To you, why does theatre matter?
This should be Theatre with a capital “T”, meaning all theatrical endeavors from movies to pageants. Artistic endeavors civilize us, teach us, and give us formulas and thoughts to live by. I’d like to quote Brigham Young who said, “Upon the stage of a theater can be represented in character, evil [...]

John Livingstone and John Starrs, two of the producers of BYU Virtual Tours, were guests this week of Steven Kapp Perry on "The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat."

Have a listen as they explain the origins and challenges of the project, tell of the prestigious award their creation recently won, and, most importantly, talk about the [...]

Power pick: Congratulations to the BYU Virtual Tours for winning a 2010 Silver Telly Award for its production of "The Mormon Tabernacle" for the "Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys" series. Producer and director John Starrs explains that "It's nice to see recognition for an historical, educational and religious production." Wow! What an honor!
via Bloggernacle Back Bench: [...]

B.U.M.P. Limited is pleased to announce that Starrs Universal has won a first-place 2010 Silver Telly Award for its media production of "The Mormon Tabernacle" for Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys, part of the BYU Virtual Tours series. Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys is a co-production of Brigham Young University Religious Education and Starrs Universal.
John Starrs, Producer [...]

Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys is a multimedia platform featuring Religious Educators from BYU. It consists of a website, virtualtours.byu.edu, a hardcover book, “Salt Lake City, Ensign to the Nations,” a Salt Lake City church history tour guide and a DVD-ROM that includes the virtual tours also found on the website. The educators teach about various [...]

BYU Virtual Tours – Want to take a tour of church history sites around Salt Lake City, but you don't have the time or means to actually go to all the sites? BYU Virtual Tours has provided a wonderful YouTube channel with 36 videos of church history locations in and around Salt Lake City. It's [...]

“Your father loves you and so does your heavenly Father. … As long as we have today, we can change the world. … Marry for love, marry for laughs, but mostly importantly as my wife Tania taught me, marry for God. Without God, life’s storms are too strong to withstand. … Life is hard, and [...]

In the early pioneer era, the site of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was occupied by the Deseret News press buildings, the Tithing Offices, the General Bishops’ Storehouse, and stockyards. In 1911 the Church built a well-appointed hotel known as the Hotel Utah. The ten-story, 468,433-square-foot structure now serves as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

Aerial [...]

Shortly after Brigham Young had arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, he encouraged the Saints to bring “all kinds of mathematical and philosophical instruments, together with all rare specimens of natural curiosities and works of art, . . . from which, the rising generation can receive instruction; and . . . we will soon have [...]

This is the home of the world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Organ. It is known for its dome shape and exceptional acoustic qualities, making it one of the most remarkable buildings in the world.

When it was dedicated on October 9, 1875, it was the largest auditorium in the nation without a center support [...]

The Salt Lake Temple is a six-spired granite edifice representing the inspiration and theological underpinnings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 
Temple Square is lit with thousands of lights each Christmas season • © Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
This temple is the symbolic heart of the Church worldwide. More important than its recognizable exterior, however, [...]

This has been an exciting week for our new blog.
Since we officially announced this endeavor 7 days ago we have been featured in Mormon Times, launched on Facebook and Twitter, and have had more than 3500 downloads on our YouTube channel.
We thank you all for your support, and hope you continue to enjoy your experiences with us.
Wednesday's [...]

Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys offers three ways to experience this historic city. The hardcover book offers a thorough and highly informative tour of the city from its founding to today. The walking tour book offers three separate tours through the city, intuitively grouping together the sites so you get the most out of your time. [...]

Hallowed Ground, Sacred Journeys: Salt Lake City, Ensign to the Nations transports readers back to pioneer-era Salt Lake City, contrasting those bygone scenes with scenes of today. It highlights more than 40 sites in and around downtown Salt Lake City, including Capitol Hill, the Conference Center, the Salt Palace, and Temple Square. Hallowed Ground, Sacred [...]

George A. Smith, an early Apostle and member of the first Mormon pioneer company, explained that Brigham Young had seen Ensign Peak and the Salt Lake Valley in vision long before he entered it:
After the death of Joseph Smith, when it seemed as if every trouble and calamity had come upon the Saints, Brigham Young, [...]

Salt Lake City Temple

In Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys, Brigham Young University professors tell the story of the sites that are of importance to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Joseph Smith, Senior Log Home, Palmyra NY

Some sites are well known, such as the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, or the majestic [...]

Hallowed Ground, Sacred Journeys transports readers back to nineteenth-century Salt Lake City by painting a picture of the city during the pioneer era from 1847 to 1869, contrasting those bygone scenes with those of today.
Historic homes, statues, buildings, street names, and plaques bring to mind the names and adventures of early pioneers divinely led to [...]

Salt Lake City: Ensign to the Nations

Written by John P. Livingstone, W. Jeffrey Marsh, Lloyd D. Newell,
Craig James Ostler, John P. Starrs, and David M. Whitchurch

When the Angel Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, he described the Hill Cumorah.  Joseph would later say that when he got to the Hill Cumorah, "I knew the [...]

Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys

Is a co-production of

Brigham Young University Religious Education

and

Starrs Universal

 =============================================

Acknowledgements

The production of Hallowed Ground, Sacred Journeys would have been impossible without the valuable contribution of each of our wives. Their willingness to support the long hours of research, travel, and detail work, taking care of things at home while their husbands labored over this [...]

Hallowed Ground Sacred Journeys

Is a co-production of

Brigham Young University Religious Education

and

Starrs Universal

 =============================================

Acknowledgements

The production of Hallowed Ground, Sacred Journeys would have been impossible without the valuable contribution of each of our wives. Their willingness to support the long hours of research, travel, and detail work, taking care of things at home while their husbands labored over this [...]

Like the prejudice that ended Focus on the Family's featured article on Glenn Beck's Christmas sweater story at the end of 2008, a national radio show host has pulled her children from a Seattle-area school because she says that Stephen Covey's writings are "veiled Mormonism."
via MormonTimes – Delilah pulls kids from school, cites 'Mormon' curriculum.

With the beginning of 2010 in a few short days, BYU Television will celebrate ten years of operation—and the festivities will include more than cake and ice cream. Executives will be transforming the aim of the station and with that, launching new programming and services.
via LDS Living.

What’s a father to do? I knew this day would come, and I have to be honest, I was one of the longest holdouts to believe in Abe Lincoln, myself but I just remember when I finally discovered the truth about, um, Abe, I was so disappointed.
Sure, I had spent many hours breaking down how [...]

Gray said the pageant serves two purposes: to celebrate and to educate.
“This is our church’s Christmas gift to the community,” he said, adding that by producing the pageant, the church also informs those who are unfamiliar with his faith that Mormons are Christians, too.
via NashuaTelegraph.com .

At the end of 2008, Alex Boye felt prompted to record a hymns album. He kept ignoring the idea, but his conscience wouldn't let it go. Finally he decided to start recording and a few months later, had completed eight songs. He felt the album needed three more songs, but was stuck and didn't know [...]

I sprinted home to get help and was immediately distracted by my brother eating a Drumstick ice cream cone. I wanted one so I looked for my mom.
via The Virtual Couch

Still, much of the reaction is more anti-Mormon than anti-Beck.
via NYTimes.com.

Finally, Beck’s oft-ridiculed penchant for punctuating his tirades with tears is the hallmark of a distinctly Mormon mode of masculinity. As sociologist David Knowlton has written, “Mormonism praises the man who is able to shed tears as a manifestation of spirituality.” Crying and choking up are understood by Mormons as manifestations of the Holy Spirit. [...]

Art – from film to painting, poetry and music – is all about revealing the sacred, Caldiero said, and "Big Love's" temple scene was "beautifully portrayed."
via Salt Lake Tribune.

Brigham Young sent a fiddler with each wagon train for that very purpose—so the travelers could dance, turn their hearts toward each other, and strengthen the social fabric of which they were part.
via Meridian Magazine