in the forests
of the night
In the Forests of the Night was a theatrical production in the Studio Theatre, produced by the Stratford Players at James Madison University. The show ran from September 20 - 23, and had four of the five performances sell out.
the challenge
Highlight the cast, crew, and musicians of the production while reaching a larger audience of non-theatre-goers at JMU.
The medium
The campaign included a social media page with graphic design, photography, and videography, print materials, out-of-home advertising, and merchandising.
The Team
Myself, Publicity
Matt McPherson, Director
Grace Altman, Director
Joaquin Dela Cruz, Stage Manager
Ryan Michalowicz, Photography
Alex Tuszynski, Photography
Draw the coin,
Find the Signals,
Play the game
The basics
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In the Forests of the Night is about a group of thirteen students who are forced to play a game in the woods before It comes.
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The time of midnight inspired to the deep blue tones of the color palette.
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The feel of the promotional materials is eerie and mysterious, with a hopeful end message.
Like It
Goals:
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To highlight student work.
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To build a connection to the greater JMU area.
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To draw in non-theatre-goers to see the production.
Strategy:
"It's almost like a scrapbook or yearbook."
Post daily on Instagram and collaborate with other accounts, such as @stratfordshows and @jmustudiotheatre on Instagram.
Insights
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Almost 150 followers starting from a new account.
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Average of 125 likes per post.
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Reached over 5,500 accounts on Instagram.
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Resulted in four sold-out productions, which is uncommon for a play produced by the Stratford Players.
In the Forests of the Night
GIt Reel
instagram reel
Goals:
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Reach as many accounts as possible, including non-JMU students.
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Highlight all of the cast and crew members, if possible.
Strategy:
Create a total of four Instagram Reels, with three posted on our account and one on @stratfordshows, to reach a wider audience.
Insights
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Average of 200 likes per reel.
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Reached over 6,000 total accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
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Had the highest shares than any other post on the account.
see them on the account
our favorIte novel
Program
Goals:
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Create a design that fit the general feel and setting of the play.
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To ensure all parties are included, with correct spelling of their names.
Strategy:
"What's better than a book to read in the forest?"
Model the program after a book that one could find around school or in the forest, taking note of the details to make it seem like an important book.
Details
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Printed approximately 350 programs, which were reused and recycled.
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Problem solved lack of programs, due to budget cuts, with House Management and the rest of the team.
hang It Up
Poster
Goals:
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Create a design that felt like how a prestigious prep school does, such as using script font and limited colors.
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Have a hand-drawn feel for the elements to build the dynamic to the audience.
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Make it mysterious to draw people in.
Strategy:
Draw the elements using ProCreate, and then use Photoshop to add smaller details and text.
Insights
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This was the first piece I made for the production, and immediately knew this would be the branding throughout.
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Four sold-out shows, out of five nights.
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Student Impact: Every member of the cast and crew was able to take a poster home.
MarkIt
Television marquis & website
Goals:
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To market to people who are avid theatre-goers and are actively in the space.
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Continue a cohesive marketing campaign.
Strategy:
Create a design with the necessary information, such as dates, content warnings, and location, that matched the poster.
Details
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The television marquis and website icon are both set by the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts.
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Through communication, I was able to ask the Forbes Center to change the initial icons on the website and television to match our campaign instead.
It's wearable
Crewnecks
A keepsake for the cast and crew to keep, with the same tree imagery on the front and the list of our cast and crew on the back. The light grey color of the crewneck mimics sweatshirts one would find at a prep school.
