We Helped People Tweet On Their Smartphones (And We Liked It!)

The Springer Opera House is one of the oldest theaters of its kind in the nation. But it is also one of the most groundbreaking, as well.

 

Take their current production “I Tweeted On My iPad (And I Liked It). A hip and hilarious mash-up, “I Tweeted” is equal parts Saturday Night Live and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, playing out live, not only on stage, but in the Social Media sphere, as well. Exploring the human condition by filtering it through social networking, the generation gap, and the relationships that arise in between, this show is cutting-edge entertainment.

 

And it’s not just the songs and scenes that make this show so revolutionary.

 

It is you: the audience.

 

You are usually asked to turn of your phone at most performances, but here you are encouraged to never put it down. “I Tweeted” takes audience participation to the extreme by literally handing over the show to the crowd. Moments of scripted comedy give way to sudden bursts of sharp and smart improvisation as the troupe takes direction in real-time from the audience members’ tweets and posts to their Facebook page. Want to sit in the director’s chair? Tweet to the actors and writers and watch your directions come to life. Want to get the crowd to gang up on one of the players? Post on the Facebook wall and start an insurrection.

 

That’s what gives this performance a revolutionary vibe. Anything goes. The fourth wall has been obliterated and the inmates have taken over the asylum. Each performance is unique because each audiences’ sense of humor, disposition, even motives, are unique.

 

We here at Naartjie Multimedia are proud to have been asked by the Springer Opera house to be their on-site Social Media “Nerd Herd,” on hand to help the audience set up their Twitter or Facebook accounts, show them where and how to post, explain hashtags, and help with any issues that arise. Generally, our nights have been pretty easy, as the crowds that show up are savvy. They’re pretty much Social Media gurus from personal experience! But when we do get to roll up our sleeves, it is truly a remarkable thing to watch people who moments before didn’t even have an account begin to get the feel of Social Media and really start to interact with the people around them and the actors on stage.

 

Social Media has been saddled with a reputation for being isolationist by design. We frequently hear, “Why would I go online when I can pick up a phone or see someone in person, in real life.” Well, here is a noble example of Social Media bringing people together in a shared space, encouraging them to be creative, to engage with one another. It is an amazing experience to behold.

 

We love what we do here at Naartjie. We love that everyday we come in to work, that day will be different than the one before it and the one that is to follow. But every so often a client comes along with a task that, simply put, rocks; one that as it nears completion, there is a sense of satisfaction tinged with sadness. This is one such “job.” We have had a blast and will be sad when the tweets cease tweeting and the posts stop appearing on our Facebook feed. But above all, we are grateful to have been a part of such a forward-thinking, fast and furiously funny, once-in-a-lifetime production. And that is exactly what “I Tweeted On My iPad (And I Liked It)” is.

 

If you still haven’t seen it, click here for show times and to reserve tickets in advance.

 

We hope to see you there. And if you need any help, tweet us!

 

~Naartjie