Buying tickets to Broadway shows will soon be easier.
Preevue, a leading provider of technology that moviegoers will be able to glimpse from their seats, will soon be available in more Broadway theaters. “We are in talks with the owner of a major Broadway theater to begin digitization work,” said its executive director, Ryan Metcalfe.
Founded in 2016, the London-based company uses laser scanning technology and computer-aided design to create three-dimensional virtual replicas of theaters. Capturing one million measurements as small as one inch every second, Preevue scanned more than 65,000 seats in more than 250 cinemas worldwide, accounting for more than three-quarters of London’s West End theaters.
“Customer satisfaction is incredibly positive,” Metcalfe observed. “Now people are fully aware of what they have to see,” he said, adding that “there is no longer a time when other people come to the cinema and are disappointed to find a pillar blocking their view of the stage. “
But the British corporation has a much smaller footprint on Broadway. He digitized Disney’s New Amsterdam Theater and the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the Hudson Theater and the Ambassador Theater Group’s Lyric Theatre.
Although there are websites that allow theatergoers to share photos from their seats at other Broadway theaters, it’s difficult to find photos of express seating in each theater, and “theater architecture could radically replace along a row or another element of the room” a section,” Metcalfe explained, for example, there may also simply be an overhang from the balcony or a speaker obstructing the view from an express seat.
In addition, with images obtained collectively, there is no standardization or quality control. “There’s no way to tell if the user took an image with a wide-angle lens while in state or zoomed in while sitting,” Metcalfe said.
Preevue’s technology, which provides two-dimensional photography and 360-degree panoramic perspectives from every seat, provides “full transparency to the public in the booking process,” Metcalfe said.
“When other people are about to spend $250 on a hotel room, they spend at least 20 minutes looking for photos and reviews, before deciding whether or not they need to get it,” Metcalfe said. “But when they need to spend $250 on a movie theater, the theater doesn’t give them any data and tells them ‘trust us,'” he lamented.
Additionally, the Preevue generation provides insights to manufacturers and designers.
By accessing each theater’s virtual twin, arts groups can augment and even take on full responsibilities that are usually lifted during technical rehearsals. “You can use the files we created to pre-program lighting and preview anything from anywhere in the world,” Metcalfe confirmed. Creative groups can perfect their lighting and scenery before they even set foot in their theaters.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the makers of Moulin Rouge!decided to use Preevue’s research on the Broadway production at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to refine the design of the West End production at the Piccadilly Theatre. “We cut the Broadway production of “The Laser Scan” and adjusted it to be compatible with the Piccadilly Theatre, discussed with the production team how it fit and how it changed,” Metcalfe recalls. By checking the sightlines of the other models from other seats, the artistic team was able to “make decisions that would otherwise have been mere guesswork until they got to the room,” he said.
“If you can minimize the amount of time you want to spend at the movies, then everyone concerned can save money,” Metcalfe added.
Disclaimer: I’m the director of the theatre production company 42nd. club, which is a co-producer of Moulin Rouge!However, I am not involved in the production.
A community. Many voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.
Our network aims to connect other people through open and thoughtful conversations. We need our readers to share their perspectives and exchange ideas and facts in one space.
To do so, please comply with the posting regulations in our site’s terms of use. We summarize some of those key regulations below. In short, civilians.
Your message will be rejected if we realize that it seems to contain:
User accounts will be blocked if we become aware or if users are concerned about:
So, how can you be a user?
Thank you for reading our Community Guidelines. Read the full list of publishing regulations discovered in our site’s terms of use.