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Since You Asked: Met performances will return to Tinseltown Wednesday Jan 17, 2018 at 12:01 AM One joy of moving to Medford from Atlanta was that I could see the New York Metropolitan Opera's streaming performances live at Tinseltown. Now the theater has cancelled this spring's opera performances because of renovations to the complex. The next-closest broadcasts of these performances is in Eugene. They're not cancelling movies, so what gives? Are they going to resume these shows? — Patricia S., via email We'll start with the good news, Patricia: You'll be able to enjoy those performances in the comfort of a recliner at Medford's Tinseltown theater in the near future. This spring's performances are on hiatus, but they will return, according to Bryan Jeffries, Cinemark's vice president of marketing and promotions. "The Met Opera is a very popular attraction for our theater, and we absolutely plan on resuming the schedule following the installation of the luxury loungers," Jeffries said in an email. Plush, electric-powered, oversize recliners with footrests will eventually make their way to the entire theater, according to Jeffries, but the 15-screen theater is being upgraded just a couple auditoriums at a time. So, why not move the performances to a different screen?  In short, those live performances use different technology from regular movies that other screens at the theater can't accommodate. In-theater live performances are offered through the Fathom Events network, a joint venture between Cinemark, AMC Entertainment and Regal Entertainment chains. Using an encrypted satellite signal, live performances such as the Met Opera and Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet — not to mention classic films and niche events — are broadcast to 875 theaters around the country. Live Met Opera performances are assigned to specific auditoriums at theaters, Jeffries said, and can't be moved around from screen-to-screen. Modern films are stored on digital hard drives at the theater, however, so logistics as to which movies show when and on what screen are more flexible. — Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.