We reported earlier that some theaters were setting aside some seats that were being referred to as “tweet seats”. Basically they were seats reserved for those who felt the need to conduct live tweets as they watched the play/concert while it happened. Now it looks like yet another theater set to debut in 2014 in Washington is poised to do something similar.
The new Tateuchi Center in Bellevue, Washington has revealed their plans to build the theater in such a way that it will encourage texting and “non-disruptive” cellphone use. Given how connected we are today with our text messages, social networking and emails, it’s incredibly hard to put down the phone without it beeping a few minutes later at some new email or text message or alert, so we’re sure you can only imagine the flood of new messages and emails you might receive after turning your phone off for a couple of hours.
“This is the wave of the future for the people we worry about attracting,” said John Haynes, the theater’s executive director. “Simply forbidding it and embarrassing people is not the way to go. So we are wiring the building in anticipation of finding ways to make it work over time.”
The Tateuci Center will help to encourage users to access their cellphones by building cellphone antennae to help boost reception, as well providing light dimming screens to patrons who plan to use their cellphones extensively during a performance. This is pretty much a 180 degree turn from current practices by theaters and cinemas who sometimes require patrons to completely shut off their mobile devices during the show.
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