While seat-kicking and talking in a theater will likely incite the ire of fellow seatmates, using your smartphone may soon lose its taboo status.
The Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, R.I. has designated a section of its theater for "tweet seats" since last spring. Located in the back two rows to avoid distracting patrons, the seats are free for those who promise to live-tweet a performance, marketing-project coordinator Caitlyn DiPompo told Mashable.
"We do place participants under strict guidelines and ask them to remain discreet while they are tweeting," she said via email.
One theatergoer, Sarah Bertness, live-tweeted a Dec. 4 showing of Memphis. Tweeting with the hashtag #MemphisPPAC, Bertness commented on the set design, costumes and music, among other topics.
Agree! love the touch of exposed brick RT“@jensenecal: The sets are truly amazing--innovative yet vintage at the same time. #MemphisPPAC”— The Rhode Islander (@theRIslander) December 5, 2012
I want Felicia's red dress. Stunning! (I couldn't cover this without coveting the clothes now could I!) #MemphisPPAC— The Rhode Islander (@theRIslander) December 5, 2012
Extended notes earning mid-song applause- this whole cast can SING! #MemphisPPAC— The Rhode Islander (@theRIslander) December 5, 2012
The center previously advertised for "avid tweeters" with a following to apply for its tweet seats.
We've still got TWEET SEATS available for the Dec. 4th performance of MEMPHIS! Email [email protected]. Space is limited so act fast!!— PPAC (@ProvPacRI) November 14, 2012
"Tweet seats," which initially started as a Broadway League initiative, are a growing trend in the arts community, with Connecticut's Norma Terris Theater, Raleigh's Carolina Ballet, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Dayton Opera setting aside seats for visitors who want to live-tweet performances.
For the Providence Performing Arts Center and many other theaters, the special seats aim to engage theatergoers on social media, and build extra excitement for shows, DiPompo said.
Still, this embrace of Twitter remains controversial, as some say it distracts from performances.
"We feel strongly that the experience that an audience member has in our theater should be limited to what they are seeing on the stage," Rebecca Curtiss, spokesperson for Boston's Huntington Theatre, told the AP. "When the lights go down and the show begins, we want the art on stage to speak for itself."