The Globe Theater and the HPA

Shakespears original Globe Theater was open aired - that means playgoers could literally attend their midsummer nights dreams under the stars. I wanted to recreate that experience, not literally of course - too much rain in middle Tennessee, but I built a planetarium instead. Lassoed the stars if you will, then looked into the 'great beyond' of cyberspace and found I wasn't alone in this unique pasttime.

Other luminaries beckoned, all I had to do was ask. I bought the projector from a reclusive genius named Steve Smith - drove to Arizona one improbable 72 hours with my father, Nashville to Douglas AZ and back to retrieve it. Smith had spent a year painstakingly creating both a scientific instrument and folk art - a 20 inch copper cylinder that is best looked at before seeing what it can show you. 85 lenses - it takes the breath away. But the others, they are out there. Ron Walker near Phoenix, filmmaker and purveyor of dreams, called me one day, or tried to. He restores old commercial units, and blends his artist sensibilities with an engineers expertise. I'd never met anyone like Ron. But then others surfaced as if by magic. To wit, Charles Jones, professional magician, appeared out of nowhere (how else?) and demonstrated machines he had built decades ago - he was an expert in many fields, most of all the illusion that is central to the planetarium experience. You WILL believe you are under the night sky, but not tonight in the city .. 100 years ago perhaps - when natures stars were the only cable and movie folks needed .. in their glory.

Owen Phairius appeared, with a collection of vintage scientific apparatus and a dream of opening a museum to display them. Owen's from California - hes run Planetariums for decades, an incredible voice collecting incredible machines. Ken Miller's from California too - an engineer by trade, he can discuss voltages and light bulb specs like most of us discuss the weather. These people rock! And so I built it - my little 15 foot theater - I have a little group called the Home Planetarium Association (www.planetariumsathome.) with a newsletter that comes out when I manage to get it out - very old fashioned. Like the stars. Like the Hayden. Adler. Like Armand Spitz would have liked it. I knew other pioneers in the field, Richard Emmons mainly, who I dub the 'father' of home planetariums. He ran one from his garage, and set one up in an Ohio classroom in the 50's. His daughter is still a valued correspondent. So I built it .. I think they will come to my own little field of dreams. I'll call a newspaper or two soon. And let them in.

Soon George Mohr joined us, a theater man with audio/visual expertise beyond most mortals, and with a historical bent. My old astro friends Murray Cragin and George Kelley proved invaluable resources on most any topic, they being extremely accomplished in amateur astronomy circles for decades. A writer friend, Lynn Teague, proved that we can tap into other thinkers not directly related to astronomy, as the principles, passions and philosophies we are on about are universal. Incredible enthusiasts like Pat Dobbins and other voices from the past and present stir our spirit and keep the energy level incredibly high!

So a core group has appeared. The public is out there. But I'm savoring a few more silent nights by myself with my stars. Gods stars really, they arent mine. But on the other hand, they belong to all of us. Its just that nobody looks at them anymore. I figure maybe I'll start changing that. One child at a time.