Pulling out a brightly lit smartphone to compose a tweet during a symphony or ballet is generally considered a faux paus of the highest order. But in some theaters, it’s a welcome activity — in designated seats, at least.
Connecticut’s Norma Terris Theater, Raleigh’s Carolina Ballet, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Dayton Opera have al set aside seats for to those who wish to live-tweet performances, according toUSA Today.
Theaters cite audience interaction, the opportunity to share insights and an appeal to younger patrons as reasons for welcoming Twitter into their shows.
From a conductor who prepared tweets to accompany a performance of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony to a“tweet-cert” that delivered real-time program notes, venues have long found creative ways to incorporate the real-time social network into special events. But as Twitter becomes a more common part of everyday performances, some are concerned about side effects it could have on the experience.
“Their texting thumbs were moving faster than the violinist’s fingers,” Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra patron Irene Friedman told USA Today after sitting near tweet seats. “They would occasionally nudge each other and read what the other person had up on his or her screen. They didn’t even look up to applaud at the end of each selection. The fact that they were watching their handheld devices, they missed out on what was happening on the stage.”
Cell phones are notoriously distracting to performers as well. New York City went so far in 2003 as to ban them during public performances.
Yet many theaters are betting that cellphone allowances could be a digital draw that will outweigh the distraction factor. A new Seattle theater that plans to open in 2014, for instance, is installing a 12-to-14-foot antenna to boost cellphone service.
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