FIRST it was the Su Doku flyer — now Edinburgh is abuzz with text message trailers.

Theatre companies are sending trailers for their shows to mobile phones around the city in an attempt to attract audiences. Mobile phone users who pass within 100 metres of a portable transmitter set up in the city centre are sent a message asking them if they want to see a trailer. Those who reply “yes” are then sent a clip of the show.

See It First, which has been hired to air the trailers, said that it had successfully tested the transmitter in London for the Blue Man Group and that 250 festival-goers had already requested the downloads.

Shows that have embraced the new technology include Star Trip, a spoof sci-fi comedy, a stage adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Chanbara, a sword and drum show from the martial arts group that worked on the film Kill Bill Vol. 1.

The trailers can be an expensive business, with production costing up to £3,000 and the use of a website accessible to mobile phones a further £250. They also risk alienating potential audiences. Dan Pursey, of See It First, admitted that the messages would annoy some people but said that they were more environmentally-friendly than printing 10,000 flyers.

The festival is also encouraging mobile phone users to be critics. Audiences who order their tickets through The Times Fringe Box Office are sent a text message 15 minutes after their show has finished, asking them to give a star rating and a four-word review. About 2,000 people have already signed up.

Another series of acts promoted by Avalon have reached a deal with Sony PlayStation to make trailers available for download on to the handheld Sony PSP console.

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