Company
Feb. 3 to Feb. 19, MMAS Blackbox Theater, 377 North Main St., Mansfield. Evening performances at 8 p.m., matinee performances at 2 p.m. $25 general, $22 on Thurs., $20 members. mmas.org, 508-339-2822.

Merchant of Venice
Feb. 3 to March 11, Chase Theater, Trinity Rep, Providence. $26 to $66. trinityrep.com, 401-351-4242.

I Hate Hamlet
Feb. 3, 4, Feb. 10, 11, Feb. 17, 18, 8 p.m., Feb. 12, 19, 2 p.m, Footlighters Playhouse, 2 Scout Rd., Walpole. $22. www.footlighters.com, 508-668-8446.

The Addams Family
Feb. 7-19, 2012, Citi Performing Arts Center, Wang Theatre, Boston. $33 to $103. www.citicenter.org, 866-348-9738.

Mary Poppins
Feb. 8-19, Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. $38 to $75. ppacri.com, 401-421-2787. AMICA’S KIDS NIGHT Feb. 15, free child’s ticket with purchase of one regular ticket.

“Isn’t It Romantic?”
Waltham, MA, February 19, 2012. Time : 1 p.m. Two of Broadway’s brightest stars sing favorite love songs from the stage and screen. In this musical Valentine to love and laughter, Rachel York (City of Angels, Les Misérables, Victor/Victoria) and Brent Barrett (Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, Phantom of the Opera) rekindle the sizzle and spark that stole hearts in “Kiss Me, Kate.” Information: www.reaglemusictheatre.org. Address: Robinson Theatre, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA. Admission : Adults, $35 to $57; youth ages 5-18, $25

Driving Miss Daisey
Feb. 24, 25, March 2, 3, 8 p.m., Feb. 26, March 4, 3 p.m., Buckley Performing Arts Center, Massasoit Community College, Brockton. $16, $14 students and seniors, $12 groups of 10 or more. Phone: 508-427-1234.

The Temptations
Feb. 25, 8 p.m., Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, New Bedford. Their 45th Anniversary Tour.

Beat the grey days of Winter and envision a brighter Summer on the water by heading to the 56th Annual New England Boat Show at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The show opens on Saturday February 11 and continues through Sunday February 19. The Northeast’s largest boat show will feature more than 700 boats — some 360,000 sq. ft. of luxury motor and sailing yachts, sport fishers, performance boats, sailboats and personal watercraft, plus gear and accessories to fit every nautical lifestyle and budget.

In addition to sales on the newest boats and products from the region’s leading dealers and retailers, the 2012 show will feature nine days of family-friendly activities and education for novice and experienced boaters. Highlights include the new Fred’s Shed, an interactive ‘Tool Time’ experience with daily demonstrations, clinics, and free boating advice; the Affordability Pavilion showcasing boats that can be financed for under $250 per month; more than 30 free daily boating, fishing, and sailing seminars; SAILFEST, a dedicated area for sailboats and accessories.

Visitors of all ages will love the Powerboat Docking Challenge, the Remote Control Sailboat Pond, and special guest, 18 year-old Abby Sunderland, who set sail in an attempt to become the youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe.

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 19
Where: Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210
Hours: Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 12, 11:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m.
Monday, February 13 – Friday, February 17, 1:00 p.m.– 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 19, 11:00 a.m.– 5:30 p.m.
Tickets: $14 for adults; FREE for children 15 and under (when accompanied by an adult)
Phone: 617-472-1442
Web: For tickets, show news, discounts and giveaways, visit NewEnglandBoatShow.com.

Sisters, Colleena and Shaleen discovered The Learning Experience ® and decided they want to be a part of everything it has to offer. They view working together with parents to help their children develop intellectually, socially, emotionally, physically, as the most rewarding way to spend their time.

The sisters opened their first Academy in 2009 in Manahawkin NJ and South Easton in 2010. The Learning Experience in South Easton is a family business and our children and their parents are part of that family.

Colleena Lieter is a Registered Nurse and has worked in Maternity for over 20 years. Colleena loves children and went into childcare because she saw a need for improvement while raising her own children. In her search for quality care, she discovered The Learning Experience. She is thrilled to become a part of a revolution in the way we promote the healthy development of our children. Colleena and her husband John spend most of their spare time in family activities with their two sons. They adopted Keoni from South Korea when he was an infant, and then had Noah two years later. As a Maternal-Child Educator, Colleena teaches parents, nurses, and doctors about obstetrics and newborns. She was featured on Comcast and the Asbury Park Press for SIDS Education, works as a substitute school nurse and teaches Sunday school.

Shaleen Riker’s desire to provide an enriching early childhood experience for area children after over 20 years as a working mother has prompted her to change careers. Shaleen has been in the Medical Records field for thirteen years, most recently as a Coding Consultant.

She has experience in staff management, payroll, and billing. Together with her husband Dave, Shaleen is raising his two boys David and Christopher along with her two girls Mallory and Brooke. Family is the number one priority in their house. As two working parents they know the difficulties of balancing quality family time with providing for that family.

The American home may be shrinking, but not the Great American Dream. Americans are still living large, just doing so in smaller spaces.

To some trend-watchers, the downscaling of the American home comes as good news. Architects, designers and social observers say our willingness to resize our floor space means Americans are rethinking the way we really live and how we use whatever space we do have. Home, they say, has become less about impressing others and more about making ourselves happy. And since we are mostly baby boomers — that tidal wave of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 — who have long been accustomed to getting what we want, happiness is often defined in terms of luxuries and personal amenities.

“Natural materials like American Hardwoods are redefining the word ‘luxury,’” says Linda Jovanovich of the American Hardwood Information Center. “Hardwoods bring richness and warmth to even small rooms, whether it’s used on the floors and walls, or crafted into builtins. Custom hardwood furnishings like bookcases and cabinets make a home personal, yours alone, and isn’t that the ultimate luxury?”

This new definition of luxury – top-quality, mostly natural materials, careful attention to architectural details like natural wood window frames and mouldings – is one that architect and author Sarah Susanka agrees with. And what Susanka thinks matters.

In 1998, her professional hunch launched what has become the “build-better-notbigger” movement, when she published the first in her bestselling series of “The Not So Big House” books.

Her mantra is indeed, think smaller, and she also believes that “luxury comes from the materials we surround ourselves with. Beauty comes from natural materials. You can see where they come from — in the grain, the veining. The more natural the materials, like real hardwoods and granite, the more content you are. There’s a quality you can’t name, but you can feel it.”

Gale Steves, author, editor and design industry consultant sums up a similar concept in her book about “Right-Sizing Your Home.” According to Steves, “Right-sizing is about making the best use of the spaces you have for the way you live.” She suggests these ways to best enjoy the shrinking and changing American home.

So while the size of the “average” U.S. home may be shrinking, remember that it’s more about space that works and that satisfies the psyche in the process that defines the ultimate in luxury. Think custom kitchens with pro-quality appliances, posh home-spa baths, stone countertops and the beauty and warmth that only come with hardwood flooring, cabinetry and millwork.

For more information on American Hardwoods, visit www.HardwoodInfo.com.