•Based on eccentric and temperamental artist Mark Rothko acclaimed play 'Red', Canadian Stage Company needed a promotional idea that would push the company’s comfort zone of traditional poster and newspaper ads•To attract a new audience, it was also important to cast off the 'stuffy' reputation that a night at the theatre tends to have

•Live theatre is an intimate and intense medium many young people know little about. To replicate that experience online, the site uses theatrical lighting and other common theatre techniques to make the web a more personal space. Minimal retouching helped keep the integrity of the theatre feel•The immersive, first person web-cam experience put visitors up close and personal with the temperamental artist in the role of his assistant. The storyline is controlled via voice and motion detection technology. Dark colours and full screen views were used to create a claustrophobic feeling, adding to the intimate nature of the experience

More tickets were sold before opening night than ever before – and ticket sales goals were reached 4 days before the closing night.•The experience was received as a refreshing innovation for the category generating all kinds of buzz including Site of the Day on the FWA, Pick of the Day on Ad Critic, and a big feature in Canada’s national newspaper, the Globe and Mail•We noticed that people not only spent a lot of time on the site (average of 5 minutes or more per visit), but they also played the game several times over