The Secret Garden
Of all the shows I worked on at Circus Center, I decided to highlight ‘The Secret Garden.' It was the first opportunity during my time there that we had done a show outside of the confine of our walls, with all the challenges that come with it. It was the highlight of a long string of collaborative work with Felicity Hesed. And it was my favorite production at Circus Center: with the cleanest storytelling, the best use of talent, and the first time I witnessed a successful mix of theater and circus, where both elements weren't forcefully tied together, but where one elevated the other.
The challenge in this production was reaching new audiences. In order to do so the design needed to accomplish several things: it had to represent the quality of the work being staged, it needed to remind parents of the beloved novel it's based on, while also featuring the circus aspect of the production front and center. I believe the final design accomplished all those goals. The click rates and ticket sales would seem to agree, since we surpassed our sales goals.
We actually ended printing a double sided poster, so we had two core designs. I also created a social media campaign highlighting all our performers (I've done this for most of our shows, since it had become a feature of our marketing strategy).
PHOTO CREDIT: FERNANDO GAMBARONI
5 of the drafts for the show
I worked on 12 drafts for this poster. I draft a lot because that allows us to narrow down from existing choices, and avoid going back to the drawing board. I also repurpose almost all my designs for our social media campaigns later.
Social media campaign
Highlighting all our performers.
Homecoming
One of the perks of becoming an Art Director was the freedom that it allowed me to make my own design choices. During the reopening process and with the easing of the pandemic, there was a need to bring everyone into the building to let them know that we were back. A fundraiser seemed like the best way to accomplish that.
Bringing those ideas together, I decided to focus on the building, the equipment, and a lovely mural featured in our lobby - all the tangible elements that our students had developed such close relationships with over the years. There's a bit of a dada/Salvador Dali feeling to these, which I now think had a lot of do with our post-pandemic animus.
Additional shows
I designed a lot of shows at Circus Center. A lot. The process usually entailed the following steps:
Taking photos (most of the work here also features my photography); designing several drafts, getting feedback - rinse and repeat; working on the details of our main design; creating all the print work (posters, programs, postcards); creating and coordinating our social media campaigns; designing (and often writing copy) for our emails; developing a webpage for each show.
The Supers
In early 2020, Sara Toby Moore restaged The Supers. In their own words, this is a show about how love is the greatest technology. None of these drafts made the final cut, but I am proud of them, because they signaled a shift in my designs, particularly in the way I used color.
PHOTO CREDIT: FERNANDO GAMBARONI
The Circus Center Cabaret
PHOTO CREDIT: FERNANDO GAMBARONI (EXCEPT WHERE SPECIFIED)
Photo credit: Guy Foster
Photo Credit: Brett Stanley
Photo credit: Guy Foster
