Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1990 children's book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce. The film was directed by Stephen J. Anderson in his feature directorial debut and produced by Dorothy McKim. The film stars the voices of Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams, Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West, Ethan Sandler, Tom Kenny, and Anderson. It follows an orphaned 12-year-old inventor, Lewis, who is desperate to be adopted. He meets Wilbur, a young time-traveler who takes him to the year 2037 to visit an eccentric family, the Robinsons. They must prevent a mysterious bowler-hatted man from changing Lewis' fate, and, by proxy, the future.

Originally titled A Day with Wilbur Robinson, development of Meet the Robinsons began in June 2004, and was initially planned for release in 2006. At the time of the production, Anderson was confirmed as director due to his personal connection to the main character Lewis, as they both grew up adopted. Disney originally planned to adapt Joyce's style, before it was decided to slightly rework the style due to his involvement stylistically in Blue Sky Studios' Robots. The animation crew had the challenge to animate CG humans, being inspired by Pixar's The Incredibles, while the inspiration for the film came from Disney animated classics, such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, as well as Warner Brothers cartoons, to capture the 1950s aesthetic. Disney's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006 led to nearly 60% of the film, including the villain and the ending, being scrapped and reworked. Danny Elfman provided the film's score, while artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Rob Thomas, The All-American Rejects and They Might Be Giants contributed to the film's soundtrack.

Meet the Robinsons premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 25, 2007, and was released in standard and Disney Digital 3-D formats in the United States on March 30. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the animation and story. However, it was a box office disappointment, grossing $169.3 million against a budget of $150 million.

Plot
Lewis is an aspiring 12-year-old inventor living in an orphanage residential house. His energy, eccentricity, and malfunctioning inventions scare off potential parents, so he works on a machine to scan his memory to locate his birth mother, who abandoned him at the orphanage when he was a baby. While taking the scanner to his school's science fair, Lewis meets 13-year-old Wilbur Robinson, a mysterious boy claiming he is from the future and needs to recover a time machine, which was stolen by a man wearing a bowler hat. Lewis tries to demonstrate the scanner, but  it falls apart as a result of being sabotaged by the Bowler Hat Guy, throwing the science fair into chaos. Lewis leaves while the Bowler Hat Guy, with help from his robotic bowler hat Doris, steals the scanner, planning to pass it off as his own to an invention corporation; however, their plan fails when he cannot properly demonstrate it.

Wilbur meets up with Lewis and asks him to repair the scanner. Lewis demands proof that Wilbur is from the future, which he does by taking him in a second time machine to the year 2037, which is highly advanced technologically. Lewis realizes he can use the time machine to meet his mother, but a resulting argument causes them to crash. Lewis agrees to fix the time machine on the condition that Wilbur has to take him to visit his mother afterwards. At Wilbur's house, Lewis meets the rest of the eccentric Robinson family except for Wilbur's father Cornelius; the inventor of the time's technologies who is away on a business trip. Having followed Lewis to the future, the Bowler Hat Guy and Doris try to kidnap him, but the Robinsons drive them back. The Robinsons offer to adopt Lewis, but change their mind after learning he is from the past. Wilbur admits to lying to Lewis about taking him back to his mother, causing Lewis to run off.

The Bowler Hat Guy approaches Lewis and offers to take him to his mother if he fixes the memory scanner. Once he does, the Bowler Hat Guy betrays him and ties him up, revealing that Cornelius is Lewis's future self and that he is an adult version of Lewis's roommate, Michael "Goob" Yagoobian. Because he was kept awake by Lewis's work on the scanner, Goob fell asleep during a Little League baseball game and failed to make an important catch, costing his team the championship. While everyone else quickly moved on with their lives, Goob became so obsessed with the loss that he was never adopted. Doris is "DOR-15", one of Lewis's failed and abandoned inventions. They both blamed Lewis for their misfortunes and decided to ruin his life. After leaving Lewis in the future, they return to the past and successfully pitch the memory scanner.

It is revealed that Doris manipulated Goob, convincing him to mass-produce her in the past to enslave humanity, turning the future into a dystopia. After escaping the enslaved Robinsons and Doris models, Lewis repairs the time machine, confronts Doris in the past, and destroys her by promising to never invent her, restoring the future. At Lewis's request, Wilbur asks the adult Goob to join his family, but he flees in shame of his actions.

Lewis finally meets Cornelius, who explains that the memory scanner started their successful career and persuades Lewis to return to the science fair. Although Wilbur fulfills his promise and takes Lewis back to see the moment his mother abandoned him, Lewis chooses not to interfere, having realized he already has a family.

Wilbur drops Lewis off in his own time and says goodbye. Lewis heads to the fair, en route waking up Goob in time for him to make the winning catch, averting him becoming the Bowler Hat Guy; he is later adopted by new parents. Back at the fair, Lewis asks for one more chance to demonstrate his scanner, which this time succeeds. Lewis is adopted by Lucille, one of the science fair judges, and her husband Bud, who nicknames him "Cornelius". Now with a clear view of his success, Lewis begins working towards his future.

Cast and characters

 Jordan Fry and Daniel Hansen† as Lewis, a 12-year-old boy genius who struggles to be adopted.
 Tom Selleck as Cornelius Robinson, Franny's husband and Wilbur's father who is Lewis's future self.
 Wesley Singerman as Wilbur Robinson, the 13-year-old son of Franny and Cornelius Robinson who is a young time-traveler.
 Stephen Anderson as:
 Bowler Hat Guy, a man with a personal vendetta against Cornelius.
 Matthew Josten as Mike "Goob" Yagoobian, the Bowler Hat Guy's younger self and Lewis' roommate.
 Bud Robinson, Lewis' adoptive father, Fritz and Joe's older brother, and Wilbur's grandfather.
 Cousin Tallulah, Fritz Petunia Robinson's daughter and Laszlo's sister.
 Harland Williams as Carl, the Robinson family's robot.
 Nicole Sullivan as Franny Robinson, Cornelius's wife, Wilbur's mother, and Gaston and Art Robinson's sister. She trains her frogs to sing and is in charge of the family when Cornelius is not around.
 Jessie Flower as young Franny
 Angela Bassett as Mildred, the head of the Sixth Street Orphanage.
 Adam West as Art, a pizza delivery man with a superhero persona. He is Gaston and Franny's brother and Wilbur's uncle.
 Laurie Metcalf as Lucille Krunklehorn-Robinson, a scientist at InventCo. Labs. She is Lewis' adoptive mother, Bud's wife, and Wilbur's grandmother.
 Ethan Sandler as:
 Doris, a bowler hat designed by Cornelius Robinson to be a helping hat, but expanded beyond its intelligence and now seeks revenge.
 Fritz, Petunia Robinson's husband, Bud and Joe Robinson's brother, and Laszlo and Tallulah Robinson's father.
 Aunt Petunia, a hand puppet who is Fritz Robinson's wife and Laszlo and Tallulah Robinson's mother.
 Uncle Spike and Uncle Dimitri, twins who sit in potted plants in front of the Robinson household. It is unknown who they are related to.
 Cousin Laszlo, Fritz and Petunia Robinson's son and Tallulah's brother.
 The unnamed CEO of InventCo
 Don Hall as:
 Gaston, a stunt performer who is Franny and Art Robinson's brother and Wilbur's uncle.
 Gym Coach
 Tom Kenny as Mr. Willerstein, Lewis' teacher.
 Kelly Hoover as Aunt Billie, Joe Robinson's wife who likes trains.
 Tracey Miller-Zarneke as Lizzy, a student from Lewis' school who presents her fire ants at the science fair.
 Joe Mateo as Tiny, a Tyrannosaurus brought to the future by the Bowler Hat Guy who later becomes the Robinson family's pet dinosaur.
 Aurian Redson as Frankie the Frog, the lead singer of Franny's musical band of frogs.
 Jamie Cullum as the singing voice of Frankie the Frog
 Paul Butcher as Stanley, a student from Lewis' school who presents a volcano at the science fair.
 Dara McGarry as:
 InventCo Receptionist
 Mrs. Harrington
 John H. H. Ford as Mr. Harrington
 Tracey Miller-Zarneke as Lizzy, Lewis's gothic classmate.
 Nathan Greno as Lefty, a one-eyed octopus and the Robinson family's butler.
 Joe Whyte as a reporter who interviews Lewis.

In addition, Joe Robinson is Wilbur's obese uncle, Billie's wife, and Bud and Fritz' brother. who rides in an easy chair; his whimpers are provided by an uncredited actor. Also in the Robinson family is their dog Buster. who wears glasses.

†Note: Lewis was voiced by both Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry. Daniel Hansen voiced Lewis at the beginning of the film's production, and when the studio needed Lewis' lines changed, they had Jordan Fry re-dub many segments.

Production

Originally titled A Day with Wilbur Robinson, production began in June 2004, and was scheduled for a 2006 release. During the film's production, Walt Disney Animation Studios' storyboard artist Stephen Anderson decided to direct the film due to his personal connection to Lewis, since they both grew up adopted.

The studio planned to adapt Joyce's style to the film, but due to his involvement stylistically in Blue Sky Studios' Robots, the style was slightly reworked. While still taking cues from his retro style, influenced by everything from Technicolor movies to '40s architectural design, the crew also took inspiration from the company Apple. Unlike their previous film Chicken Little, a film starring CG animals, the animation crew had the challenge to animate CG humans. They took inspiration from Pixar's The Incredibles when animating the characters. They also took inspiration from Disney animated classics, such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, and from Warner Brothers cartoons to capture the 1950s aesthetic.

While the film was in production, The Walt Disney Company announced on January 24, 2006, that it would be acquiring Pixar, and as a result, John Lasseter became the chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. When he saw an early screening for the movie, he told Anderson that he did not find the villain scary or threatening enough, and suggested that he make some changes. Ten months later, almost 60% of the film had been scrapped and redone. The villain had improved and was given a new sidekick, a dinosaur chase had been added, and the ending was changed.

Release
Over 600 REAL D Cinema digital 3D-equipped theaters presented Disney Digital 3-D version of the film. In all theatrical showings, the standard version of the film was preceded by the 1938 Mickey Mouse short film Boat Builders and the 3D version was preceded by the 1953 Chip 'n Dale 3D short Working for Peanuts. The final credits of the 3D version were left two-dimensional, except for the names of those who converted the film to 3D.

Home media
The DVD and Blu-ray versions were both released on October 23, 2007. Both versions feature 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, plus music videos, the "Family Function 5000" game, deleted scenes, and other bonus features. The DVD's audio commentary contains Anderson's narration, occasionally interrupted by himself as the Bowler Hat Guy. The Blu-ray also includes uncompressed 5.1 audio and a BD-J game, Bowler Hat Barrage!. A 3D Blu-ray was released on November 8, 2011.

As of January 2008, the DVD had sold approximately 4 million copies.

Reception

Critical reception
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that  of critics gave the film positive reviews based on  reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critics consensus states, "Meet the Robinsons is a visually impressive children's animated film marked by a story of considerable depth." Metacritic reported the film had a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 27 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Realmovienews stated that it has "a snappy plot that demands close attention as it whizzes back and forth in the space-time continuum, touching on serious ideas and proposing some rather disturbing alternate realities. And the witty story twists are handled with rare subtlety and intelligence. In the end it may get a little weepy and inspirational. But it's so charming that we don't mind at all". Danny Minton of the Beaumont Journal said that "The Robinsons might not be a family you want to hang out with, but they sure were fun to meet in this imaginative and beautiful 3-D experience". Andrew L. Urban of Australian Urban Cinefile said that "Walt Disney stood for fantasy on screen and this is a loving tribute to his legacy". Kyle Smith of the New York Post named it the 10th best film of 2007.

Conversely, A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote: "Meet the Robinsons is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time", while Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" and said "This is one bumpy ride".

Box office
Meet the Robinsons grossed $25,123,781 on its opening weekend, ranking in second place behind Blades of Glory. Over its theatrical run, it grossed $97,822,171 in the United States of America and $71,510,863 in other territories, totaling $169,333,034 worldwide.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on March 27, 2007. It includes four original songs written for the film, performed by Rufus Wainwright, Jamie Cullum, and Rob Thomas. Contributors to the album beyond the Danny Elfman score include another track by Wainwright ("The Motion Waltz (Emotional Commotion)"), The All-American Rejects ("The Future Has Arrived"), They Might Be Giants ("There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"), and the Jonas Brothers ("Kids of the Future", a parody of "Kids in America"). The track "Little Wonders", recorded by Thomas, reached number 5 on the Billboard AC chart and the top 20 in Australia and Canada.

The song "This Much Fun" by Cowboy Mouth, which was featured in the trailer, was not featured in the film or on the soundtrack. The song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was originally from the Disneyland attraction General Electric's Carousel of Progress which was located in Tomorrowland.

Video games

A Meet the Robinsons video game was published by Buena Vista Games for PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows. England-based Climax Group developed their own adaption for the Game Boy Advance.

Cancelled sequel
Disneytoon Studios originally planned to make a direct-to-video sequel to the film, tentatively titled Meet the Robinsons 2: First Date. However, when Lasseter became Walt Disney Animation Studios' new chief creative officer, he cancelled all sequels in development at Disneytoon, including Meet the Robinsons 2, and ordered the studio to shift its focus towards spin-off films and original productions.

Legacy
A limited edition Magicband was also released by the company to commemorate the 15th anniversary. On May 7th 2022, the cast and crew who worked on the film including Stephen Anderson the film's director/voice of Bowler Hat Guy, Jordan Fry, the voice of Lewis, Matthew Josten, the younger voice of Goob and Jessie Flower, the younger voice of Franny, reunited to celebrate the film's 15th anniversary by partaking in a 2 hour livestream on The Tammy Tuckey Show on YouTube. The event had been organized ahead of time. In 2023, the characters of Lewis, Wilbur, Bowler Hat Guy, Carl, and Lucille (in her young scientist judge form) appeared in Disney's centennial anniversary short film Once Upon a Studio, in which they were recreated using new CGI models. This was due to the original models not being animated for over a decade, as well as updates made to animation technology since the original film's release, with rigging and rendering being reworked so they could be used with modern technology.

References

External links

2007 comedy films
2007 films
2007 3D films
2000s American animated films
2000s children's animated films
2000s science fiction comedy films
2007 computer-animated films
3D animated films
American children's animated comic science fiction films
American computer-animated films
Animated films about dinosaurs
Animated films about orphans
Animated films based on children's books
Films about adoption
2000s English-language films
Meet the Robinsons
Films about families
Animated films about time travel
Films directed by Stephen J. Anderson
Films scored by Danny Elfman
Animated films set in the 1990s
Films set in 2037
Utopian films
Walt Disney Animation Studios films
Walt Disney Pictures animated films
2007 directorial debut films
Animated films about trains
Animated films set in the 2030s
National symbols of Jamaica

Meet the Robinsons


The panabas, also known as nawi, is a large, curved sword used by certain ethnic groups in the southern Philippines. It can range in size from 2 to 4 feet and can be held with one or both hands, delivering a deep, meat cleaver-like cut. In its heyday, it was used as a combat weapon, as an execution tool, and as a display of power. Occasional use as an agricultural and butchering tool has also been noted.

The sword's name is a shortening of the word "pang-tabas", which means "for chopping". As such, its etymological origins are the root word tabas ("to chop off") and the prefix pang ("used for").

The panabas is one of many bladed weapons portrayed in the "Weapons of Moroland" plaque that has become a common souvenir item and pop culture icon in the Philippines.

Appearance

Easily one of the most recognizable among Filipino blade weapons, the panabas is distinguished by its broad and uniquely shaped blade, and its long hilt. At  in length, it is among the largest of Filipino swords, with only some Kampilan specimens being longer.

Blade
The blade is commonly thought to be forward curved, when in fact the vast majority are backward curved, making the panabas more comparable to the Indochinese Daab. The most common forms of panabas have a laminated steel blade that is single-edged, narrowest near the hilt, and gets dramatically broader towards the tip as the blade curves backwards away from the edged side, though there are some rare varieties that do have forward curved blades.

Because the panabas is primarily used in a chopping rather than thrusting motion, the shape of the actual tip varies greatly, with some specimens coming to a blunt tip, some pointed in the manner of other Filipino swords such as the Dahong Palay, and some taking on a square or diamond shape, with the furthest tip of the diamond, on the tip of the edge. There are rare panabas specimens that have an 'S'-shaped blade sharpened partially along the backside, such that the specimen is double edged at the tip.

While design work on the panabas's blade is relatively rare, among the most common examples of decorative design elements take the form of decorative piercings/serrations along a small section on the furthest end of the spine, and/or a talismanic 'X' along the spine.

Observed cross-sectionally, the blade is also thicker at its base, with a typical example being about  thick - so designed in order to withstand the massive forces that the panabas both deals out and absorbs with every blow.

Hilt
The panabas' hilt, made of hardwood such as narra and often wrapped in braided rattan, is perhaps the longest among Filipino swords, both in terms of overall length, and in terms of proportion relative to the blade. The hilts of some specimens are wrapped in metal bands rather than rattan.

Scabbard
Panabas scabbards were made of plain wood and are now extremely rare - according to accounts, largely because warriors would frequently discard them prior to a battle. Such scabbards invariably consist of two pieces of wood which are taken apart to remove the sword, as opposed to the sheath-type scabbards used by most other swords.  The weapons are also said to have been carried into battle wrapped in cloth and slung across the back.

Usage

Weapon
While the panabas is now rare and there are thus no contemporary cases of its use in battle, stories from and prior to the American colonial era describe it as being used for mop-up operations. It is said that warriors wielding panabas would form a rear guard and, following in the steps of warriors in front, use the panabas to quickly dispatch any survivors.

Execution tool

Because of its effectiveness at chopping through meat, panabas was known favored for use in executions. As such, the panabas also came to symbolize a datu's power - a demonstration of his ability to control violence.

Domestic use
The function of the panabas is that of a large cleaver, and this shapes the domestic use of the panabas as much as it shapes the martial use.  The noted use of the panabas as an execution tool sprang from its initial domestic use for cleaving meat and fish, easily chopping through the large tuna that are caught in the seas of the Southern Philippines. However, its main domestic use is that of clearing unusually dense vegetation.

Karit
Used as a broader term, the word panabas means "a chopper" - a description which would include the many machete-like sword variants in the Philippines, including the sickle. In portions of the Philippines where the panabas is not used, the term panabas is used to refer to the sickle, whose proper name is "karit."  It should thus be noted that the panabas and the karit are completely different tools.  A weaponized version of the agricultural scythe would be the Indonesian kerambit.

See also
Kampilan
Kerambit
Celurit
Weapons of Moroland
Filipino Martial Arts

References

External links
   Museum, showing images of various swords in the Philippines

Blade weapons
Filipino melee weapons
Arnis
Malayan swords
Weapons of the Philippines

Panabas


The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great wealth at stake, tensions between the companies increased to the point where several minor armed skirmishes broke out, and the two companies were forced by the British government to merge.

Before the Company
After the French landed in Quebec in 1608,  spread out and built a fur trade empire in the St. Lawrence basin. The French competed with the Dutch (from 1614) and English (1664) in New York and the English in Hudson Bay (1670). Unlike the French who traveled into the northern interior and traded with First Nations in their camps and villages, the English made bases at trading posts on Hudson Bay, inviting the indigenous people to trade. After 1731,  pushed trade west beyond Lake Winnipeg. After the British conquest of New France in 1763 (and the defeat of France in Europe), the management of the fur trading posts was taken over by English speakers. These so-called "pedlars" began to merge because competition cost them money and because of the high costs of outfitting canoes to the far west.

Beginnings

There are historical references to a North West Company as early as 1770, including the Montreal-based traders Benjamin Frobisher, Isaac Todd, Alexander Henry the elder and others, but the standard histories trace the company to a 16-share organization formed in 1779, which included Todd, Simon McTavish and James McGill. Seeking to break the Hudson's Bay Company monopoly over the North American fur trade, in 1780, the organization was joined by Peter Pond and Alexander Ellice, with his brothers, Robert and James, (and, later, his sons, including Edward Ellice).

In the winter of 1783–1784, the North West Company was officially created on a long-term basis, with its corporate offices on Vaudreuil Street in Montreal. It was led by businessmen Benjamin Frobisher, his brother, Joseph, and McTavish, along with investor-partners who included the Ellices, Robert Grant, Nicholas Montour, Patrick Small, William Holmes, and George McBeath.

Official founding
In 1787 the North West Company merged with a rival organization, Gregory, McLeod and Co., which brought several more able partners in, including John Gregory, Alexander Mackenzie, and his cousin Roderick Mackenzie. The 1787 company consisted of 20 shares, some held by the agents at Montreal (see below), and others by wintering partners, who spent the trading season in the fur country and oversaw the trade with the aboriginal peoples there.

The wintering partners and the Montreal agents met each July at the company's depot at Grand Portage on Lake Superior, later moved to Fort William. Also under the auspices of the company, Alexander Mackenzie conducted two important expeditions of exploration. In 1789, he descended the Grand River (now called the Mackenzie River) to the Arctic Ocean, and in 1793 he went overland from Peace River to the Pacific Ocean. Further explorations were performed by David Thompson, starting in 1797, and later by Simon Fraser. These men pushed into the wilderness territories of the Rocky Mountains and Interior Plateau and all the way to the Strait of Georgia on the Pacific Coast.

Frobisher–McTavish deal
The death of Benjamin Frobisher opened the door to a takeover of the North West Company by Simon McTavish, who made a deal with Frobisher's surviving brother Joseph. The firm of McTavish, Frobisher and Company, founded in November 1787, effectively controlled eleven of the company's twenty outstanding shares. At the time the company consisted of 23 partners, but "its staff of Agents, factors, clerks, guides, interpreters, more commonly known today as  amounted to 2000 people."  In addition to Alexander Mackenzie, this group included Americans Peter Pond and Alexander Henry the elder.  Further reorganizations of the partnership occurred in 1795 and 1802, the shares being subdivided each time to provide for more and more wintering partners.

Vertical integration of the business was completed in 1792, when Simon McTavish and John Fraser formed a London house to supply trade goods and market the furs, McTavish, Fraser and Company. While the organization and capitalization of the North West Company came from Anglo-Quebecers, both Simon McTavish and Joseph Frobisher married French Canadians. Numerous French Canadians played key roles in the operations both in the building, management, and shareholding of the various trading posts scattered throughout the country, as well numbering among the  involved in the actual trading with natives.

In the northwest, the Company expanded its operations as far north as Great Bear Lake, and westwards beyond the Rocky Mountains.  For several years, they tried to sell furs directly to China, using American ships to avoid the British East India Company's monopoly, but little profit was made there. The company also expanded into the United States' Northwest Territory (today's Midwest of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin). In 1796, to better position themselves in the increasingly global market, where politics played a major role, the North West Company briefly established an agency in New York City.

Despite its efforts, the North West Company was at a distinct disadvantage in competing for furs with the Hudson's Bay Company, whose charter gave it a virtual monopoly in Rupert's Land, where the best furs were trapped. The company tried to persuade the British Parliament to change arrangements, at least so the North West Company could obtain transit rights to ship goods to the west needed for trading for furs. It is said that Simon McTavish made a personal petition to Prime Minister William Pitt, but all requests were refused.

A few years later, with no relief to the Hudson's Bay Company's stranglehold, McTavish and his group decided to gamble. They organized an overland expedition from Montreal to James Bay and a second expedition by sea. In September 1803, the overland party met at Charlton Island, in what is now Nunavut Territory, the , a ship that Fraser acquired. At Charlton Island, they laid claim to the region inhabited by the Inuit, in the name of the North West Company, and were able to capitalize on the rich furs of the area. Their expansion northwestward cut into the profits of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1800, HBC profited £38,000 in trade compared to the North West Company's £144,000 in 1800. This bold move caught the Hudson's Bay Company off guard.  In succeeding years it retaliated rather than reaching a compromise, which McTavish had hoped might be negotiated.

Late 18th/early 19th century

Simon McTavish brought several members of his family into the company, but nepotism took a back seat to ability.  His brother-in-law, Charles Chaboillez, oversaw the Lower Red River trading post. McTavish also hired several cousins and his nephews William McGillivray and Duncan McGillivray to learn the business. William McGillivray was groomed by his uncle to succeed him as Director of the North West Company, and by 1796 he had effectively done so, acting as Montreal agents' representative at the annual meetings at Grand Portage, and later at Fort William.

Simon McTavish was an aggressive businessman who understood that powerful forces in the business world were always ready to pounce on any weakness. As such, his ambition and forceful positions caused disagreements between him and some of the shareholders, several of whom eventually left the North West Company during the 1790s.Some of these dissidents formed their own company, known unofficially as the XY Company, allegedly because of the mark they used on their bales of furs. Their cause was greatly strengthened in 1799, when the North West Company's hero explorer, Alexander Mackenzie, quit his old partnership and soon after joined them.

There was intense competition between the rivals. When Simon McTavish died on July 6, 1804, the new head William McGillivray set out to put an end to the four years' rivalry. It had escalated to a point where the master of the North West Company post at Great Bear Lake had been shot by an XY Company employee during a quarrel. McGillivray was successful in putting together an agreement with the XY Company in 1804. It stipulated that the old North West Company partners held 75 per cent of the shares, and the former XY Company partners the remaining 25 per cent. Alexander Mackenzie was excluded from the new joint partnership.

Under William McGillivray, the Company continued to expand, and apparently to profit, during the first decade of the 19th century. Competition with the Hudson's Bay Company was intense, however, and profit margins were squeezed. The North West Company branch in New York City had allowed the Canadians to get around the British East India Company's monopoly and ship furs to the Chinese market. Cargo ships owned by the North West Company conveniently sailed under the American flag, and doing so meant continued collaboration with John Jacob Astor.

However, Astor was as aggressive as Simon McTavish had been. An intense rivalry soon developed between him and William McGillivray over the Oriental market and westerly expansion to unclaimed territory in what is now the Columbia River basin, in the present-day states of Washington and Oregon.  Astor's Pacific Fur Company beat the North West Company in an effort to found a post near the mouth of the Columbia, Fort Astoria. A collapse in the sea otter population and the imminent possibility of British seizure of Astoria during the War of 1812 led to its sale to the North West Company in 1813. When HMS Racoon and its Captain Black arrived, he went through a ceremony of possession, even though the fort was already ostensibly under British control. Due to treaty complications of the Treaty of Ghent requiring the return of seized assets, putative ownership of the site was returned to the United States in 1817. Renamed as Fort George by the North West Company, continued to operate until the Hudson's Bay Company's takeover and the replacement of Fort Astoria by Fort Vancouver.

The Canadian fur trade began to change in 1806, after Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the blockade of the Baltic Sea as part of the ongoing struggle between France and Britain for world dominance. Britain was dependent for almost all of her timber on the Baltic countries and on the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts (which at that time included the large territory of Maine). By then, however, tensions had also begun to escalate again between Britain and the United States.

In 1809 the American Government passed the Non-Intercourse Act, which effectively brought about an almost complete cessation of trade between the two countries. Britain became totally dependent on her Canadian colony for her timber needs, especially the great white pine used for ships' masts. Almost overnight, timber and wood products replaced fur as Canada's number one export.  Fur remained profitable, however, as it had a high value-to-bulk ratio. In an economy short of ready money, fur was routinely used by Canadian merchants to remit value to their London creditors.

Forced merger
By 1810, another crisis hit the fur industry, brought on by the over-harvesting of animals, the North American beaver in particular. The destruction of the North West Company post at Sault Ste. Marie by the Americans during the War of 1812 was a serious blow during an already difficult time. In addition, the company was hurt by the refusal after the war with the United States to let Canadian traders freely cross its northern border. This reduced much of the border trade, which had previously been profitable for them, and artificially divided traders' relations with those several Native American tribes whose territories spanned the border.

All these events intensified competition between the companies. When Thomas Douglas convinced his fellow shareholders in the Hudson's Bay Company to grant him the Selkirk Concession, it marked another in a series of events that would lead to the demise of the North West Company. The Pemmican Proclamation, the ensuing Battle of Seven Oaks in 1816, and its violence, resulted in Lord Selkirk arresting William McGillivray and several North West Company proprietors. He ordered the seizure of their outpost property in Fort William and charged them with the deaths of 21 people at Seven Oaks. Although this matter was resolved by the authorities in Montreal, over the next few years some of the wealthiest and most capable partners began to leave the North West Company, fearful of its future viability. The form of nepotism within the company too had changed, from the strict values of Simon McTavish to something that was harming the business in both its costs and morale of others.

By 1820, the company was issuing coinage, each copper token representing the value of one beaver pelt.  But the continued operations of the North West Company were in great doubt, and shareholders had no choice but to agree to a merger with their hated rival after Henry Bathurst, the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, ordered the companies to cease hostilities. In July 1821, under more pressure from the British government, which passed new regulations governing the fur trade in British North America, a merger agreement was signed with the Hudson's Bay Company. By this, the North West Company name disappeared after more than 40 years of operations. At the time of the merger, the amalgamated company consisted of 97 trading posts that had belonged to the North West Company and 76 that belonged to the Hudson's Bay Company.  When the competition between both companies came to an end, new board of directors wanted two field governors to oversee the newly defined territory, and George Simpson was appointed to the Northern Department. George Simpson (1787–1860), the Hudson's Bay Company Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land, who became the Canadian head of the northern division of the greatly enlarged business, made his headquarters in the Montreal suburb of Lachine. The trading posts were soon reduced in number to avoid redundancy.

Social and ethnic structure
The masters or the  of the North West Company were most often of Scottish descent, whether born in Canada or Scotland, and brought capital to the enterprise. Over time, many were related, since sons and nephews were recruited. The servants or  were most often , mostly peasants' sons from the countryside around Montréal. Many Métis sons followed in their fathers' footstep, whether as  or . Through descent and education, the  laid claim to the status of gentlemen, while the  did the physical labour.

Bourgeois
The  or masters of the North West Company belonged to three different levels, depending on the role performed in the company.

Montreal merchants, or  were owners of trading companies and shareholders in the North West Company. They were responsible for hiring staff, exporting furs, acquiring supplies, merchandise and provisions, and organizing their shipment to the inland trading posts. For this, they received commissions, in addition to the profits they made as shareholders.

Wintering partners or  were also shareholders in the company, owning one or two shares each. They were not salaried, but received their income from the company's profits through their shares. Trading goods were advanced to them on credit by the agents of Montreal. They wintered in the interior, managing a district with several trading posts, and were in charge of the actual trade with the Indians. During the summer, the agents and the associates met at Fort William. The wintering partners normally began their career path as clerks.

The clerks or  were salaried employees. They began their career as apprentices serving five to seven years, before advancing to clerks and bookkeepers. Each hoped to become a shareholding partner, although many remained clerks.

The  or servants did not constitute a uniform group with equal status. The lowest level of the status pyramid was formed by the , who paddled between Montreal and the posts around the Great Lakes. Seasonally employed, they were known by their diet and referred to as  ('pork-eaters'). , or wintering servants, who paddled canoes from the Great Lakes to the interior trading posts, and worked at them during the winter, formed the next higher band of employees. Status and pay differed depending on a man's role in the canoe. The  or middleman was the drudge of canoe travel, while the responsibilities of the bowsman or  and the steersman or  were rewarded with up to five times as high pay as a common middleman, especially if serving as leader of a brigade of canoes. Interpreters and guides could earn up to three times as much as a middleman.

Social dynamics
The social dynamics of the company was rooted in kinship and descent or ethnic origin. The company was formed by a closed network of persons of Scots descent related through blood or marriage. Several important Montreal agents were related to Simon McTavish; and his successors, brothers William and Duncan McGillivray, were his nephews. Of 128 leading figures in the company, 77 were of Scots descent. Due to the prevalent kinship structures, it was all but impossible for unrelated men to advance from  to .

Company staff
Beyond the non-operating investors, these were some of the post proprietors, clerks, interpreters, explorers and others of the nearly 2,500 persons employed by the North West Company in 1799:

 Athabaska (Fort George, Fort McLeod, Fort St. James, Rocky Mountain Portage):
 John Finlay (proprietor), Simon Fraser, Alexander MacKenzie, Duncan Livingston, John Stuart, James Porter, John Thompson, James McDougall, G. F. Wintzel, John Steinbrucks;
 Upper English River:
 Angus Shaw (proprietor), Donald MacTavish (proprietor), Alexander MacKay, Antoine Tourangeau, Joseph Cartier, Simon Réaume;
 Lower English River:
 Alexander Fraser (proprietor), John MacGillivray, Robert Henry, Louis Versailles, Charles Messier, Pierre Hurteau;
 Fort Dauphin:
 A. N. McLeod (proprietor), Hugh McGillis, Michel Allary, Alexander Farguson, Edward Harrison, Joseph Grenon, François Nolin, Nicholas Montour;
 Upper Fort des Prairies and Rocky Mountains:
 Daniel Mackenzie (proprietor), John MacDonald (proprietor), James Hughes, Louis Châtellain, James King, François Décoigne, Pierre Charette, Pierre Jérôme, Baptiste Bruno, David Thompson, J. Duncan Campbell, Alexander Stewart, Jacques Raphael, Francois Deschamps;
 Lower Fort des Prairies:
 Pierre Belleau, Baptiste Roy, J. B. Filande, Baptiste Larose;
 Upper Red River:
 John Macdonell (proprietor), George MacKay, J. Macdonell, Jr., Joseph Auger, Pierre Falcon, François Mallette, William Munro, André Poitvin;
 Lower Red River:
 Charles Chaboillez (proprietor), Alexander Henry the younger, J. B. Desmarais, Francois Coleret, Antoine Déjarlet, Louis Giboche;
 Lac Winipic:
 William MacKay (proprietor), John Cameron, Donald MacIntosh, Benjamin Frobisher, Jacques Dupont, Joseph Laurent, Gabriel Attina, Francois Amoit;
 Nipigon
 Duncan Cameron (proprietor), Ronald Cameron, Dugald Cameron, Jacques Adhémar, Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, Allen MacFarlane, Jean-Baptiste Pominville, Frederick Shults;
 Pic:
 J. B. Perrault, Augustin Roy;
 Michipicoten and the Bay:
 Lemaire St-Germain, Baptiste St-Germain, Léon Chênier
 Sault Ste. Marie and Sloop "Otter":
 John Burns, John Bennet, John Johnston;
 South of Lake Superior:
[ [Michel Cadotte]] (partner), Simeon Charrette, Charles Gauthier, Pierre Baillarge;
 Francois Malhiot, clerk in charge at Lac du Flambeau
 Fond du Lac:
 John Sayer (proprietor), J. B. Cadotte, Charles Bousquet, Jean Coton, Ignace Chênier, Joseph Réaume, Eustache Roussin, Vincent Roy;
 Lac La Pluie:
 Peter Grant (proprietor), Arch. MacLellan, Charles Latour, Michel Machard;
 Grand Portage:
 Doctor Munro, Charles Hesse, Zacharie Clouthier, Antoine Colin, Jacques Vandreil, François Boileau,  Mr. Bruce.

Organizational history
The history of the partnership is complex, but it is necessary to keep track of who was competing with whom.  Note that the definition of partner is not completely clear. For example, after Duncan McDougall surrendered Fort Astoria, he became a NWC partner with one one-hundredth of a share.
 1771: William Grant and several others form a partnership which they call the "N. W. Société"
 1775: Alexander Henry the elder speaks of a pool on the North Saskatchewan similar to 1779 (see Fort Sturgeon).
 1779: Of 16 shares: 2 shares: Todd & McGill, B & J Frobisher, McGill & Patterson, McTavish & Co, Holmes & Grant, Wadden & Co, McBeath & Co; 1 share: Ross & Co, Oakes & Co. The first three were large and closely connected. Peter Pond was a partner of McBeath and Patrick Small of McTavish.
 1784: McGill & Todd secede. Of 16 shares: 3 shares: Simon McTavish, B & J Frobisher; 2 shares: George McBeath, Robert Grant, Nicholas Montour, Patrick Small; 1 share: Peter Pond, William Holmes. The agreement was made in January and confirmed that summer when the winterers arrived at Grand Portage for the first meeting.
 1787: McTavish buys 1 of McBeath's 2 shares. Gregory & McLeod join. Of 20 Shares: 4 shares: McTavish; 3 shares: Joseph Frobisher; 2 shares: Patrick Small, Nicholas Montour, Robert Grant; 1 share: McBeath, Peter Pond, Holms; former Gregory & McLeod members with 1 share each: John Gregory, Norman McLeod, Peter Pangman, Alexander MacKenzie.
 1788: Merger creates McTavish, Frobisher & Co which controls half of the NWC.
 1790: Of 20 shares: 6 shares: McTavish & Frobisher: 2 shares: Montour, Robert Grant, Patrick Small, John Gregory, Peter Pangman, Alexander MacKenzie; 1 share: McTavish's nephew and Donald Sutherland.
 1792: Now 46 shares. 20 Shares: McTavish, Frobisher &Co (with new partner John Gregory), 6 Shares: Alexander MacKenzie, 2 Shares: Todd, McGill & Co, Forsyth, Richardson & Co, Montour, Sutherland, Angus Shaw, 1 Share: Alexander Henry the elder & Alexander Henry the younger, Grant, Campion & Co, Robert and Cuthbert Grant, Roderick McKenzie and others.
 1796: Frobisher retires.
 1802: 6 shares added to be distributed to clerks.
 1804: McTavish dies, replaced by William McGillivray. Merger with XY Company.
 1806: McTavish, Frobisher & Co becomes McTavish, McGillivrays & Co
 1821: Merged with Hudson's Bay Company. Former NWC owners have half the capital but little power.

XY Company or formally the New North West Company, and sometimes Alexander MacKenzie & Co. In 1798 Forsyth, Richardson & Co, Parker, Gerrand & Ogilvy and John Mure of Quebec formed the XY Company.  In 1799 MacKenzie left the NWC and went to England. Next year he bought shares in XY and soon became the effective head of the firm. Alexander Henry the younger was an XY winterer. They built a number of posts close to NWC and HBC posts. The murder of an HBC man by an XY man at Fort de l'Isle led to the Canada Jurisdiction Act which extended Quebec law to western Canada. In 1804 it merged with the NWC, having 25% interest in the combined company.

The South West Company: was an 1811 attempted partnership between two North West Company firms (McTavish, McGillivrays & Co and Forsyth, Richardson & Co) and John Jacob Astor to import goods through New York and deal with the Great Lakes trade.  It was mostly blocked by the War of 1812 but remnants existed until at least 1820. Astor had been dealing with the NWC since around 1787.

McTavish, Fraser & Co. was the London agent of Simon McTavish, from about 1790. John Fraser was his cousin. Simon McGillivray worked there and became a partner in 1805. Edward Ellice, a man of great influence, was involved.

Todd & McGill was formed in 1776, was in the NWC by 1779, separated in 1784 and rejoined in 1792. They apparently wanted to concentrate on the southern Great Lakes.

Gregory & McLeod joined in 1787. They employed Alexander Mackenzie, Peter Pangman and John Ross.

Revival
In 1987, the northern trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company were sold to an employee consortium that revived the name The North West Company in 1990. The new company is a grocery and merchandise store chain based in Winnipeg, with stores in Northern Canada, Alaska, US Pacific territories and the Caribbean. Its headquarters are across the street from the Forts Rouge, Garry, and Gibraltar National Historic Site of Canada, the site of an old North West Company fort.

See also

 Coureur des bois
 Fort William Historical Park, a reconstruction of the Fort William fur trade post as it existed in 1816, near Thunder Bay, Ontario.
 Fur trade
Grand Portage Indian Reservation
  – a ship built at Quebec in 1811 for John McTavish to wrest Fort Astoria and its trade from the Pacific Fur Company
 List of trading companies
 North West Company Post, a restored post near Pine City, Minnesota operated as a living history museum by the Minnesota Historical Society
 North-Western Territory
 Rupert's Land
 The North West Company, the restored company.
 Voyageurs

References

Further reading
Further information on the North West Company can be found in Marjorie Wilkins Campbell's 1957 book The North West Company, as well as her 1962 biography of William McGillivray, McGillivray, Lord of the North West. Campbell served as a consultant to the government of Ontario for the restoration of the North West Company trading post in Fort William, Ontario, Fort William Historical Park. Campbell also wrote a book for young adults—The Nor'westers—which won the 1954 Governor General's Awards. In addition, the North West Company is a case example in John Roberts The Modern Firm (Oxford).

 Canada. Bill An Act to Incorporate the North West Company. Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 2004.
 Fox, William A. Archaeological Investigation of the North West Company Great Hall Cellar, Fort William, 1976. Data box research manuscript series, 348. [Toronto]: Ministry of Culture and Recreation, Historical Planning and Research Branch, 1977.
 Hoag, Donald R. Agents of the North West Company in the Fond du Lac District. Duluth: The Author, 1981.
 Keith, Lloyd. North of Athabasca Slave Lake and Mackenzie River Documents of the North West Company, 1800-1821. Rupert's Land Record Society series. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001.
 M'Gillivray, Duncan, and Arthur Silver Morton. The Journal of Duncan M'Gillivray of the North West Company at Fort George on the Saskatchewan, 1794-5. Toronto: Macmillan Co. of Canada, 1929.
 Schwörer, Ute. The Reorganization of the Fur Trade of the Hudson's Bay Company After the Merger with the North West Company, 1821 to 1826. Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1988.
 Selkirk, Thomas Douglas. A Sketch of the British Fur Trade in North America With Observations Relative to the North West Company of Montreal. New-York: Printed for James Eastburn and Co. [by] Clayton & Kingsland, 1818.
 Wallace, W. Stewart. Documents Relating to the North West Company. New York: Greenwood Press, 1968.
 Wallace, W. Stewart. "Documents Relating to the North West Company". Toronto: Champlain Society, 1934.

External links

 Fort Frances Museum & Cultural Centre Fort Frances, Ontario: Celebrating Community
 Nor'Westers and Loyalist Museum
 Wallace, W. Stewart. Documents Relating to the North West Company. Toronto: Champlain Society, 1934.
 North West Company Voyageur Contracts. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
 North West Company material. Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library.

North West Company
Fur trade
Trading companies of Canada
1779 establishments in the Province of Quebec (1763–1791)
1821 disestablishments in Lower Canada
Companies disestablished in 1821
1821 mergers and acquisitions
Companies based in Montreal
Defunct companies of Quebec
Economic history of Canada
Economic history of the United States
History of the Rocky Mountains
British North America
Oregon Country
Companies established in 1779
Trading companies established in the 18th century
Trading companies disestablished in the 19th century
War of 1812
Pemmican War
Métis

North West Company


"Child Star" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 117th overall. The episode was written by Ned Martel, directed by co-executive producer Michael Hitchcock, and first aired on February 27, 2015 on Fox in the United States.

The episode takes place as New Directions are hired by a young boy to perform at his bar mitzvah party, but he turns out to cause all sorts of problems. Meanwhile, Mason McCarthy is developing feelings for Jane Hayward but runs into issues with his sister Madison McCarthy, and Roderick Meeks helps Spencer Porter to begin a new relationship.

Plot
Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) runs a physical education class which includes Spencer Porter (Marshall Williams) and Roderick Meeks (Noah Guthrie) where she challenges Roderick to perform a vertical rope climb, which he fails. Roderick asks Spencer for help with his physical fitness which Spencer originally declines, but Spencer then discovers that Roderick is friends with new student Alistair (Finneas O'Connell) on whom he has a crush, so to impress Alistair, Spencer agrees to train Roderick. Sue asks Superintendent Bob Harris (Christopher Cousins) for a letter of recommendation for a Principal of the Year Award nomination, so he asks Sue to help his nephew Myron Muskovitz (Josie Totah) prepare for his upcoming bar mitzvah party where he wants to perform. Myron shows his planned song and dance to New Directions and is shown to be very talented, but when his backup dancers are mildly criticized, he becomes very high-strung and demanding, and fires all of them on the spot. Myron tells Sue that he wants to use the auditorium for his party and have New Directions perform there, and Sue immediately agrees as she does not want to disappoint Superintendent Harris. Mason McCarthy (Billy Lewis Jr.) flirts with Jane Hayward (Samantha Marie Ware) but his advances are immediately cut off by his sister Madison McCarthy (Laura Dreyfuss). Mason confesses to Roderick and Spencer that Madison has always acted like a mother to him, and he needs Madison out of the way so he can pursue Jane. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) discuss song choices for the party as Will challenges Rachel to get to know her New Directions members better. Coach Sheldon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), Rachel, and Will meet with Sue who is having problems answering to every whim of Myron, as Sue tells them that they are being forced to be the new backup dancers for Myron, while Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin) is not happy having to perform for this spoiled child. Spencer attempts to train Roderick but his methods are very aggressive and Roderick leaves. Mason convinces Jane to sing with him at the party, but when he tells Madison, she overreacts and embarrasses him. Later, Roderick and Spencer have an argument in the glee club room.

At the party, Mason sings a song which makes Madison realize that he is more mature than she realized, and she agrees to let him have the space he wants to pursue Jane. Myron gets trapped inside of a pod that has been lifted off the stage, and Spencer uses positive encouragement to Roderick to get him to successfully climb a rope and release the pod. As Will trains Rachel, Sheldon, and Sue for their song, Sue loses her temper with Will and they engage in a brief physical fight. Alistair meets Spencer and apologizes for ignoring Spencer at first, but when Alistair states that Roderick has brought them together, it leads to them kissing, as Spencer asks Alistair to join New Directions. After a successful bar mitzvah party is over, Sue tells Will and Rachel that Myron has been advanced into high school thanks to Superintendent Harris, and Myron is now joining New Directions as he quickly becomes friends with Kitty by bribing her. Sue swears to herself to do whatever it takes to destroy Will, Rachel and the rest of New Directions.

Production
Two new recurring characters are introduced for the final five episodes of the series: J. J. Totah as Myron Muskovitz, a spoiled but very talented tween who is advanced into high school to join New Directions, and Finneas O'Connell as Alistair, a new student at McKinley High who becomes the love interest of Spencer and also joins New Directions. Returning recurring characters that appear in the episode include Becca Tobin as Kitty Wilde, Christopher Cousins as Superintendent Bob Harris, Noah Guthrie as Roderick, Samantha Marie Ware as Jane Hayward, Marshall Williams as Spencer Porter, Billy Lewis Jr. as Mason McCarthy, and Laura Dreyfuss as Madison McCarthy.

The episode features six musical cover versions. "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child is sung by Totah. "Friday I'm in Love" by the Cure is sung by Williams. "I Want to Break Free" by Queen is sung by Lewis Jr. "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars is sung by Guthrie, Ware, and Williams. "Break Free" by Ariana Grande featuring Zedd is sung by Jones, Lynch, Michele, Morrison, Overstreet, Totah, and backup singers. "Cool Kids" by Echosmith is sung by Dreyfuss, Guthrie, Lewis Jr., O'Connell, Tobin, Totah, Ware, and Williams. Accompanying the music from this episode, the extended play Glee: The Music, Child Star was released on February 27, 2015.

Reception

Ratings
The episode was watched by 1.69 million viewers and received a 0.6 rating/2 share in the adult 18-49 demographic.

Critical response
The episode received generally mixed to positive response from critics.
Lauren Hoffman from Vulture stated in her review that she "DID like a lot of the things about the episode. That's due in part to how much more compelling this group of newbies is than the crop of newbies we met in season four." Emily Longeretta from Hollywood Life described the performance of "Break Free" as "a super hot performance by Rachel, Sam, and yes even Coach Beiste!" The A.V. Clubs Brandon Nowalk panned the episode and stated that "the addition of the two new Directions isn't going to stick. Next week we're all going to be surprised to see eight students in the choir room, and then after a moment we'll remember." Miranda Wicker from TV Fanatic was confused by the episode, and stated "it's unclear what, exactly, we should be expecting from this weekly song and dance, but some sort of closure comes to mind. This was not it."

References

External links

2015 American television episodes
Glee (season 6) episodes

Child Star (Glee)


Marriage (, Zhenit'ba) is a two-act play by the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, which was written in 1832 and first published in 1842.

Plot summary
In the opening scene, a civil servant named Ivan Kuzmich Podkolyosin sits alone in his room smoking a pipe and contemplating marriage. He has hired a matchmaker (Fyokla Ivanovna), as was the custom in Russia at the time, to help find him a bride. As the two converse, the audience discovers that Podkolyosin has been in search of a bride for quite some time. The reason for his not being yet married, however, owes to his own indecisiveness rather than the lack of a suitable partner. In fact, Fyokla has found him a nice young woman named Agafya Tikhonovna.

When Podkolyosin's friend Kochkaryov unexpectedly pays a visit and finds Fyokla at Podkolyosin's home, he learns for the first time of his friend's search for a bride. The fact that Podkolyosin has not mentioned it to his friend provides further proof of his indecision. Kochkaryov becomes outraged at Fyokla because she also married him, and his wife and he are unhappy with the marriage. Kochkaryov, after cleverly getting Fyokla to reveal the location of Agafya's home, informs Fyokla that her services are no longer needed and that he will proceed with the matter on his own.

In the next scene, Agafya and her aunt, Arina, discuss the issue of marriage and the matchmaker walks in on them. She informs the two women that several suitors will soon be making appearances at the home. Presumably, Fyokla has just made the rounds of the town in hopes of beating out Kochkaryov and Podkolyosin, as she will not receive any money if the marriage should occur without her help.

Besides Kochkaryov and Podkolyosin, three suitors arrive. The first is Yaichnitsa (which can mean either 'fried eggs' or 'omelet'). Yaichnitsa is overly concerned with the dowry and appears skeptical as to whether Fyokla has told him the truth about it. The second suitor, Anuchkin is a man of refinement and wants a bride who speaks French, a language fashionable among the upper classes, even though he doesn't speak the language himself. The third, Zhevakin, a retired navy lieutenant, has a detailed story about the time his squadron spent in Sicily, where, amazingly enough, no one speaks Russian. He is often mesmerized by female beauty. At this point, Podkolyosin and Kochkaryov arrive and everyone sits down to chat. Yaichnitsa almost immediately demands that Agafya make a decision, which makes her so uncomfortable that she leaves the room.

All of the suitors wonder what happened. Once they are alone Kochkaryov tries to scare off the other suitors by calling Agafya ugly, unable to speak French and her dowry worthless. Kochkaryov later pays Agafya a visit in her room and convinces her to choose Podkolyosin over the others (she herself was indecisive about who she liked best). The other suitors all come back and Agafya and Kochkaryov together tell them off until only Podkolyosin remains. After a great deal of pushing on the part of Kochkaryov, the two become engaged. Actually, Kochkaryov had to propose because Podkolyosin was still indecisive and wanted to wait another month before proposing.

Kochkaryov insists that the wedding must take place immediately as he has already ordered all of the food and the guests are waiting at the church. The bride and groom begin to get dressed and Podkolyosin muses to himself about the splendor of marriage. However, he soon changes his mind again and jumps out the window. After only a short while, Agafya wonders where he has gone. Everyone searches for him, and eventually they discover that he has escaped through the window and called a cab to take him home. The play ends with Fyokla scolding Kochkaryov for his sub-par matchmaking skills. If the grooms escapes through the door the wedding can still be put back on track, she says, but if he jumps out the window it is all over.

Editions and translations
Marriage has been translated into many other languages. Abdulla Qahhor translated the play into Uzbek.
Nikolai Gogol: Three Plays
Includes: The Government Inspector; Marriage; The Gamblers
Translated by Stephen Mulrine
Publication Date:	August 1999

Pages:	240
Binding: Paperback
Format/Size: 178x111mm
Methuen Publishing Ltd
11-12 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6LB

References to Marriage in other works
 In the novel Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov, a theatre group performs an avant-garde production of The Marriage.
 The character of Podkolyosin is mentioned in Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot.
 The episode of Podkolyosin jumping out of the window is mentioned by Chirikov in Part 5, chapter 2 of Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina.

See also
Zhenitba, an opera by Modest Mussorgsky
The Marriage, an opera by Bohuslav Martinů

Plays by Nikolai Gogol
Plays set in the Russian Empire
1842 plays

Marriage (play)


The First Man in Rome is a 1990 historical novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough, and the first in her Masters of Rome series.

The cast includes most of the major historical figures of the late Roman Republic, including Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, as well as the Gaius Julius Caesar who was grandfather of Julius Caesar, Julia, Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, Publius Rutilius Rufus and Lucius Appuleius Saturninus.

Plot summary
The main plot of the novel is generally concerned with the rise of Marius, his marriage to Julia, his success in replacing Metellus as general in charge of the Numidian theatre of war, his defeat of King Jugurtha of Numidia, his re-organization of the Roman Army system, his unprecedented consecutive consulships, his defeat of a massive invasion of German tribes (the Teutones, the Cimbri and the Marcomanni/Cherusci/Tigurini), and the details of his relationship with his subordinate and close friend Sulla.

However, although Marius can be considered the protagonist, Sulla occasionally becomes the central figure of the narrative; there are several lengthy sections dealing with his plot to murder the two wealthy women with whom he lives, his use of the newfound wealth in establishing himself politically, his homosexual relationship with the Greek child-actor Metrobius, and his marriage to the (fictitious) younger daughter of 'Julius Caesar Grandfather', Julilla. McCullough explains that, while it is certainly known Sulla's first wife was a Julia, it is not known to which branch of the Julii she belonged, but she was certainly a relation of Marius's better-known Julian wife, hence the decision to assign her the role in the novel of a younger sister.

A third storyline is focused on the figures of Marcus Livius Drusus and his sister Livia Drusa who both feature more prominently in The Grass Crown: and their own growing friendship with the Servilius Caepio family resulting in a double marriage, which proves disastrous when Quintus Servilius Caepio Senior is not only accused of embezzling more gold than there was in the Roman Treasury, but also is responsible for Rome's most disastrous military defeat for generations – a defeat which so ruins the credibility of the conservative leaders of the Senate that it lets Marius into power far earlier than he expected, and for a longer time.

Much of the narrative is also told in the form of letters between the protagonists – Marius, Sulla, Old Caesar and frequently their friend, Publius Rutilius Rufus – himself a man somewhat torn in allegiance: conservative by instinct, but partisan of Marius by friendship.

The novel closes with Marius's sixth consulship, in which he proves not to be as adept politically as he is militarily: and the tribune whose help he needs, Lucius Appuleius Saturninus, has an agenda of his own, leading to an armed insurrection which Marius himself has to put down. To cap it all, he also suffers a minor stroke during the summer, although he makes a full recovery. Tarred by association, his political career seems over:  but after fighting many battles together, there is some reason for Marius and Sulla to hope that Rome will have peace for a few years.

References

Masters of Rome series
1990 Australian novels
100s BC
Novels with gay themes
Novels set in the 2nd century BC
1990s LGBT novels
Cultural depictions of Sulla
Cultural depictions of Cossutia
Century (imprint) books

de:Die Macht und die Liebe

The First Man in Rome (novel)


Candle Cove is an online creepypasta horror story written by web cartoonist and author Kris Straub. The story centers on a fictional television series, titled Candle Cove, that could only be viewed by a small group of people, predominantly children, who later recall the disturbing show on a web forum. Straub has stated that he was inspired to write the creepypasta after reading an article by the satirical news outlet The Onion, titled Area 36-Year-Old Still Has Occasional Lidsville Nightmare.

Straub's story quickly became popular, inspiring numerous YouTube videos and fan fictions. In 2015, Straub self-published Candle Cove in a collection of short stories entitled Candle Cove and Other Stories. The Verge commented that Candle Cove differed from other creepypastas in that while most creepypasta have an "anonymous folkloric quality", Candle Cove's originated from a known source and author.

The story was adapted for the first season of the Syfy anthology series Channel Zero, which aired in 2016. Additionally, Straub began the spin-off YouTube series Local 58, centered around strange broadcasts from the fictitious public access television channel where Candle Cove originally aired.

Synopsis
The story is told via a thread on a forum called the "NetNostalgia Forums", where a group of users discuss an unusual low-budget children's television show, Candle Cove, that they all remember watching on Channel 58 when they were children in the early 1970s. The show is about a young girl named Janice, who imagines herself to be friends with pirates. The pirate characters are said to be portrayed by string marionettes.

As the users continue to reminisce they begin to recall more disturbing details about the show, such as a character known as the "Skin-Taker", a skeleton pirate who wears clothing made out of children's skin, and an episode that consisted entirely of the puppets flailing and screaming while Janice cries. The story ends with a user stating that he recently asked his elderly mother in a nursing home if she remembered the show. She responded that every time the user claimed "Candle Cove" was on, there was only static on the screen, adding that she had always thought that he had a big imagination with the show.

Television adaptation

In 2015 the SyFy Channel announced their intent to adapt the Candle Cove story as the first season of a newly announced series, Channel Zero. The season, named after the creepypasta, expands on the story and centers on a child psychologist who has returned home in order to investigate the 1980s disappearances of his brother and other children. Channel Zero: Candle Cove stars Paul Schneider and Fiona Shaw, and premiered on October 11, 2016.

Reception
Will Wiles of Aeon wrote that Candle Cove was "among the best creepypastas out there" and a good example of using the messageboard and forum format as a storytelling tactic. The Verge has written praise for the creepypasta, stating that it was "a perfectly dark spin on our nostalgia for the half-remembered stories of our childhood, that realization that the things we liked as kids were much, much creepier than we thought."

References

External links
 Candle Cove at the author's website, Ichor Falls

2009 short stories
Fakelore
Fictional television shows
Horror fiction
Horror short stories
Internet memes introduced in 2009
Urban legends
Web fiction
Works adapted into television shows
Works by Kris Straub
Creepypasta

Candle Cove


The State Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality  () is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Georgia in charge of coordination and monitoring of activities undertaken towards Georgian–Ossetian and Georgian–Abkhazian conflict resolution, generating new peace initiatives and reintegrating the conflict regions and their population with the rest of Georgia. The ministry was established in 2008 and it was known as the State Ministry for Reintegration until 2014. Incumbent minister is Ketevan Tsikhelashvili

History
The office was established on January 24, 2008 by Presidential Decree No. 33 effectively replacing State Ministry on Conflict Resolution Issues. On February 8, 2008, office of the minister was created and all of its statutes approved by Resolution No. 23. Its first minister Temur Iakobashvili was appointed on January 31, 2008.

After establishment of the agency, Georgian officials proposed a peace format "3+1" (Russia, North Ossetia–Alania, separatist authorities of South Ossetia and Georgia) through "2+2+2" format, where conflict resolution negotiations would be held in three levels. The first level was proposed to include local leaders of the Tskhinvali separatist authorities and Dmitry Sanakoyev's Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia. The second level was to include Russian and Georgia as international legal parties to the conflict and the third level was to involve OSCE and the EU as neutral international mediating parties. Both Russia and South Ossetian separatist authorities rejected the proposal. On January 1, 2014, the ministry was renamed into the State Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality with the declared aim of easing engagement with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Structure
Main functions of the agency are providing political support for both Georgian–Ossetian and Georgian–Abkhazian conflict resolutions, initiating new peace proposals and assisting with reintegration of breakaway regions and its Abkhazian, Ossetian and Georgian population with the rest of Georgia. The office also facilitates the process of creating necessary preconditions for a full scale resolution of the conflicts including reactivation of Georgian-Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz relations. Among main aims of the agency were involving European Neighborhood Program, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe rehabilitation programs and European Union as chief mediator in the peaceful conflict resolution process. The activities of the office also include development, organization and management of the peace process, instituting mechanisms for unconditional return of refugees and IDPs to their homes, restoration of economic ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and contributing to joint economic activities, restoration and development of social ties with the breakaway regions, elaboration of a mutually acceptable system of political arrangement based on democratic principles.

Ministers

State Ministers of Conflict Resolution Issues
Giorgi Khaindrava, 2004–2006
Merab Antadze, 2006–2007
David Bakradze, 2007–2008

State Ministers for Reintegration
Temur Iakobashvili, 2008–2010
Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili, 2010–2012
Paata Zakareishvili, 2012–2014

State Ministers for Reconciliation and Civic Equality
Paata Zakareishvili, 2014–2016
Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, 2016–2020
Tea Akhvlediani, 2020–

See also

Cabinet of Georgia

References

2008 establishments in Georgia (country)
Reconciliation And Civic Equality Of Georgia
Georgia

State Ministry for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia


Ethylenediamine dihydroiodide (EDDI) is a water-soluble salt derived from ethylenediamine and hydroiodic acid.  It is a colorless to light yellow crystalline powder. The salt consists of the ethylenediammonium dication C2H4(NH3)22+ and iodide anions.

Application
EDDI is used as an additive in pet food and cattle feed with high bioavailability.  Used to prevent iodine deficiency, this salt is one of the major uses of the element iodine.  The United States Food and Drug Administration suggests a limit of intake to 50 mg/head/day.  Although EDDI is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) only as a nutrient source of iodine, administration of EDDI also has preventative effects on foot rot in cattle.

Other iodine supplements for animal feed include calcium iodate (most stable) and potassium iodide.

See also
Calcium iodates are another source of nutritional iodide.

References

Diamines
Food additives
Iodides

Ethylenediamine dihydroiodide


The Downtown São Paulo (or Central Zone São Paulo, or simply Center São Paulo) is a commercial district and the third major Central Business District of São Paulo.

The region is administered by Subprefeitura da Sé Encompassing the neighborhoods and districts Bela Vista, Bom Retiro, Cambuci, Consolação, Aclimação, Bras, Liberdade, República, Sé and Santa Cecília. Not to be confused with the region known as Downtown Expanded, used eventually by the city government in actions urban planning, which also includes parts of the subdistricts of the Mooca, Lapa, Pinheiros and Vila Mariana or with Historic Center São Paulo Which includes only the oldest part of the central region.

It is the largest financial district of South America and Latin America.

Other
 São Paulo

São Paulo

Downtown São Paulo


Ann Kobayashi (born April 10, 1937) is an American politician and businesswoman from Honolulu, Hawaii. She is a member of the Honolulu City Council, representing District 5 since 2009. She previously held the same City Council seat between 2002 and 2008, but resigned from the seat to unsuccessfully run for Mayor of Honolulu against incumbent Mufi Hannemann. She was also a member of the Hawaii Senate between 1981 and 1994.

Personal life
Ann Kobayashi was born April 10, 1937, in Honolulu to Mori and Florence Hayashi. She grew up with her brother Roy Hayashi near Punchbowl Crater, later moving with her family to Nu'uanu Valley.

Kobayashi graduated from President Theodore Roosevelt High School before attending Pembroke College in Brown University and Northwestern University.

She was married to Paul Kobayashi until their divorce, and has three children.

Political career
From 1981 to 1994, Kobayashi represented the Manoa area in the Hawaii Senate. During that time, she was chairwoman of the State Senate's Ways and Means Committee for two years. In 1994, Kobayashi ran for Mayor of Honolulu but lost. In 1997, she was the Executive Assistant to Mayor Jeremy Harris, and from 1997 to 2002 she worked in the State Executive office as a Special Assistant to Governor Ben Cayetano.

In 2002, Kobayashi successfully ran for Honolulu City Council District 5. She gave up her council seat in 2008 when she again ran for Mayor of Honolulu. She lost the election, and her council seat was won by Duke Bainum, who ran unopposed. Bainum, however, died on June 9, 2009, leaving the council seat vacant. The special election that was held resulted in Kobayashi being declared the winner on August 8 with more than 37 percent of the vote.

References

External links

Oral history interview

1937 births
American women of Japanese descent in politics
Hawaii Democrats
Hawaii politicians of Japanese descent
Hawaii Republicans
Hawaii state senators
Honolulu City Council members
Living people
Women state legislators in Hawaii
Women city councillors in Hawaii
President Theodore Roosevelt High School alumni
Asian-American city council members
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians

Ann Kobayashi


A prince-bishop is a type of monarch who reigns over a principality and is also a bishop or other high-ranking clergy member.

They were very common in medieval Europe, especially in the Holy Roman Empire. From the 4th century onward, many bishops took control of cities and the surrounding areas.

A prince-bishop was initially considered to be an elected monarch because the position was not hereditary and the successors of prince-bishops were chosen in the same way as an ordinary bishop.

The Holy Roman Empire had many prince-bishops, who controlled areas called "Prince-Bishoprics". After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, the title began to fall out of use and it was officially abolished by the Pope in 1951.

The last prince-bishop in the world is currently Joan Enric Vives Sicília, who is one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra.

Princes and princesses

Prince-bishop


Theatre on Đumruk, or Đumrukana (), was a theatre in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Originally a customs house which was built in 1835 near Belgrade docks in the neighborhood of Savamala, it was adapted into the theater, as a first regular Belgrade theater house, which was active 1841–1842.

Customs house

The Đumrukana building (from Turkish gümrük), was the very first administrative building built in the newly autonomous Principality of Serbia from the Ottoman Empire and as such was a symbol of the liberated country.

The building was designed by modern Serbian building pioneer Nikola Živković (known as Hadži-Neimar), perhaps under the guide of Franz Janke, the first state engineer of the Principality of Serbia. It was built around 1835, and was one of the first objects outside of the Belgrade Fortress built completely from solid building materials (brick and stone). The object was located close to the Sava Gate, one of the outer gates of the Lower Town of the fortress. On the day of opening, the building was blessed, and attendees included ruling prince Miloš Obrenović and foreign representatives.

The building was described as a "spacious warehouse with arcades". One of the foreign consuls described the building as being divided with one part being described as "a theatre", while the other had a series of storage rooms, mostly packed with leather. The object was  long, with large arches standing on Tuscan Doric columns. The main facade was of monumental composition with 11 arcades and ceiling with cruciform cove.

In 1837, it was recorded that jurist Jovan Hadžić and mayor of Zemun, Vasa Lazarević, lived in the building. They both were given a task of drafting the first Serbian civil code by prince Miloš.

The building is connected to the first attempt at flying in Serbia. Blacksmith's apprentice named Manojlo, self-taught in aeronautics, constructed his own flying contraption combining the "bat wing" construction and small parachute. In the winter of 1841 he tried to fly over the Sava, jumping from the roof of Đumrukana. Attempt was a failure, but the ill-fated "Serbian Icarus" was saved by the parachute and the deep snow in which he fell.

Theatre

Đumrukana  was later the location of the first Belgrade's regular theatre in 1841, as prior to that only travelling acting troops existed. Main people behind theatre's establishment were comedy writer Jovan Sterija Popović and educator Atanasije Nikolić. They both were teachers at the Lyceum of the Principality of Serbia in Kragujevac, capital of Serbia at that time. They founded a theatre in Kragujevac 1840, but a year later, both capital and the Lyceum were transferred to Belgrade. Original idea for the new theatre was Nikolić's and Sterija joined him. They were backed by the prince Mihailo Obrenović who agreed to partially support the theatre financially thru state subsidy. He also ordered for the storage hall in Đumurkana, at the time one of the largest buildings in Belgrade, to be adapted to suite the theatre. The hall had 250 seats. Apart from the regular seats, there were 6 loges for the affluent spectators. Contrary to the regular seats, they were expensive: "one imperial ducat per loge".

The first performance held at the venue actually occurred before its official openings, on . Nikolić adapted his own play, after the folk epic Kraljević Marko i Arapin. The "dilettante" acting troop was made of students, amateur actors, from the Lyceum. Music for the play was composed by .

The add was then published in the Novine Serbske (predecessor of the modern state gazette), by which the theatre administration was inviting actors ("we invite anynone who is skilled in this craft, or who senses enough capability in himself for this"). They also asked for two actresses which had to be good singers, too. Very good salaries, 12 to 25 thalers, were promised. Each applicant had to undergo the selecting process, which consisted of several rehearsals. Numerous actors from Serbian diaspora in Austrian Empire applied for the job, mostly educated in Zagreb or Hungary.

The theatre was officially opened on  with the first performance being Death of Stefan Dečanski by Sterija. It was the first public theatrical play in Belgrade (previous theatres in Kragujevac were the royal ones), for which the "theatrical list was published", and which was open for everyone as the prices were affordable. Performances were held regularly on Thursdays and Sundays. The first play with the fully professional acting ensemble was held on .

Other performances included further works by Sterija (Tvrdica (or Kir Janja), Ženidba i udadba, Zla žena, Prevara za prevaru, Ajduci, Simpatija i antipatija, Pokondirena tikva), Stefan Stefanović (Smrt Uroša Petog), etc. Also, foreign plays were translated and performed, including those of Molière (Scapin the Schemer), Carlo Goldoni (), Victor Hugo (Hernani, Angelo, Tyrant of Padua), August von Kotzebue (Die Brandschatzung, The Jealous Wife [Kotzebue's adaptation of George Colman the Elder's play]), Friedrich Schiller (The Robbers). It was recorded that the shows were almost always full. The general taste of Belgrade audience for the theatrical life was also cultured by the critics, like Sterija, Vladislav Stojadinović and Pavle Popović. They mostly published their critiques in the Novine Serbske. In total, until  when the final performance was held, 55 plays, both Serbian and foreign, were performed.

In September 1842 prince Mihailo Obrenović was dethroned and went into exile, after the , organized by Toma Vučić Perišić and the Defenders of the Constitution. The theatre held no further productions.

Later developments

For a while, Austrian consulate and Austrian post office were also located in the building. In the early 20th century, State Customs office again moved in.

The building was damaged during the massive 1944 Allied Easter bombing of Belgrade in World War II. After the war, it was completely demolished in 1945 during the city's clearing off from the rubble.

Today

The foundations of the buildings are preserved, though they are buried after the latter works along the bank. During the 2010s reconstructions in the area, it was announced that the Đumrukana will be rebuilt on its old foundations and made some unspecified cultural institution.

The architectural design competition for the new building was announced in August 2019. The new building is envisioned as the first permanent seat for the National Ensemble of Folk Dances and Songs of Serbia "Kolo", founded in 1948. The lot of former Đumrukana covers  and is located next to the staircase which connects the neighborhoods of Kosančićev Venac and Savamala ("Great Staircase", Velike stepenice). Stipulations for the project include: floor area of  at most, main hall, gallery and museum section, gift shop, big central stage with 400 seats, another multipurpose hall, roof terrace with café, underground garage and other auxiliary rooms.

In terms of architecture itself, one of the objectives for the architects is that the new building has to "revive the memory" on former Đumrukana. Also, the project must preserve the panoramic view of the Kosančićev Venac neighborhood above the building, which, with the neighboring Belgrade Fortress, Karađorđeva Street and the Sava dockage, makes the "most valuable and most representative image of Belgrade", which has already been "under the attack" of the aggressive construction. If the procedures go as planned, the construction could start by the end of 2020. The neighboring parcel, at 15 and 15-a Karađoređeva Street, is also part of the same competition, though only as an optional one. The object on the  lot is also conceived as an object of culture. A total of 17 works were submitted. Design by the Zabriski bureau, headed by Milka Gnjato, won the first prize.

The selected project turned out to be unpopular. It was disliked for not resembling the old Đumrukana building at all, and for not fitting into the urban surrounding. By March 2022 it was still undecided what the object would look like (selected modern design or restoration of the old appearance) or what will be the purpose (ensemble "Kolo" or alternative theatrical groups).

Assessment

Though lasting for only one year, the existence of the Đumrukana Theatre is considered pivotal for the development of theatrical life in Serbia. It held titles of numerous "firsts" among theatres in Serbia: first permanent, first with a repertoire, first state owned, first national. First with professional ensemble, which soon replaced the amateur one from the start period of the theatre. First with the regular, citizen audience. It pushed further the development of dramatic literature in Serbia, which, oddly, pre-existed the first theatre.

The theatre formed holdings of the sets, props and costumes which were used as the base in the further attempts to start new theatres. Marking 100th anniversary of the theatre, Borivoje Jevtić wrote: "It was a miracle and remains a miracle...the seed sprouted!". He noted that in Serbia at the time, literature, music and visual arts were still not developed, but the most complex art, which encompasses all of them, was.

Theatrical life moved to the building of Staro Zdanje, in Kosančićev Venac, above the Đumrukana, from May 1848 to March 1849. Next object used for this purpose, after 1850, was also close to Đumrukana and also built by Nikola Živković, the Prince's Brewery at the corner of modern Gavrila Principa, Balkanska and Admirala Geprata streets. Owned by the Princess Ljubica Obrenović, and later by the Vajfert family, the building was demolished in 1935.

Operational boards for the construction of the new theatre were founded in 1852, 1861 and 1863, but they all failed. After another failed attempt at the construction of the theatre in the unsuitable area of Zeleni Venac, which actually began but was abandoned, the new building of the National Theatre in Belgrade was finally finished in 1869.

See also
 List of theatres in Serbia

References

1841 establishments in Serbia
Buildings and structures in Belgrade
Culture in Belgrade
Theatre in Serbia
Theatres in Belgrade
Custom houses
Theatres completed in 1841

Đumrukana


The Blackhawk Putnam Tavern is an historic house at 22 North Street in Houlton, Maine, United States.  Built in 1813, it is the oldest standing building Aroostook County.  In the mid-19th century it served as a tavern on the military road, and one of its owners was Blackhawk Putnam, a veteran of the American Civil War.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1976.

Description and history
The Blackhawk Putnam Tavern is set on the west side of North Street (United States Route 1), a short way north of a bend in the Meduxnekeag River, which winds through Houlton.  It is a -story wood-frame structure, with two fully framed stories, and an additional  under the side-gable roof.  There are two interior brick chimneys.  The main facade faces east, and is five bays wide, with the center entry sheltered by a 20th-century Colonial Revival portico.  Windows are symmetrically-spaced, with a slightly wider gap on either side of the center bay.  The corners of the building have wide corner boards, and the front and rear have a broad entablature below the roof line.  The interior of the building follows a typical Federal-period center-hall plan, with two rooms on either side of the hall at each level.  Trim, both interior and exterior, is a combination of Federal and Greek Revival styling.

The tavern was built in 1813 by Samuel Wormwood, a master carpenter originally from Alfred, Maine, for Aaron Putnam, who had settled in the Houlton area in 1805.  It was not the first house built in Houlton by Wormwood; a house built for the local doctor in 1812 burned down in 1879.  Houlton was connected to the rest of Maine by a military road built in 1828, and it is probable that the house began to serve as a tavern around then, as it was likely the largest house in the small community.  The house was the scene of several sessions of the Washington County district court before the area was set off as Aroostook County in 1839.  It then held sessions of that county's court for a number of years, and was owned by John Varnum Putnam, the county sheriff for many years.  Putnam's son, Blackhawk, commanded a company of Maine volunteer infantry in the American Civil War.  The property was used as a restaurant for a time after his death; it is now a private residence and home of New Day a social services agaency.

See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Aroostook County, Maine

References

Buildings and structures in Houlton, Maine
Taverns in Maine
Houses completed in 1813
Houses in Aroostook County, Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Aroostook County, Maine
Drinking establishments on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine

Blackhawk Putnam Tavern