in Manhattan.

Marissa Byers

is a multi-faceted performer who has distinguished herself as a clarinetist, a dancer, and a conductor. Marissa was born in the small town of Dublin, Georgia and raised in Winston Salem, NC. As the oldest girl in a family of nine children, Marissa developed her unique skills for entertaining large groups right in her own living room. She was a guest soloist with the Winston Salem Symphony and has been a guest artist with the Aviva Players, the Manchester Music, Pittsburgh Jewish Music, and the Ibero American Music Festivals. Marissa was invited to perform for the Austrian Consulate in New York City after producing and conducting the mono-opera by Grigori Frid, The Diary of Anne Frank. She has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. Marissa studied dance in New York City, and spent part of her career as a bellydancer, firedancer, and Bollywood dancer in India.
Marissa went to high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She studied there with Robert Listokin. After graduating she continued her studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts with Richard Stoltzman. Marissa earned her Master's at Mannes College of Music.
She is currently building her businesses and her life in her home town in North Carolina, where she continues to develop and produce intercultural projects with dancers and musicians all over the world, and to return regularly for performances in the northeast United States and Canada. Marissa is most excited about having been chosen to collaborate and perform with the Open Dream Ensemble this season.

Julianne Harper

was born and raised in Garland, Texas. At the age of four she began her training in tap dance and continued to study the dance form intensively until high school. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas where she was introduced to modern dance. Julianne continued her training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she graduated with a BFA in contemporary dance in 2005. Upon graduation, she joined the premiere season of the Open Dream Ensemble. Julianne also codirected Clap If You're Confused, a multimedia experience performed in site-specific venues across North Carolina & California. Ms. Harper has performed throughout the nation, including at the Lincoln Center, the Supperclub, and various parts of Los Angeles as a street performer. She has had the honor of dancing with Gregory Hines and tapping for the premiere of his film Bojangles, as well as being selected for the casting bank of STOMP and Cirque du Soleil.
Julianne now teaches and performs with The Children's Theatre of Winston Salem and is excited to be back with Open Dream Ensemble for her third season. Whenever possible she enjoys finding time to bang on her drums all day.

Danielle Rennalls

is a recent graduate of UNCSA School of Drama. She has worked at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Westport Playhouse, and NYC's Sonnet Company. She is thrilled for the new season of Open Dream Ensemble!

Andrew Jernigan

graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA from the School of Drama in 2010. Since moving to NYC, he has appeared on Law and Order: SVU, participated in numerous readings, and continues to collaborate with fellow alumni in an effort to create entertaining and intelligent work. Most recently he's been a part of a project to promote "The Drama Dept.", a potential tv pilot written and directed by UNCSA alums in an effort to reveal the comedic joys and follies of a performance arts school.
Andrew would like to extend his love to his family, his friends, and his sweetheart, Ali Bill.

Guy Kelpin

Originally from Wisconsin, Guy Kelpin wears many hats as a musician in Winston-Salem, teaching and playing keyboards, bass, and band instruments. He has worked as a church music director and assistant director of school bands. A member of the Piedmont Wind Symphony, Guy is currently the ensemble's Operations Manager. He performs regularly with jazz bands, theater companies, and classical ensembles, including the Little Symphony, Double Take, Twin City Stage, Vintage Years Orchestra, Giannini Brass, and Spectrum Brass. After studying trombone and film scoring at UNC-School of the Arts and Illinois Wesleyan University, Kelpin began playing bass in 2004. This enabled him to broaden his musical range to include bluegrass and hard rock.
Guy's interests include canoeing, history, astronomy, and home improvement. Variety is indeed the spice of life!

James Stewart

started playing music when he was four years old. He took piano lessons through elementary school and started playing the saxophone in middle school. In high school James began to compose original music for his friends and for his high school band. When he was fifteen, James became a choir director at his local church. Also he played keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and sang in several garage bands. All of this made James want to study music further. He graduated college in 2001 with a degree in Music Composition. Then James spent a year with a professional band traveling the US and the world. In 2007, James received his Master’s degree in music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Then he spent three seasons with the Open Dream Ensemble. James has written music for all five shows that ODE has staged! His music has been played by rock bands, chorales, choirs, chamber music ensembles, and the radio. Now, he is currently enrolled in the Hartt School of Music, in Hartford Connecticut to pursue his Doctorate in Music Arts in composition under the instruction of Dr. Robert Carl.
James enjoys cartoons, reading, and playing with his five year old son, Jeremiah. James’ wife Meredith is expecting their second child sometime in September.

Peter Shanahan

started playing the flute when he was in the 7th grade and hasn’t stopped since! An Open Dream veteran of three seasons, Peter is returning this year to reprise his role as the evil genius, Dr. Disrupto, in the Open Dream Ensemble's newest web series.  He is also a freelance musician and plays with many orchestras in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.  Peter serves on the music faculty of Guilford College and The Music Academy of North Carolina. Peter was born in Petersburg, Virginia and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Indiana University.

William vonReichbauer

Guitarist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist William vonReichbauer performs throughout the Southeastern United States, appearing as a recitalist, chamber musician, and accompanist. His compositions can be heard in concert halls in both the United States and in Europe. He performs regularly on upright bass with The Darnell Woodies and The Bo-Stevens. An accomplished instructor, William has taught music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Gardner-Webb University, Salem College Community Music School, and Arena Sound Music Instruction. William has also worked in an administrative capacity for the Magnolia Baroque Festival, the Albany Symphony (NY), Spoleto Festival USA, Eastern Music Festival, the Winston-Salem Symphony, and the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied guitar under Gerald Klickstein and music composition with composers Kenneth Frazelle and Michael Rothkopf.
He currently lives with his two cats, Dmitri and Mina, in Winston-Salem, NC.

Haydee Thompson

is thrilled to be cast, once again, as a member of the Open Dream Ensemble. In the past five years Haydee has played many roles in the ensemble, but is mostly remembered by her portrayal as the Pirate, the Dragon, and the Mad Hatter in The Amazing Adventure of Anna Marie. Haydee has also played the role of Katherine Wright in Dream Machines.  Haydee currently calls beautiful Winston-Salem, NC her home but lived for many years in New York City where she performed quite a few great roles including Hilda in Room Service, Cynthia in Baby with the Bath Water, and Sarah in the Broadway National Tour of Guys & Dolls. Haydee is inspired by her family, who has always been a great support, especially her Nanny (Jessie) who was a great radio and big band singer in the 1930's and 1940's. 
When she's not acting Haydee enjoys working in her flower garden and playing with her not so little cat Lily.

Adrian Knowels

first discovered his love for the performance arts in elementary school, getting the lead role in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and dancing as one of the members of the Jackson 5 for Black History Month. His love for acting took over in high school, performing in 12 Community Theatre productions before applying to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Since school began, Adrian has attempted to fuse body and mind by practicing yoga, mediation, and extensive voice and body work. His favorite roles include "Professor" in Tracers, "The Archbishop of Rheims" in St. Joan, and "Tripp Davenport" in 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress. He owes much of his success to his mom and dad who supported him from the very beginning.

Ulung Mikhael Tanoto

is from Indonesia. He came all the way to United States to take Master degree in Film Music Composition at UNCSA after he wrote music for some Indonesian films and TV commercials. As a kid, he dreamt about writing music for Hollywood movies. Then, last summer, he got an internship in Hollywood for some TV shows including "The Simpsons". Now, as a fresh graduate, he is excited to collaborate with other art forms and artists in Open Dream Ensemble, which emphasizes on interdisciplinary. Although music has been his major activity since high school (including playing, composing, arranging and conducting), he also performed a role in a self-written musical. He enjoys basketball, soccer, and traveling. Whenever he traveled, he would bring his instruments, at least a harmonica, so you might see him "jam" with musicians on sidewalks. Luckily, he can play most of common musical instruments, except the bowed ones. He has played flute in orchestras, saxophone in jazz bands, guitar in rock bands, "suling" in "campur sari" groups… well, the last one is an Indonesian traditional instrument. I'll show you if I get a chance!

Alicia Willard

Alicia Willard has just completed her third year as an undergraduate composition student at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), studying with Dr. Lawrence Dillon and having composed pieces for solo performers and ensembles, including the saxophone quartet, percussion ensemble, piano duo, wind ensemble, and voice, as well as a recently completed composition for symphony orchestra and solo mezzo-soprano voice. Her compositions have been premiered by students and faculty members from UNCSA, and recorded by the PRISM Saxophone Quartet and members of the North Carolina Symphony. Having grown up in Kansas City, Alicia has been exposed to many avenues in music, including local jazz bands and the Kansas City Symphony, as well as performing with the Kansas City Metro Opera and the Kansas All-State Honor Band for two years. A recipient of the John Philip Sousa Band Award, the Kenneth Frazelle Composition Scholarship, the Martha and Spencer Love Endowed Scholarship in Music, the Vittorio Giannini Scholarship, and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship, Alicia has also been an active percussionist and pianist for over fifteen years. She has competed and performed as both a piano soloist and a marimba soloist, in addition to performing in several chamber ensembles and accompanying many solo instrumentalists and vocalists. This is her first experience with Open Dream Ensemble and she has greatly enjoyed working on such an exciting project.

Ryan Wineinger

is so thrilled to work in this new venture of children’s entertainment. Ryan’s most recent scenic design credits include: New Voices Young Playwrights Festival, Humana Festival Ten-Minute Plays, The End, It Takes A Ville, The Tens (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Seussical the Musical, Salt & Pepper, Brother Rabbit Spinning Free, Disney’s Aladdin, Goodnight Moon: the Musical, Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Children’s Theatre of Charlotte ), The Last Five Years, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (No Rules Theatre Company), Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure (Hubbard Street Dance), Giulio Cesare (Orchestra London), The Trojan Women (Franklin Stage Company) and Ferdinand the Bull (Stage One Theater Company). Ryan’s projection design credits include: Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure (Hubbard Street Dance), Nighttime Traffic (New York Musical Theater Festival) and Sunday in the Park with George (UNC School of the Arts). Ryan is originally from Albany, NY and he received his BFA in Scene Design from the UNC School of the Arts in 2009. Ryan currently resides in Louisville, KY where he spent last year as the Resident Assistant Scene Designer for the Actors Theatre of Louisville. You can see more of Ryan’s design work at www.ryanwineinger.com.

Lucas Hausrath

recently received his Bachelor of Music in composition from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied with Kenneth Frazelle. He is currently focusing on a Master of Music in composition at the University of Southern California, where he is studying with Erica Muhl.
In 2009, Hausrath attended MusicX in Blonay, Switzerland, where his new piece, Quartet No. 2, was premiered, featuring Eighth Blackbird percussionist Matthew Duvall. He also participated in master classes with Chen Yi, Frederic Rzewski, Joel Hoffman, and Eighth Blackbird.
Lucas began composing at a young age, and entered classical music composition studies in 2005 with Joel Hoffman, with whom he studied for a year. Hausrath attended the Brevard Summer Music Festival in 2007 where he was a student of Bob Aldridge and had master classes with composer Don Freund and the innovative violinist and composer Mark O'Connor.
 In 2009, Lucas was commissioned by the Grammy nominated director Jim Fields to score a segment of his film “A: Head, B: Body”, about Dr. Robert White, a now retired experimental doctor. Lucas has also worked under commission for Ivonne Batanero, for whom he composed a dance in collaboration with singer/songwriter Steven Hall; and Geoffrey Seelen, who commissioned him to write a trombone solo, titled Music for Trombone, in 2007.
Hausrath has had the opportunity to produce more than 10 film soundtracks for the UNCSA film department. Several of the films have gone on to appear in film festivals in North Carolina and California, including B for Beekeeper, winner of the Reynolda Film Festival’s Best Documentary award. In addition, Hausrath has written electronic and electroacoustic music for several dances, all of which were premiered by UNCSA's dance department. Aside from works such as these, Hausrath's main focus is contemporary chamber music. This includes several works that demand contemporary extended techniques and challenging musical concepts. This diverse variety of styles makes Hausrath a very versatile and capable composer. These works are significantly influenced by composers such as Charles Ives, Christopher Rouse, Bela Bartok, and John Adams.

Cara Hagan

(Dancer, Choreographer, Educator) is a dance artist whose work has been described as multicultural, multi-dimensional and full of exuberance. She enjoys collaborating with artists of other genres to make intimate performance experiences, dance films and community-oriented works. Since graduation from the UNC School of the Arts in 2005, Ms. Hagan’s work has been seen on stage, on film, and in educational settings across the country across the USA and abroad. In recent years, Cara has had the pleasure of conducting artist’s residencies at community centers like the Enrichment Center of Winston Salem, Academic Institutions such as Salem College and NC State University and at private dance programs, such as the NC State Ballet. In addition, she has received recognition for her work through a 2009 NC Dance Alliance Fellowship Award, a 2010 Regional Artists Grant from the Forsyth County Arts Council and two Best Short Film Awards from the Indie Grits Film Festival and the Foursite Film Festival for her short dance film, “Two Downtown.” In 2011, she was awarded a Graduate Scholar Award from the 6th Annual Arts in Society Conference in Berlin, where she gave a workshop entitled, “How Did I Get Here: An Exploration of the Web of Memory, Journey and Arrival.” Cara is on faculty at High Point University, where she is implementing the curriculum for a new Dance Minor program under the umbrella of the Department of Theater.

Drew Wolber

is a man who's been accused of wearing far too many hats including – but not limited to –
producing, acting
cinematography,
modeling, directing,
and professional musician.
In addition to collaborating with No Rules Productions, a Washington DC based production studio, Drew took on several entrepreneurial endeavors, including a multi-media production company (Pythian) and an independent record label and production house (Wolber Enterprises).
Drew also formed and self-produces the acoustic rock band Rome Juliana, which continues to enjoy a booming fan base and secured international distribution.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Drew joined the Austin, Texas based ad agency Sparksight Inc. in early 2011 where he not only manages many of the executive accounts, but puts a personalized spin on every project that passes through his hands. 
Drew is a graduate of the UNC School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking.
For more information visit, www.drewwolber.com