NEW WEBSITE BY AND FOR THEATER LOVERS OPENS TO THE PUBLIC SEPTEMBER 15
NEW WEBSITE BY AND FOR THEATER LOVERS OPENS TO THE PUBLIC SEPTEMBER 15
“ROTTEN TOMATOES FOR THEATER” ORGANIZES ALL SHOW INFO, ALL TICKET PRICES, AND ALL REVIEWS, ALL IN ONE PLACE
Preview by David Roberts
Theatre Reviews Limited
September 15, 2015 (New York, NY): Show-Score.com, a new website for audiences to discover live theater in New York City, started public beta, or “previews”, today. The free online service is geared to help New York theatergoers answer the question: What should I see?
Like Rotten Tomatoes for movies, or TripAdvisor for hotels, Show-Score is designed to simplify the process of deciding what to see for theater audiences. It is an independent website that does not review shows nor sell tickets. Rather, Show-Score simply and cleanly organizes information about all theater productions from Broadway to Off-Off-Broadway. It lists all available ticket prices, comparing box office prices and major publicly listed online discounts. And it collates all professional reviews for each production, all in one place.
Show-Score is not, however, just a listings site. It is an online community of theater lovers that invites members to share their own reviews. In the sixty days since private testing began, Show-Score has started to nurture a vibrant fanbase, which has already published over 500 member reviews. Built on a foundation of engagement, Show-Score encourages members to “follow” other members and critics whose tastes they share to discover shows that they love. Show-Score expands on the notion that the best way to discover shows is through the recommendations of trusted, theater-loving friends.
For example, an audience member looking to learn more about “Hamilton” can read why 45 critics gave it a collective ShowScore of 92, and why 29 members gave it a collective 96. Show-Score members can compare offers from the show’s two ticket vendors, or be alerted when prices reach a certain threshold that the member sets. Once members see the show, they can “score” it using a fun and quick review process. And if members want to see what Lin Manuel Miranda is up to next, they can “follow” him and get alerts about his next show.
Audiences can similarly track, score, and set alerts for over 170 shows currently listed on Show-Score.com. They can read reviews from over 700 publications worldwide, and compare prices from over a dozen ticketing outlets.
The idea for Show-Score began to take shape two years ago when Founder and CEO Tom Melcher and his wife moved to New York. They saw over 250 shows in their first year and became actively involved in the theater community. Yet, they struggled to keep informed about the city’s theater scene, since there is no truly comprehensive theater listing available. Googling to find reviews took hours; finding the best prices took even longer. All the while, they were inundated with emails from theater companies they liked. The whole experience was overwhelming, and Melcher assumed others felt the same way. Friends and acquaintances confirmed that they would see more shows if it weren’t so hard to figure out which ones to see.
“As a theater fan,” says Melcher, “I just wanted it to be easier to figure out what to see. When we started, Show-Score’s original members were our theater-going friends who shared my frustrations. Now we’re ready to expand our community to include everyone who loves theater. Together we can help each other find shows we’ll love, while expanding audiences for this amazing art form.”
To celebrate the public availability of Show-Score, the company is giving away free tickets to the hit show “Hamilton”. Visit www.show-score.com for more details.
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 | Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 |
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