Distracted Diva: The Second Screen Goes to the Opera

Do two instances mean the start of a trend -- or is it still just an experiment? In May 2014, On Site Opera, a small New York company, presented a production of Rameau’s “Pygmalion,” at which operagoers were encouraged to use Google Glass, the eyeglasslike computer, onto which a translation of the libretto was projected.

It was by no means an amateur operation or a frivolous stunt: the technology used to project the subtitles to Google Glass was created by Figaro Systems, the company that makes the seat-back title panels used at the Metropolitan Opera, the Santa Fe Opera and other houses. Now Figaro is taking the next step.

When the Wolf Trap Opera performs Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, in Vienna, Va., on July 25, Figaro and its MobiTxt technology will be on hand. And apart from taking the technology to a bigger opera company, Figaro is offering an expanded form of its service -- but one that could raise hackles if it becomes widely used. This time, the libretto will be beamed not only to Google Glass, but also to cellphones, tablets and other devices that can connect to the Internet.