A.R.T./New York & TheaterMania.com Collaborate to Launch New York Theatre Network (nytn.org), a New Social Media Platform

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 28th, 2010, A.R.T./New York and TheaterMania.com will officially launch their new social media platform, New York Theatre Network (www.nytn.org).  NYTN will be a social resource developed to cultivate new and existing audiences for the vibrant community of not-for-profit theatre organizations in New York City.  The network, a multi-prong theatre hub, can be used as an information source, an event site, and a home for social networking, dedicated to deepening the engagement between artists and audiences in the theatre capital of the world.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100914/NY61552 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100914/NY61552 )

A.R.T./New York Executive Director, Virginia Louloudes, was inspired to create NYTN after reading a paper titled "Recreating Fine Arts Institutions" written by former Andrew W. Mellon Program Officer, Diane Ragsdale, about attracting new audiences to the theatre in a new economy.

With the support of New York City & the Theater Subdistrict Council of New York, A.R.T./New York took the idea to TheaterMania.com CEO, Gretchen Shugart, to make the dream a reality. "New York Theatre Network is a natural extension of what we do," says Shugart.  "Our mission is to provide tools and technology that support theatre and build audiences, and with that purpose we have worked closely with A.R.T./New York and its member theaters for over a decade."

NYTN is unique in that it puts both the larger theatre with a sizable advertising budget and the smallest theatre with no advertising budget on a level playing field.  As the "MenuPages" of the theatre world, NYTN allows users to browse in multiple ways—satisfying every appetite.  NYTN also allows fans and member theatres to deepen their relationship by interacting through open discussion boards that can be created by the theatre company or the fans.  NYTN's social networking function allows users to see what their friends are sharing and liking and then makes recommendations to users based on their own preferences as well as their friends'.  Additionally, users can view videos associated with the shows and purchase tickets to shows through the site.

Of the new platform, A.R.T./New York Executive Director Virginia Louloudes says, "Ultimately, our goal is to bring live theatre back into popular culture by using popular communication tools that demystify our work and demonstrate that theatres are affordable and accessible to everyone."

For press inquiries please contact Ashley Lutzker at AMP3 Public Relations via 646.827.9594 or [email protected].

SOURCE New York Theatre Network