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Exciting new developments are on hand as the Royal Opera House has announced plans which enthusiastically embrace new computer technology in the service of art.

There have been rumours for some time that a generous donation by Alberto Vilar would fund seat-back screens (similar to those on planes) to supply opera surtitles discreetly to each individual seat. Current plans are somewhat bolder than this. “We need to involve the audience much more in the entire theatre-going experience, and make it a far richer and more interactive” a spokesman said. There will be new facilities for ballet as well as opera, including feedback facilities and clapping monitors so that the management can assess for example, how well a new star or new production has gone down with the paying public. “It’s a radical new development which will bypass the power of a narrow clique of critics with their entrenched views, and put us directly in touch with our customers.”

The screens are easy to operate with just a few simple buttons, so that users can select which particular statement about a production they agree with, or pick a favourite dancer from a list provided.

An example of the soon to be introduced seat back screens

Queried as to whether some of Covent Garden’s habitual audience, many of whom may have enough difficulty operating a video, would struggle to cope, the House stated “Quite simply we must move with the times. The young audience we need to attract has no difficulty with technology, and its use will not be mandatory”.

Initial facilities for the ballet will be restricted to simple voting on audience preferences on dancers. For example the audience will vote which ballerina will receive the bouquet at the end of the performance. But there are more ambitious plans to get the audience to rate the dancers, for example on criteria such as fitness, stamina and athleticism, in order to demonstrate the strides being taken in this respect. Results may even be published after the show on the wall boards in the ROH link area which currently flash up ticket availability for future performances, or in new displays discreetly positioned by the side of the stage. In a final development the audience response will feed back automatically into a new bonus scheme being introduced for the dancers. Dancers who perform well will see more money at the end of the month, though overall the scheme will be cash neutral.

Would such a system be subject to manipulation by dedicated groups of fans keen to see their particular favourite do well? This is thought to be unlikely. It may not be possible to supply the new screens to every seat in the building – for instance in the slips, where dedicated fans buy cheap seats. In addition, via a link with the ticketing system, management will be able to review the preferences input against the pattern of tickets purchased and ensure that the views of regular attendees are balanced against those who have never been before, with appropriate weighting being given to each.

The new screens, which include Sony Playstation and real-time soap opera updates for those bored with what's happening on stage, should be in place part-way though next season. It forms another key aspect of the House’s drive to modernise itself and make it more attractive to newer and younger audiences who previously would not have thought of the Opera House as a place for them. As an additional enticement, one voter at each performance will be selected at random for a free glass of champagne.