Boston Theater the First to Post Tweets on Marquee

As theatregoers, we are used to seeing the reviews of critics up on the marquee.  We're also used to artistic directors asking for comments from audience members, according to Boston.com.  But Robert J. Orchard at the Paramount Center is trying something new with his show "The Color of Rose.'  He's putting audience tweets on the marquee outside.

ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage, the organization that Orchard heads as Emerson College's executive director of the arts, is using Twitter to promote its shows in a groundbreaking way.  They are now posting audience tweets to the scrolling marquee that can be seen Washington Street. The company selects a few tweets per show and types them in manually for passersby to see.

Here are just two of recent audience tweets that appeared on the Paramount marquee, in regards to an acrobatic spectacle titled "PSY' (which actually played at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, another theater programmed by ArtsEmerson): "Flawless movement and unreal strength crafted into a brilliant story' and "Beauty + thrill + drama of the human body = PSY, Boston, you must see this!'

Another tweet referred to "In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards,' which was performed in the Paramount Black Box, as: "Powerful, poignant, inspiring, funny, moving and thought provoking.'

Perhaps Orchard and ArtsEmerson will spark a new trend in theatrical reviews, as audience members gain more and more power over word-of-mouth marketing.  140 character reviews might replace standard, professional reviews that are normally plastered onto marquees.

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