Profile for benpackard

Alexander Lamar said: "Love this app! Signing up for the beta. "

Thank you and thank you!

perfectliar said: "Is the update going to include a launch in the Play Store?"

Still no immediate plans for an Android app unfortunately. Sorry about that.

Hi again everyone. I hope you are all enjoying the re-emergence of live theater. I caught the re-opening nights of JLP and Phantom last week and they were truly special theater memories.

Anyway, speaking of special memories... my theater diary app Mezzanine is about to launch a major update and, just like 18 months ago, I could use some help testing it. If you are a Mezzanine user, or are interested in becoming one, here's the link for the latest beta. If you are less adventurous but interested in the app, there is also the App Store version.

This version brings some social features to the app for the first time, including the ability to read your friends' theater reviews.

On a different and slightly more needy note, if you or anyone you know is involved with theater media in any way, I would love to get the word out to a wider audience. I can provide early access, some copy, screenshots, an interview, etc to anyone who might be interested in writing, vlogging, podcasting, or telling their mom about Mezzanine. You can message me on here or find my contact info in the footer at www.theaterdiary.com.

Thanks again to everyone here who has helped make Mezzanine what it is today. Excited to start this next chapter for the app.

Is it possible to add a function where users can upload pictures or posters for a product that is not in the system / that they have manually added?"

Yes - when you are adding or editing a diary entry you can tap the small program image next to the show/theater/city fields to change the image to one of your own. Hope that helps!

seahag2 said: "ben, what are the possibilities of making a website version?"

It’s possible, but nothing planned for the immediate future unfortunately. 

No plans in the near future unfortunately, only because I’ve been making apps for iOS for 10 years but have zero Android experience. I would love a chance (and the time) to learn to make an Android app though, so if the iOS app finds an audience and I finish adding most of the key features I’m planning, then I could see an Android app being next on the list. It’s definitely the most common request so I hear you for sure!

Hi everyone,

Today I launched my new theater diary app, Mezzanine, on the App Store. The app was heavily influenced by the feedback I received here and via email from BWW testers, and it wouldn't be the app it is today without your help. Thank you!

You can see a few screenshots and download the app on the App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1441959317?ls=1

For those of you who are new to Mezzanine, it's a free iPhone and iPad app that lets you log the shows you see, add ratings and reviews for each one, and build lists of shows (top tens, wish lists, etc). Think Letterboxd or GoodReads, but for theater.

I also recently added a feature that lets you scan a Playbill to have it automatically added to your diary - you can see it in action here: https://twitter.com/mezzanineapp/status/1197330020647260161

If you have been testing Mezzanine and now want to switch to the official release, simply download it from the App Store. Your account, diary entries, and lists will all be there just as you left them. You can of course also choose to remain a beta tester if you wish to keep early access to new features as they are added and want to continue shaping the app as it develops.

Again, thank you so much for all the suggestions and the encouragement along the way. This has been a labor of love for me and I'm excited to share it with a wider audience.

If you open the app 'TestFlight' you should be able to update to the latest version. If you no longer have the TestFlight app installed see here - theaterdiary.com/beta

 

 

Beta 9 is being released today:

• Many items in Mezzanine now display a preview and a quick-action menu when long-pressed (requires iOS 13).

• A long press on the app icon offers shortcuts to create a diary entry or add a show to one of your lists.

• Updated header style for programs.

• Fixed a bug where the bottom-most diary entry might appear shrunken until the diary is scrolled.

Toady's new Mezzanine beta includes lots of optimizations for iOS 13, including support for dark mode. Screenshots here.

Current beta users - remember to update Mezzanine manually via the 'TestFlight' app - it won't update automatically.

With this beta version, Mezzanine is entering public beta. If you know someone who might enjoy the app, be sure to send them over to www.theaterdiary.com

Today's beta update adds some features requested on this thread and elsewhere - thanks so much for all the suggestions so far.

* Diary entries now include performance time. Matinee and Evening performances can be tagged in one tap, or you can pick from a full list of named options (All Day, Late, Midnight, etc) or enter a specific time manually. The performance time is also used to sort multiple diary entries on the same day.
* Diary entries can be saved without a month or a year (e.g. ‘Sometime in 1990&rsquo
* Diary entries can now be added for a date in the future.
* Diary entries include a general-purpose ‘notes’ field.
* A bunch of West End productions have been added to Mezzanine, with more to come.
* The production picker is a little smarter. It now prioritizes productions in cities where you have previously added diary entries. Still more work to do here as the database grows.
* You can now change your profile picture, update your name, and reset your password from the settings screen.
* When Mezzanine tells you to check your email for a verification link, it includes which email address the link was sent to.

Still open beta slots at www.theaterdiary.com/beta