From the Houston Business Journal, the week of May 25-31, 2007

TUTS page gets in MySpace act

Musical theatre never looked so hip, or hyped. Theatre Under the Stars has launched a page on MySpace aimed at attracting a new generation of theatre-goers.

TUTS took the stage on the social networking giant in conjunction with ticketing provider Paciolan and marketing company MyCityRocks. The MySpace page features photos and video of the current TUTS production, Spamalot, along with show times and ticket information.

Meridyth Garcia, public relations manager for TUTS, says the theatre hopes to start a daily blog discussing current and upcoming projects. The MySpace entrance is part of a campaign to foster a life-long appreciation for the theatre among a fresh crop of aficionados.

Cliff Kurtzman, executive director of Houston-based MyCityRocks, says TUTS is one of the early acts in a growing trend toward using social networking sites to spread the word on organizations.

“We are in the very infancy of what this will be,” says Kurtzman. “I believe it will grow quite extensively in the future. MySpace is the first baby step in social networking, just as America Online was the first step in that type of online service.”

Other Houston theatres already have posted pages on MySpace. Most, like the Nova Arts Project site, display particulars about current productions, along with posts from fans and visitors.

Other page posters on MySpace include Houston Ballet, Alley Theatre, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Dance Houston and Main Street Theater.

--by HBJ staff writer Casey Wooten