*WHAT? You mean he's just gonna sit there
in his tuxedo playing that violin? Good God,
that's like watching ice melt! I'm heading
over to SECOND LIFE to watch 'em build the
new Doctorow 'book.'
Internet, technology pose threat to live art performances
March 22, 2005
By Jessie Bonner
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON ñ Gone are the days when a stage performer could bring in crowds with little more than an elaborate costume or a piano.
In a society bombarded with images and sound from the Internet and hand-held gadgets, filling theater seats will require an embrace of the technology, said Terrence Jones, president of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a national park and theater in suburban Virginia.
ìOur world is changing and we must change with it, or be left behind,î Jones said at a National Press Club luncheon Monday as he announced Wolf Trapís summer performance schedule.
Jones said tickets sales for live performances are slumping, and audiences are becoming wary of spending what little leisure they have at the theater. ìWe must use our creative instincts to market this experience,î Jones said. ìI do think the arts are required to respond.î
Jones argued that rising ticket prices play a small role in deterring audiences, citing a new theater at Arizona State University as a prototype for the future of live performance. The university developed an interactive stage with motion sensors that set off audio and visual effects whenever a dancer crosses their path.
But itís hard to compete with the Internet, video games, cable television and DVDs, said Lori Kramer, sales and ticket services manager at the Portland (Ore.) Center for the Performing Arts.
ìI think that it isnít just any one thing,î Kramer said. ìYounger people are used to more interaction, more things going on to keep their attention, other than just someone sitting in a chair playing a violin.î
