ART211 - Rebecca Crose: February 2013

1920s

History

Collapse of the US economy; start of the Great Depression. Germany breaking treaty of Versailles. Dancing. Freedom. Letting Loose. Prohibition.

Inventions

1920s - tommy gun, band-aid, robot, lie detector, insulin, the first 3D movie, traffic signal, television, self-winding watch, frozen food, loudspeaker, notebooks with spiral bindings, liquid-fueled rockets, PEZ candy, technicolor, aerosol can, penicillin, bubble gum, electric shaver, car radio, yo-yo

Art/Artists

Jazz Age, Runnin’ Wild, John Giola, Cake-Walk, Louis Daniel Armstrong, Joseph Oliver, The Hot Fives, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Benny Goodman, Ma Rainey

Opera House

The Boston Opera House started originally as the B F Keith Memorial Theatre. Designed with a combination of French and Italian styles. It was originally built as a lavish movie theater. The opening of the theater was October 29, 1928. Many famous theatrical luminaries attended such as, Raymond Hitchcock, Eddie Leonard, Fred Stone, and lots more. The first feature film was “Oh Kay!” Over the next year it continued its policy of vaudeville and feature films. But the next year, it dropped the choice of having films and just did two-a-day vaudeville shows. Six months later it dropped that idea and switched back to films full time.

Reflection

Due to the prohibition, letting loose, and dancing, a movie theater was open to give people something more to enjoy. Thanks to the inventions of the television, film, and camera, the theater opening was a success. A 3D movie could be shown. Not to mention since shows were still popular, vaudeville performances made its was to Boston. Technologies able the theater to switch back and forth from the performances and the films.

1930-1949

History

Hitler begins rearmament and in 1938, annexes Austria. Japan invades Manchuria, China, renames it Manchukuo, becoming a puppet state, the first of many moves on the part of imperialistic Japan, in establishing a formidable Asian empire. Germany invades Poland. Start of WWII, lasting 6 years. $2billion poured into the Manhattan Project, aimed at the development of the Atomic Bomb. Pearl Harbour attacks by Japan, killing over 2500 US servicemen. FDR declares the US' entrance into the War. The United States engages in intense fighting on both frontiers of the war, Europe and the Pacific. 1944, June 6- D-Day- Allied forces, Canada, Britain, US storm German controlled Normandy, subsequently heavily utilizing it their only port and entrance into greater Europe. France is liberated. Battle of the Bulge - in cold conditions, US forces battle toward resisting the German resistance along the heavy fortifications of the Rhine. General Eisenhower leaves Berlin for the then allied Soviets. Hitler's suicide results in the end of the European war. FDR, America's longest serving president, dies. The nuclear bomb is used twice over Japan. Japan surrenders, end of WWII. India granted independence from Great Britain. Partition creates muslim state of Pakistan. State of Israel created.

Inventions

1930s - scotch tape, neoprene, jet engine, stop-action photography, electron microscope, polaroid photography, parking meter, radio telescope, Monopoly, nylon, canned beer, radar, revolver, photocopier, LSD synthesized, helicopter

1940s - color television, jeep, first computer, spray cans, slinky, silly putty, kidney dialysis machine, hypertext, atomic bomb, microwave oven, holography, mobile phones, tupperware, frisbee, jukebox, cake mix

Art/Artists

Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Benny Goodman, Ma Rainey

Opera House

By the 1930s, the Depression made the theater less popular until a month long event celebration. For the 52nd Anniversary of B F Keith they had vaudeville performances and a feature film “The Good Fairy.”

Reflection

Due to the depression and war, people no longer were going to the theater. In order to get more people to attend they held a month long celebration. Influenced with jukebox, music was played in the lobby. With movies could be seen in color. With the inventions of planes and helicopter, celebrities were able to travel a bit more.

1950-1969

History

Soviets test nuclear and H bombs. Cold War creates capitalism and communism bipolar controlled world. Russian orbit first satellite 1957. Cuban missile crisis. JFK assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswalk in Texas. MLK and RFK assassinated. Height of the US feminist and Hippie movement. Vietnam, Watergate, Civil Rights movement. Neil Armstrong steps foot on moon 1969

Inventions

1950s - credit card, super glue, video tape recorder, bar code, diet soft drink, hydrogen bomb, black box, Texas Instruments, McDonalds, optic fiber, computer hard disk, Fortran (computer language), laser, Hula Hoop, pacemaker, Barbie Doll, microchip

1960s - valium, cassette, Spacewar, breast implants, video disk, acrylic paint, astroturf, handheld calculator, computer mouse, RAM, artificial heart, ATM, bar code scanner

Art/Artists

Pop Art, Andy Warhol, Roy Hamilton, Roy Liechtenstein, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Op Art, Bridget Riley, Heinz Mack Victor Vasarely

Opera House

The theater was now only showing films, but still remained a leading Boston movie showcase. B F Keith Memorial Theatre was purchased by the Sack Theatres in 1965. The Sack Theatres tried to refurbished the building in hopes of restoring the original beauty it once held. The owners named it Savoy Theatre.

Reflection

A new way to pay for the films was using credit cards. Now people found an easier way to buy things. Not to mention buying a diet soft drink versus a full calorie one, due to wanting to look thin because of breast implants and Barbie. Pop Art was used to make films posters to get people’s attentions. People were able to record the performance they saw with a video tape recorder. Movies based on the moon landed started to crop up.

1970-1999

History

Iranian hostage crisis. Fall of berlin wall. Women’s rights.

Inventions

1970s - floppy disk, food processor, LCD, VCR, word processor, Pong, gene splicing, ethernet, post-it notes, laser printer, cell phones, Walkman, roller blades

1980s - hepatitis-B vaccine, IBM-PC, CD-ROM, Apple, Windows, synthetic skin, disposable camera, disposable contact lens, RU-486 (abortion pill), Prozac, high-definition television

1990s - HTTP, HTML, digital answering machine, smart pill, HIV protease, Java, DVD, Web TV, fuel cell

Art/Artists

Stevie Wonder, The Sex Pistols, Blondie, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Yoko Ono, Gilbert and George, Michael Craig-Martin, Appropriation, Gretchen Bender, Neo-Expressionism, George Baselitz, Graffiti, Harold Naegeli, Neo-Pop, Jeff Koons, Brett Whiteley, Keith Haring, Bernard Buffet

Opera House

With the restoring continuing in the theater, the arch was bricked up and a second auditorium was installed. It was not until 1978 that is was bought out by the Opera Company of Boston. With the full ownership, the renamed the Savoy Theatre to the Boston Opera House, which is its name still today. Now with a new owner who is a renowned opera impresario, the theater was back in showing stagings of operas of the modern day. This was all thanks to the direction of Sarah Caldwell. Due to all the costs, taxes, and bills, everything went unpaid. The Company had to close in 1991.

Reflection

With war continuing, VCRs, computers, and television all available at home, people were not going to the theater as much. In the hopes that theater would make a come back in Boston. Though they were able to get famous people of the time in the opera, the bills pilled up too much. Due to opera not being as popular, the company closed down.

A Wedding Tour of the Opera House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Ovbr95_Nw

2000-2013

History

9/11 attacks. Afghan war- fall of Taliban, 2003- Iraq war. Rise of p2p sharing, fall of music industry. MJ's death. 2008 election- Barack Obama becomes first black US president. South asia tsunami, kills over 200 000. Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Red Sox win the world series

Inventions

2000s - Artificial liver, self-cleaning windows, iPod, braille glove, phone tooth, nano-text, birth control, date rape drug spotter, solar tower, virtual keyboard, optical camouflage system, hybrid car, ice bike, infrared fever screening system, LitraCon, YouTube, high altitude flying windmills, bionic contacts, retinal implant for the blind,

Opera House

Restoration. In 2002, Clear Channel was able to get the building permits. They were determined to renovate and restore the Boston Opera House. With the restoration occurring, some demolition happened. Including the old stage house, and dressing rooms. Though replaced with the newest features. With this is mind, everything else, such as the proscenium wall, the design, and painting, were all restored to what they would have been historically. Replicas of the carpet, seating, and wall panels all went up. Gold leaf finishes, marble, paintings, and a grand staircase to finish the restoration. Now there is 2,677 seats instead of 2,900 so the seating is more comfortable. On July 16, 2004 the Opera House reopened with a 6-month run of The Lion King.

Reflection

New technologies: wireless mics, iPod, nano-text, contacts, instruments, lighting. All of these new things as lead to the restoration of the opera house. With the knowledge of how it was built the renovation can continue to make it look like it did in the 20s. With the new rebuilt stage house, the bigger and more impressive sets can be moved around more easily. Not to mention the shows they are bringing into the Opera House have to do with what is popular in Broadway and what people are enjoying.

What is at the Opera House now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDuqs48I47Q