By Jodi Farrell, Adrienne Arsht Center

Pre-show boredom meets its match with the Adrienne Arsht Center’s “Media Wall,” which uses Twitter, Web cams and a giant set of media screens to engage audience members with each other and artists.

The Center’s high-tech foray into audience interaction allows ticket-holders to Twitter and text messages that appear on five screens across the stage. Also on the screens: Images of patrons as they enter the lobby, snapped by a roaming photographer, and videos of audience members dancing, Hula hooping and hamming it up in front of streaming Web cams strategically placed throughout the hall.

“We want to bring the audience immediately into the theater and be engaged in the performance before the curtain even goes up,” said Scott Shiller, the Center’s executive vice president.

The interactive wall first launched during  Cirque Eloize iD’s  six-week summer at the Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House  run and generated a weekly average of 1,000 Tweets and texts. The Center’s staff is currently examining how to use the Media Wall again for future performances.

“The greatest reward is being able to sit here at night and interact with patrons and get a sense of their excitement for the show, and see that build throughout the pre-show right up until curtain time,” said Michael Matthews, a technical director who curated the Media Wall from a converted first-tier box.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how they did it