There’s an app for that — even at the Pittsburgh Opera
With apologies to Yogi Berra, the Pittsburgh Opera’s production of “La boheme” won’t be over ‘till the “app” lady sings.
That’s because the local production of the Puccini opus that runs from March 30 to April 7 at the Benedum Center, Downtown, will feature a new interactive component for attendees via a mobile app on their cell phones, believed to be the first of its kind in the country.
San Diego-based Instant Encore developed the free app, which is available for download on both iOS and Android devices, and will include pre-recorded material including interviews with cast members, the director and the conductor before the show; discussion of “La boheme’s” musical themes and motifs; trivia about Puccini and “La boheme”; supplemental audio commentary in real time; and historical context for specific scenes. The idea is as much to help the novice operagoer to understand what they are seeing and listening to, as it is for aficionados to learn new facts about the production.
Chris Cox, Pittsburgh Opera’s director of marketing and communications, explained how it works.
“Once you have the app downloaded and enter the theater, a preview screen will appear. When the performance starts, you hit the play button and follow right along. There are different tracks so that leaves it up to the user the way that they want to experience this,” he said.
“The idea is to enhance a patron’s experience and not to be a distraction. We went to great lengths when we tested it during the fall and winter operas and watched the impact it had on people sitting next to users,” he said. The audio engages only through ear buds and Bluetooth ear pieces,
and the screen display is dimmed.
“This is designed to be a personal experience.”
Mr. Cox said that mobile apps are not uncommon in the world of live theater and music. Instant Encore previously designed a program called LiveNote, created in partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which delivered visual content to patrons during orchestra performances. Pittsburgh Opera partnered with Instant Encore to add realtime audio capabilities to LiveNote and began testing this functionality during its fall 2018 performances of “Madama Butterfly” and “Hansel & Gretel.”
The technology will make its debut on “La boheme’s” opening night on Saturday.
Mr. Cox said, “We’re the first ones to have this new functionality during a live opera performance,” and that they’ll employ the app at all opera shows for the remainder of this year and next.
Full details are available at pittsburghopera.org/ app, and a user guide is available online as well.