Thinking outside the 19th-century

So, I was reading my "Fountain Square Bulletin" from our friends at 3CDC about construction on Fountain Square (how many of you have eaten at Palomino lately and stared down at the hole in the ground?) and came across this item: "Video Board Coming Into Focus."

Hmm, it says the square reopening will feature a new, state-of-the-art video board similar to the screens at Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark. It will sit atop the Macy's building, and will feature "an exciting array of arts, cultural and sporting event screenings."

My first impression was: Finally! Too long has Cincinnati left visitors in the dark about the great arts here. It's about time something BIG -- like a big screen on Fountain Square -- touted what's here.

My second thought was, the possibilities are endless. You could beam the symphony straight from Music Hall, perhaps a daytime concert to catch the lunch crowd. (That is, if the Musicians Union would allow it... would once or twice a year be too much to ask?) And if I were really marketing-savvy, I would station people with symphony brochures on the square, selling subscriptions.

Or, you could air an entire opera, straight from Music Hall or CCM. Houston Grand Opera has been doing it since 1995 (well, remember what Mark Twain said about Cincinnati). They call them Plazacasts, big screen simulcasts on a giant screen hung outside of the opera house, free to the public. It's part of an effort to bring opera closer to the community. (Visit www.houstongrandopera.org for info)

Here's something else Houston does: They have something called Multimedia Modular Stage, to present operas at large outdoor venues. The Rock-n-Roll stage system incorporates MTV-style video and projections with opera. Now if the Pops ever did their Concerts in Parks again...

On to Podcasts and cellphones: A small item in Friday's New York Times mentioned that the Met Museum of Art produced its first podcast in October, with Kevin Bacon reading Van Gogh's letters. It made the list of the 100-most listened to podcasts on iTunes, heard by 16,000 people.

And the Brooklyn Museum says visitors can take an audio tour now using their cellphones. You can dial a number, punch in a code and hear about a specific artwork in a show.

Wonder how Cincinnati's performing arts could use that technology?