To the cineplex, but not for a movie

Movie theaters are no longer just for the movies. Now, thanks to digital technology, you can go to your local multiplex for concerts, sports events, opera -- even, as strange as it may seem, a radio program.

Radio aficionados will convene around the silver screen tonight when Ira Glass hosts a special two-hour edition of his weekly public-radio series “This American Life,” which will be beamed via satellite to more than 400 theaters nationwide. It’s the second time the show has been offered in movie theaters by NCM Fathom, a division of National CineMedia. The first was last May.

“Our listeners enjoyed getting together in their own communities to experience our show in a new way,” Glass said in a statement. “The live cinema transmission was surprisingly effective. We were flooded with e-mails asking for us to do it again.”

New York’s Metropolitan Opera has been beaming high-definition telecasts of its productions to movie theaters on Saturdays since late 2006, generating enough response to persuade other opera companies to follow suit. And beginning in August, the New York Theatre Ballet will offer performances in conjunction with the “Met Live in HD” program, featuring such classics as “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella” and “The Nutcracker.”

“Consumer demand continues to grow because there are so many fans of the arts and entertainment that don’t get to experience some of these things otherwise,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom.

“The whole concept is to widen the circle so people can experience what is going on in an otherwise limited circle,” said Julie Borchard-Young, director of By Experience, the marketing and distribution company behind many of these events. “By broadcasting it to movie theaters, we’re able to reach a niche audience but on a large scale.”

The scale is growing. In 2005, NCM Fathom produced 15 events; this year it has 47 planned so far. Last year, Diamond said, more than 1 million people attended its screenings -- including more than 600,000 for the “Met Live in HD” series and 30,000 for the first “This American Life” event.

“It’s something that movie theaters have always looked to -- to fill the seats on off-nights and days,” said Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Assn. of Theater Owners. “This is an opportunity for extra programming to come in and bring extra people that would not normally come in.”

Theaters also provide a convenient venue for people to see performances they might not otherwise have access to, for prices that NCM Fathom says typically range from $10 to $22.

“The great thing about every local movie theater is that it’s part of the neighborhood and part of the community,” Diamond said. “It’s easy. It’s convenient. It’s affordable. There’s not a bad seat in the house. It’s really a very immersive experience.”

Ultimately the success of alternative programming lies in more theaters installing the technology that allows them to receive satellite feeds and project them in high definition.

“Count on a larger audience,” Corcoran said. “But right now I don’t think anyone knows how big or how small this will end up being. It’s a little like 3D at this point.”

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alicia.lozano@latimes.com