Keynotes & Invited Speakers

Panel: Donya Washington, Evren Odcikin, Kamilah Long ♦ Andras Jones ♦ Jean Houston PhD ♦ Jayne Gackenbach PhD ♦ Mark Blagrove PhD

Panel: Donya K. Washington, Evren Odcikin, Kamilah Long

Theater, Dreams, and Creativity

This panel of three leading OSF artists will share their thoughts and reflections on the dynamic interplay of theater, creativity, culture, and dreaming. Themes to be discussed include the power of the imagination, the transformative effects of art, and the future of live theater.

Donya K. Washington is a Festival Producer at OSF, with an extensive background in directing and producing. She is the Lead Producer for this year’s OSF productions of Rent and The Three Musketeers.

Evren Odcikin is the Associate Artistic Director and the Director of Artistic Programming at OSF. He is a director, writer, and arts leader, and is the Lead Producer for this year’s OSF production of Romeo and Juliet.

Kamilah Long is an OSF theater artist with experience as an actor, writer, director, producer, and fundraiser. She helped create this year’s Cyberland series of short films for OSF’s Cinema House.

Andras Jones

Radio8Ball: The Pop Oracle

Andras Jones is a multi-disciplinary artist (writer, musician, actor, producer) who has brought his many fields of endeavor together in an interactive performance format he calls Radio8Ball. Participants “consult The Pop Oracle” by asking questions which are answered by picking songs at random. The songs are performed live by the guest songwriter and interpreted…like communal dreams. 

Mark Blagrove, PhD

The Science and Art of Dreaming and Dream-Sharing

Mark Blagrove is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Sleep Laboratory at Swansea University, a past-President of IASD, and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He has researched sleep, memory and dreaming for almost 40 years. Since 2016 he has undertaken public Ullman dream discussions, with artist Julia Lockheart simultaneously painting each dream as part of their DreamsID.com collaboration.

Invited Speakers

Jayne Gackenbach, PhD; Emeritus Professor MacEwan University and Online Instructor for Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada

Dream Meaning Through Art Making: The Personal Journey of a Dream Researcher

Jayne Gackenbach, PhD is one of the past presidents of IASD. She was one of the early researchers examining first lucid dreams and later how media, especially video game play, affects dreams. Throughout her life she has been an artist and crafter who over time has used art as a form of dreamwork. 

Jean Houston, PhD

Epidaurus Reborn

Jean Houston, PhD is a beloved teacher, author of over 36 books, past consultant for the United Nations and advisor to leaders and communities around the world. For decades she has studied human development, social systems, quantum physics, world religions, philosophy, anthropology, human behavior and futurist studies. She has been driven by the belief that each person contains unexplored possibilities that can enhance their own lives and contribute to social transformation.