History

The earliest recorded theatrical event dates back to 2000 BC with the passion plays of Ancient Egypt. This story of the god Osiris was performed annually at festivals throughout the civilization, marking the known beginning of a long relationship between theatre and religion.

The Ancient Greeks were the first to begin to formalize theatre as an art, developing strict definitions of tragedy and comedy as well as other forms, including satyr plays. Like the passion plays of Ancient Egypt, Greek plays made use of mythological characters. The Greeks were also the first to develop the concepts of dramatic criticism, acting as a career, and theatre architecture.

Western theatre continued to develop under the Roman Empire, in medieval England, and continued to thrive, taking on many alternate forms in Spain, Italy, France, and Russia in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The general trend over the centuries was away from the poetic drama of the Greeks and the Renaissance and toward a more realistic style, especially following the Industrial Revolution. A uniquely American theatre developed along with the colonization of North America.

Theatre

Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the performing artsBernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one or more persons, isolated in time and/or space, present themselves to another or others." By this broad definition, theatre has existed since the dawn of man, as a result of human tendency for story telling. Since its inception, theatre has come to take on many forms, often utilizing elements such as speech, gesture, music, dance, and spectacle, combining the other performing arts, often as well as the visual arts, into a single artistic form.

The word derives from the Ancient Greek theatron (θέατρον), meaning "the seeing place

Home Automation and New Cabinetry Needs

Not Just K&B Anymore . . . Expanding The Business With Home Automation and New Cabinetry Needs

The explosion of home automation and the increasing use of home theatres is a great opportunity for designers and contractors. In fact, K&B specialists already have a real talent for the essentials in many spaces well beyond their specialty. The demand for custom cabinetry solutions extends beyond the confines of cooking and bathing, and is often a must have in great rooms, master bedrooms, home offices, and of course home theatres.

While we have done a great many kitchen and bath remodels, we always included it in the entire house plan and used the same cabinetmakers for work through out. We also bundled technology needs with a partner company realizing economies for our clients by using one vendor for all spaces.

Partnering effectively with fellow design talents, contractors and specialists has been paramount in our success. We are able to provide a one stop shop by presenting a suite of services encompassing all job aspects.

Forming strategic alliances benefits all parties. According to Mark Spears, Director of Multi-Family Design and Sales, Living Spaces based in Atlanta, Georgia, their rapport with the technology gurus at Home IQ is an essential element for comprehensive solutions throughout the home with technology. They represent Woodmode and Brookhaven cabinetry and both companies have been in home theatre design for a long time.

The public is clamoring for the latest, greatest, newest, and slickest. Spears declared that “it isn’t practicality that people want, it is WOW!” It is a great time to boost the bottom line with add on sales in technology in the kitchen and bath. Jill Koepplin, Senior Manager, Outbound Operations, Best Buy says that “homebuyers are looking to see . . . solutions such as LCD panels and in-ceiling music.”

Upgrades like these are often best done at the onset of construction as retrofitting can cost as much as 3 times more, according to Koeplin. While your laptop may be wireless, homes are not yet there. It takes planning in the design stages to really make a difference and create the home a client is dreaming of. As designers we need to stay one step ahead of what they want so that by the time it happens we aren’t behind.

Average investments for home theatre packages vary widely and can be designed to fit a range of budgets and home values. Kevin Winneroski, Director of Merchandising for Home Entertainment, Best Buy describes the low end as under $1000 while the high end can run well over $40K.

A whole house system can add tens of thousands in investment but allow convenience and comfort. With schedules becoming ever busier, by the time many get home these days, they don’t want to leave again. Homes are their source of entertainment and refuge.

Having completed one client’s basement renovation including a guest room, full bath, home theatre, family room, bar, and wine tasting room with cellar, we were delighted to learn that in the ensuing weeks their home has been singularly the most popular in the neighborhood as the best place to hang out for the night. Incorporating technology throughout the space, working closely with the client, and their chosen vendor, Best Buy, we delivered a customized fit complete with built-in cabinetry in the theatre, family room, and bar to suit the needs given. All was completed by our cabinetmakers typically responsible for our kitchen and bath work.

Great design incorporating innovative product and leading edge technology can be truly life transformative. For clients Phil and Gwenn Weiss and their children, they like to joke that rather than “buying a vacation home, we remodeled our basement. It is a lot closer, more convenient, and we are the hub of neighborhood activities now. It is almost like having our own private club.”

Gwenn has a Desperate Housewives night, Phil regularly has the guys in for sports and wine tastings, and the kids have their friends over for the latest video or computer game, (well within the watchful eye of their folks, but no so close as to feel confined or regulated.)

Moving into home theatre with cabinet capabilities and on the converse moving into the kitchen and bath with home automation are natural ways to grow business without needing to retool or even get new clients. Providing more extensive services to your already satisfied buyers is always the best way to go. After all as designers our job is to create a custom, unique personal experience for our clients. And in this day and age that means bringing everything they might need, want and desire within arms reach at home.

Home Theatre With Plasma Lift Furniture

Find Out How You Can Make Any Room A Luxurious Home Theatre With Plasma Lift Furniture

If you are a free spirit and don’t want to be tied down to an ordinary home theatre room, it’s time to see how TV lift cabinets are paving the way for home theatre experience in any room. Why have to give up a bedroom, study or home office for a home theatre?

With hidden TV cabinets you can hide your Plasma TV safely in any room surrounded by a luxurious handcrafted cabinet that is visually exciting and guaranteed to lend a dynamic aspect to the room.

What kind of person are you? If you’re a lounger who loves to watch TV in bed, snuggled in your comforter with your favorite snack you will love plasma lift furniture at the foot of your bed. By day an elegant piece of furniture with a deep rich finish. By night with the push of a button on your remote control an exciting home theatre rises for your very special experience. Or if you choose, you can move to your sitting area on the other side of your bedroom and with another push of the button swivel your TV in that direction.

Are you a meat and potato kind of guy who loves to watch their favorite sports program in the living room? It’s time to surround your new Plasma in a ‘sporty’ TV lift that will make you a hit with the guys. The guys come over for the big game you push a button and your brand new plasma rises from a sleek, rich cabinet. Then you show off a little more by swiveling your new TV to the left and then to the right. You top off the whole experience by turning on your controls with your remote that uses infra red technology.

Perhaps you’re an intellect who likes to watch your favorite program in the study. Your elegant Plasma lift furniture is of traditional design. The old world craftsmanship of your new cabinet looks perfect with your other classic furniture. You push a button and your TV rises smoothly and quietly using its rack and pinion mechanism that will work reliably for many years. Hidden TV cabinets are fit for a king!

Now if you are the lady of the house and you love to utilize your dining room, you will be elated to find out that you can own the most elegant buffet, custom made to order, a luxurious finish and with unlimited attention to detail that is a TV lift. You’re working on a craft project but it’s time for your favorite Soap. Don’t stop what you’re doing! Just push a button and watch your LCD rise from your buffet and watch your show. You can be ‘Queen for the Day’ with your plasma lift furniture.

Auditioning Tips for Musical Theatre

One of the most difficult parts of being in musical theater, especially for kids, is the auditioning process. What follows are 3 of the most important tips to give your child when it comes to auditioning for musical theatre or Broadway shows:

1) Find Out What’s Needed for the Audition

This might seem like common sense, but it’s very important to know specifically what the people who are conducting the audition are looking for. Keep in mind there are three aspects to musical theatre -dance, singing, and acting. Sometimes an audition calls for you to know 16 bars of a song and to bring their own music. Other times the audition calls for you to have memorized a 1 minute monologue. Often there is a dance call as part of the audition, and you need to be wearing proper dance clothes. Find out ahead of time what specifically will be required.

2) Select the Best Material that Fits Your Talents

Once you know what is required at the audition, you then you need to pick a song and/or a monologue that will suit your talents. It’s very important to pick a song and then practice the song in the key that the sheet music you have is written in. Sometimes people go to auditions and there music is in a different key than they’re used to singing in. This can be a disaster! Go online to buy and print the sheet music if you have to. Online sheet music often allows you to play the song on your computer and change the key to best suit your range. When picking a monologue, pick something that suits your natural personality and acting abilities, and that you can feel comfortable performing.

3) The Three Most Important Things About an Audition - Practice! Practice! Practice!

Once you know what is required for the audition, and once you select your material, you need to start practicing. This doesn’t mean learning the song in the car on the way to the audition! You need to start practicing as easily as possible so when you get to the audition you’ll be relaxed and able to perform at your best. Practice in front of your friends, family, neighbours, and anybody who will listen. Your family and friends will always tell you how great you are. Your friends will be honest! Listen to their suggestions, and just do the best you can!

About Home Theatre Receivers

• The brains and nerve center of your system.

Receivers perform many different important functions in your system. Along with being the central audio and video switching station, they handle audio signal processing and amplification, radio tuning, and, in some high-end models, upconversion of standard video signals for high-def output through Component Video or HDMI jacks. Other features you'll find on receivers include ports for connecting an XM satellite radio antenna or iPod. Since the receiver is such a key component, it's important to do your homework and select one that provides enough input and output connections to accommodate all your audio and video sources.

• Stereo, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1-channel receivers explained

Any receiver can handle two-channel stereo playback, but a basic model should also come equipped with Dolby Digital and, in most cases, DTS surround sound processing - an alternative digital soundtrack format that's found on some DVDs. Both of these formats use five discrete audio channels plus a special low frequency (bass) effects channel to deliver immersive, near-movie theater quality sound from DVDs or high-definition sources. Most step-up receivers add on Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES processing. These modes make use of an additional "back" surround channel to extend the sonic possibilities of Dolby Digital and DTS even further.

•The most common type of receiver -5.1-channel models- decode the audio information contained in Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks and route them to front left and right, center, and surround speakers in your system via their five built-in amplifier channels. (The .1, or low frequency effects, channel in a movie soundtrack gets directed to a powered subwoofer with its own on-board amplifier.)

•Along with providing all the functionality of a 5.1-channel receiver, 6.1-channel models include an additional amp channel to drive a back surround speaker when watching DVDs encoded with Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES soundtracks. The main benefit to the back surround channel is that it creates an even more realistic surround sound experience - one that's closer to what you'd hear in a well-equipped movie theater.

•7.1-channel receivers are basically the same as 6.1-channel models, but they include yet another amp channel to drive a second back surround speaker. In this case, the audio information going to both back speakers is identical; it's just distributed between the two back speakers to create an even more expansive rear sound field. The specifications for the new HD DVD and Blu-ray disc formats allow for soundtracks with up to 7.1 discrete audio channels. So while a 7.1-channel receiver might seem like overkill, right now it's a more future-proof option than 5.1 and 6.1 models.

• Audio formats - Dolby Digital, DTS, THX, and Dolby Headphone explained

As discussed in Stereo, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 surround sound explained, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital EX, and DTS and DTS-ES are the main surround sound audio modes you'll find on both basic and step-up receivers. But higher-end models may offer even more processing modes. For example, THX-certified receivers feature something called THX Surround EX. This mode works alongside Dolby Digital EX processing to time-align a pair of back surround speakers in a 7.1-channel system and match their sound to the other speakers in the system. The end result is a more seamless, theater-like surround presentation when watching DVDs with Dolby Digital EX-encoded soundtracks. And then there's Dolby Headphone, a processing mode that brings the dynamic range, dialog clarity, and spatial effects of 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks to stereo headphone listening. Although using headphones in a fully equipped home theater might sound strange, it's a great option for late-night viewing when you don't want to disturb others in the house.

• Basic receiver setup.

Basic receiver setup entails plugging in audio and video sources and running wire from the unit's back panel to your speaker's input connections. Most DVD players, CD changers, satellite receivers, and cable boxes provide a digital audio output along with a set of regular analog output jacks. You'll usually get better sound if you use this digital audio connection, and it's an absolute requirement to experience the 5.1-channel digital soundtracks on DVDs or HDTV programs. The rules for video setup on receivers are pretty much the same as those for audio. If your video source has a digital DVI or HDMI connection (and the receiver provides digital video switching) it will deliver better performance than analog Component Video, Composite and S-Video connections.

•Speakers.

The sound coming from your receiver needs to be divided up to match the capabilities of the speakers used in the system. To do this effectively, a receiver's speaker setup menu lets you specify the size of individual speakers in the system as large or small, and asks whether or not you're using a subwoofer. The settings you select allow it to perform bass management, which determines the precise audio frequency at which bass signals are filtered out from the various speakers and sent on to the subwoofer (or to the main speakers, if a subwoofer isn't used). The next step is to measure the span from the speakers to your seating position and specify those distances in the setup menu. This allows the receiver to perform time-alignment - basically adding slight delay to the audio channels to create a more uniform surround sound effect. And the final setup task is to balance the output levels of each speaker in the system. This ensures that the sound coming from all speakers is equally loud - an important step for getting smooth dialog and realistic surround ambience. Some receivers perform the task automatically; with others, you need to use a sound-pressure level meter along with the receiver's built-in setup test tones to manually make the adjustments.

• How many watts per Channel?

The amount of power you'll need from a receiver depends on two factors: room size, as well as the performance characteristics of the speakers you're pairing it with. An average power rating for a receiver is 100 watts per channel. That level of juice should be enough for a small to mid-size (80 to 200 square foot) home theater with a five satellite-plus-subwoofer speaker system. But large tower speakers - particularly those that use exotic technologies like planar-magnetic or electrostatic drivers - might require more amplifier power to handle the sonic peaks in an action movie than a 100 watt-per -channel receiver can provide.

• Get the most out of your receiver and system

Since a receiver is the brain of your system, you should try to maximize its features to make your life easier and more enjoyable. At minimum, you'll want to take advantage of its tape loop functions to route signals to a CD- or DVD-recorder or VCR for basic audio and video recording. Many higher-end models also provide a multizone audio output that lets you direct stereo music or radio programs to a secondary room such as a dining area or kitchen.

•Room Auto-EQ systems

A new feature found on some receivers is automatic equalization, or Auto-EQ. While this feature varies from receiver to receiver, it's typically used to improve sound quality by automatically adjusting parameters such as speaker crossover points. Auto-EQ can also adjust the bass and treble of individual audio channels to compensate for any issues with room acoustics. Receivers with Auto -EQ usually come with a small microphone that's used for initial setup. The receiver emits test tones from each speaker in sequence, while the microphone picks up the tones and provides feedback. This information is then used to automatically adjust speaker levels, speaker distance settings, and various EQ and room-correction functions.

•Receiver or separate preamp/processor and amplifier

Buying a receiver with all its bundled extras is hands down the easiest way to get started when putting together a home theater. But there are also downsides to this approach. Stuffing numerous electronic components like a preamp/processor, multichannel amp, and radio tuner together in a single chassis can increase background noise levels -which is why audio purists prefer to buy those components separately. With new home theater innovations arriving at a lightning-fast pace, buying separate components also gives you insurance against obsolescence - you can upgrade your preamp/processor without having to buy a new amplifier, and vice-versa.

Live from New York’s U.N. Theatre

As if the UN did not already have a mountain of failures to live down, along comes the two of the worlds most P.T. Barnum like dictators complete with misinformation, ranting and name calling. Diplomacy and civilized discourse itself has been seriously affronted not to mention the office of the U.S. President.

Iran’s Prime Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressing the UN said things that betray his ignorance of protocol, truthfulness and history. In one breath he said “I respect the Jews” but made no effort to explain his previous cry to wipe them off the map. In a typically uninformed world view he asked why the Palestinians were not allowed to determine their own fate as it pertains to their own ancient homeland. Prior to 1948 Palestinians never used the phrase “homeland” and were not looking for one even in the remotest sense of the word.

His contorted view of history ignores a 4000 year long history of Jewish ownership of Israel as do almost all Muslims around the world. This view gives new meaning to the cliché “don’t confuse me with the facts.” But here is a dictator who doesn’t believe there was ever a holocaust. For all of the faults of the Third Reich poor record keeping was not one of them. The holocaust is without exception the most well documented slaughter in history. One could say it may be easier to document the holocaust than to document Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This dictator leaves credulity blowing in the wind and makes anyone wonder how he ever came to power. Perhaps ranting is all that’s needed to take power in Iran. The bottom line is that this is not the kind of man that needs to have a nuclear arsenal at his disposal by any stretch of the imagination.

Next is Hugo Chavez to the UN floor with name calling and metaphoric reference to odors of burning sulfur left behind by the recent visit of President George Bush. Chavez may see himself as the modern counterpart of South America’s most renowned statesmen Simon Bolivar but that comparison resides only in the mind of Mr. Chavez. Not even his own countrymen would dare to stretch things that far.

Venezuela may not see baseball the way Americans do but there is something in that game that seems all too well suited for Mr. Chavez, namely “three strikes and your out.” What were those three strikes? Let’s examine each briefly.

The first strike against Mr. Chavez came as a result of his complete and utter abandonment of gentility, propriety, respect and protocol. To blast the leaders of a host country unashamedly while enjoying every courtesy and advantage available to him as a visiting statesman is pure unbridled indecency. That President Bush did not respond in kind or at all only gave greater honor to the presidency and Mr. Bush. The rest of us would have liked to give Mr. Chavez the bums rush, with the exception of Danny Glover. Perhaps for Glover and Chavez that liaison might be their version of “Dancing with the Stars.”

The second strike came when Chavez decided to take to the neighborhood church and from a pulpit cover his lack of refinement with offers of help for America’s poor. Oh please.

Spreading around some cheap oil is only a cheap trick in disguise. Let’s not forget that spreading money and benevolence around the neighborhood is not a new idea in the quest for followers and adherents. Jim Jones paid peoples mortgages, rent and bills but in the end fed them poison cool aid. Hezbollah helps people all over Lebanon with the hope that this once proud and independent country will not bite the hand that feeds them even while the other hand is lobbing bombs at Lebanon’s neighbors. Al Capone and other mobsters were sure to give favors to the immigrants and neighborhoods in various cities at the same time they bred corruption and murder at will. Let’s throw in the drug cartels of Columbia who are well known for dumping multi millions of dollars around that nation to gain an army of silent but compatriot ally’s among the common people. Some have called it a political stunt but regardless of what its called…that’s strike two.

To see how Chavez made strike three requires a little knowledge of the Bible. Even as Chavez was blessing himself with the (catholic) sign of the cross he repeatedly called President Bush the devil. Perhaps Mr. Chavez could find an excuse in the fact that Catholicism depends more on ex-cathedra and patristic teachings rather than the Bible. Maybe it is the fault of those who taught Mr. Chavez his brand of Christianity. In any case even while he invoked God by the sign of the cross he was committing what the Bible calls the one and only unforgivable sin, blasphemy of the Spirit.

To say that the spirit that is in a man and from which he gets his inspiration and unction is the Devil when it is in fact Gods Spirit is blasphemy according to scripture. See Matthew 12: 31-32 If Mr. Chavez did this ignorantly or not is for God alone to judge but either way Mr. Chavez is stuck with either the guilt of blasphemy or the guilt of wholesale ignorance. Strike three, your out.

Volumes could be written on the two dancing dictators but suffice it to say less may be more. Taking a cue from President George Bush we won’t go any further than to say these boys may be able to dance to the applause of the UN but they couldn’t make it through the national anthem in a simple game of baseball.