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Boston theaters considering 'tweet seats'

Boston theaters considering 'tweet seats'

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Several Boston area theaters are considering allowing "tweet seats" for Twitter users and livebloggers.

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You’re in a darkened theater watching a first-night performance of a highly anticipated new play. Would you consider putting up with a blinding smartphone display off in the distance if it meant the play could drum up some extra publicity? Some Boston area theaters think the tradeoff might be worthwhile, and are considering allowing "tweet seats" for Twitter users and livebloggers. The Lowell Memorial Auditorium, the Lyric Stage Company of Boston, the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, and the Central Square Theater are all either offering special seating for the purpose, or are considering doing so, reports the Boston Globe. This isn’t the first time that this kind of thing has been tried — several theaters around the USA have experimented with special seating for Twitter users as early as two years ago — but the combined push from so many in and around one city could be signaling a larger trend toward reevaluating the longstanding cellphone ban in theaters.