As part of Playbill On-Line's continuing effort to give all online users the first-class service of our website, we have shut down our separate forum on America Online and transferring all operations, including news, chats and message boards, to our website at www.playbill.com as of Sept. 10, 1997.

America Online users will still be able to use keyword PLAYBILL as before; it will simply launch AOL's browser and route you to the website. Longtime AOL users will notice an immediate improvement.

* A vastly wider selection of offerings on the website. News is updated in much more timely fashion; many stories carry photos.

* The website is far easier to navigate, with many hyperlinks to take you to related stories and opportunities to send email to the writers of the stories.

* The Playbill On-Line Club enables you to get substantial discounts and special offers for theatre tickets.* Several large and popular databases exist only on the website: downloadable audio clips, college theatre programs, celebrity chat transcripts, One Shubert Alley merchandise service, Drama Book Shop script listing service; etc.

* All celebrity chats take place exclusively on the website.

* Breakdowns and upload errors are far less frequent.

We invite you to surf www.playbill.com and see our many, many features, custom-designed for theatre lovers everywhere.

Launched in November 1994 by the (now) 113-year-old Playbill Company of New York, Playbill On-Line is the largest source of online theatre news, features and listings. The AOL forum was created in June 1995.

Playbill also operates Theatre Central and Betty Buckley's personal website, and recently purchased the assets of the defunct TheaterWeek magazine with the intention of re-launching the magazine as an online only features-oriented website.

Playbill On-Line formerly maintained forums on Prodigy, CompuServe and eWorld online services, as well, but gradually consolidated all development on the website.

-- By Robert Viagas