New sound systems have been ordered and expected to be delivered in January 2008 for the Balcony and Side Theatres.

The Balcony Theatre is getting the biggest overhaul, it will be converted from a mono house, meaning one speaker and one amplifier, to a 5 channel stereo surround system. This will take the number of speakers from 1 to: 3 behind the screen, 8 surrounds and 1 subwoofer. New processors and amplifiers will be installed in the 1916 projection booth. The Balcony already has the best picture with the light and screen size this will make the Balcony rival the Main Theatre for patrons favorite place to watch a movie.

In May of 2003, DTS Digital sound was installed in the Main Theatre, the upgrade in the Balcony although not digital will rival the Main Theatre. The only difference between the Main Theater's Digital sound and the new system in the Balcony Theatre will be 1 channel, when a film is in digital in the Main Theatre, the surround channel is split between left and right. With the size of the Balcony Theatre and having the same amount of surround speakers as the Main Theatre does, it will sound nearly identical with the speaker placements.

The Side Theatre will be getting new amplifiers and a new sound processor. New speakers will follow in months to come for the Side Theatre. This will make a very noticeable improvement in the sound in the Side Theatre.

Re-Printed from www.owu.edu Connect 2 9/19/07
By: Cole Hatcher

A True ‘Green Screen’

But what about the popcorn?

It’s a question that makes Kara McVay smile, as she discusses her plans for downtown Delaware’s historic Strand Theatre to begin recycling its cardboard, plastic, and other discarded items.

“We don’t throw away a lot of popcorn,” says McVay, the Strand’s longtime manager. “Have you ever tasted our popcorn?”

As the Strand prepares to go green, patrons of the first-run movie theatre at 28 E. Winter St. soon will notice a few important changes.

Most noticeably, the Strand’s large trash dumpster will be removed from the rear of the building during the week of October 4. It will be replaced by a recycling container designed to prevent countless plastic water bottles, cardboard candy boxes, and drink cups from being heaped into landfills.

“It really bothered me to throw the paper and plastic into a 10-by-10-foot dumpster,” says McVay, who has been working with city officials and Republic Waste Services since July to establish the Strand’s new recycling program. “My hope is if people see we can make adjustments in our business, they will decide they can make adjustments, too.”

Patrons also will be asked to discard recyclable items into special blue containers inside the theatre. Non-recyclable waste, including cellophane candy wrappers, will be placed in regular black trash cans. Leftover soda and water will be poured through funnels into covered buckets.

All receptacles will be clearly marked as containing either “paper,” “plastic,” or “food and trash.”

“This will mean a little more work for the staff,” McVay says, “but everyone is in favor of it. I think the community will love it, too.”

McVay anticipates the change will not only help to save the environment, but it also will help to cut the theatre’s trash bill. She will use a portion of the savings to switch to more environmentally friendly cleaning products.

As part of the Strand’s recycling kick-off, McVay has scheduled the Leonardo DiCaprio film The 11th Hour to make its downtown debut on October 12. The film has been described by The New York Times as “an unnerving, surprisingly affecting documentary about our environmental calamity.”

“One of the most famous frogs in the world sings, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green,’ ” McVay says. “The Strand Theatre is here to help spread the word that it is easy to go green.”

For more information about how to become more environmentally conscious, visit www.earthday.gov.

– Cole Hatcher