THEATERGOING A DESIGNED EXPERIENCE
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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VICTORIA MODESTO DEGREE PROJECT | SPRING 2019 MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
contents 4 Degree Project | Spring 2019
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TOPIC Project Proposal Personal Background
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RESEARCH Theater-goer timeline Problems Focused Problems Programs Types of Program Playbill Souvenir
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SOLUTION The New Program Timeframe
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DESIGN Typography Color Palette Pattern
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CONTENT
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PRODUCT
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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6 Degree Project | Spring 2019
TOPIC THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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8 Degree Project | Spring 2019
how can design improve the theater-goer experience?
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STATEMENT
project proposal 10 Degree Project | Spring 2019
“Theatre is one of the higher cultural activities that mark us as imaginative, creative and truly human,” Dr. Glenn D Wilson explained during a lecture at Gresham College. Even though theater is one of the oldest art forms in our society, it is also an extremely complex one. It involves and combines aesthetics, emotions, education and entertainment — therefore, providing the audience an unique experience. However, such experience does not only begin at the opening of Act One and end at curtain call. Every single step of the way counts as part of the event, from learning about the play and buying the ticket to unconsciously humming to the melody of one of the songs long after the applause has faded. With that being said, for my degree project I wish explore to the relationship between the audience and the live performance show. Through what medium or method can design assist in the improvement of the audience’s experience of a production? and which step of such experience needs improvement? I believe the by creating a designed experience in which reflects and exposes in more detail the complexity of a theater production, the impact in the audience will be strengthened and more profound.
ABSTRACT
Do you ever go to the theater to see live performances? Do you enjoy watching plays or musicals? Have you ever seen a Broadway or Off-Broadway show? Many describe it as a magical and truly extraordinary experience. It involves and combines aesthetics, emotions, education and entertainment. A stage production can transport the audience into a different world, and this can create a special energy in the physical space shared by both the actors and the viewers. Those specific moments in that specific place in time will never be repeated, which makes the experience even more exceptional. That is especially true in a musical theater performance since musicals have some wonderful advantages over other forms of storytelling. When sitting in the theatre seats and the lights go down and the orchestra strikes up the overture, you know you are re in for a treat. However, this experience does not only begin at the opening of Act One and end at curtain call. Every single step of the way counts as part of the event, from learning about the play and buying the ticket to unconsciously humming to the melody of one of the songs long after the applause has faded. Theatergoing is a case study that explores to the relationship between the viewer and the live performance by creating a designed experience in which reflects and exposes in more detail the complexity of a theater production. Consequently, strengthening the impact in the audience members.
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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12 Degree Project | Spring 2019
PERSONAL BACKGROUNG
If you ask my mother which one of her four children got in trouble the most, the responsible oldest daughter (me), the middle schoolhater boy or the dramatic identical twins, she will say my name in a heartbeat. With that in mind, there is no question that I was a extremely hyperactive child. At two years-old I broke my arm for the very first time and the thought of walking around with a cast, for some reason, gave me even more energy than usual. So, after trying lots of things to make me rest and heal my arm, my mother says the only way to calm me down was making me watch animated movies ¡ especially Disney movies. Animated movies would not just work to heal my arm, they would work way too well for anytime she needed me to be quiet. I even remeber asking her to rewind the VHS tapes so that I watch it time and again. For that reason, I would memorize the all the lines and lyrics of the movies as well as jam to the songs. That’s when I realized that one of the things I loved and still love the most about those movies is the soundtrack. The storytelling aspect of the songs never cease to amaze me. Unlike any other record album, soundtracks assist in telling a continuous story while enriching it at the same time. To this day, my favorite Disney movie is The Lion King. Therefore, as birthday present my father took me to see The Lion King on Broadway, and that was when I feel in love with musical theather. At first I was extremelly skeptical about seeing the show worring about the possibility of it ruinning such a dear story to my heart. Instead, it did nothing but impress me. The costumes, orchestra, set design, the achitecture of the theater itself, choreography, interactivity with the audience, etc... made the entire experience extremely special and unique.
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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14 Degree Project | Spring 2019
RESEARCH THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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16 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOER TIMELINE
After watching The Lion King I started to frequently attend other shows and pay atention to the entire experience. Even though the performances were absolutely stunning, soon I realized that “a night a the theater” is about a lot more than just those two and a half hours. Additionally, I noticed that the “process” of seeing a Broadway show is very similiar if not the same for all of them. Therefore, in order to discover the areas in the experience that needed improvement I tracked down all of the steps one has to go through to attend a live musical theater performance. This timeline/infographic/map includes the before, during and after of the experience so that I could analize its Gestalt principle, allowig me to look at process’ singular parts and well as its entirety.
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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FIND U ARRIVE AT THEATER
DAY OF THE SHOW
DURING
1 + word of mouth + ad campaign
HEAD TO THEATER
out of home
- billboards -taxi cabs, train, bus -playbill from previous show
web
- email (subscription) - targeted ads
2 30 DAYS
+ show’s website + articles + social media
3 + invite someone
4
BUY TICKET
+ youtube
+ check dates + ticket prices &
2-4 DAYS
seats available
4 PLAN
+ print at home
3
+ mobile + will call
2 1
SHOW COMES OUT
BEFORE
RESEARCH
+ in-person
HEAD OUT
AFTE
CURTAN CALL
5 9
+ 15-30 mins before show starts + waits in line + security check + ticket scan
ACT 2
+ directed to area closer to your seats
6 + get show’s program (Playbill)
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INTERMISSION
+ directed to exact seat
7 ACT 1
+ read program (Playbill)
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7
+ performance ends
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+ standing ovation
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FIND USHER ARRIVE AT THEATER
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HEAD TO THEATER
DURING
DAY OF THE SHOW
FIND SEAT
+ 15-30 minute break
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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10 + crowded exit + steps out of theater
11 + head to stage door + wait in line + meet actors + pictures + autographs
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HEAD OUT CURTAN CALL
AFTER
2
STAGE DOOR
( usually on programs)
ENTIRE TIMELINE
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information
navigate through the
difficult to find and
b
theater community
people outside the
does not reach
a
long gap
unnecessary
c to read
extremely difficult
inconvenient and
the program is
d
no follow up
e
a People usually learn about shows through word of mouth or advertisements. The problem here is that you have to already be inserted in the theater community in order to learn about a show. Out-of-home advertising campaings are located in the theater distric, so if not in that area there is no way of knowning that it is happening. Web campaigns work in terms of email subscriptions or targeted social media banners, which means the person would have to have searched about a show in order for the banner to appear to them.
b If you want to learn more information about a show that currently playing it is guaranteed that it would take a lot longer than it should. The production’s websites are basically for ticket selling purpuses; however, in order to buy a ticket you are directed to a different website. You can learn about the cast and creative team only, because all other information is either extremely difficult to read or simply not available.
c Musical theater performances tend to sell out extremely fast, especially if we are talking about a popular show. Therefore, people have to buy them months in advance. The minimum amouth of time one has to buy a ticket is around thirty days before the day of the show. Consequenty, this long hiatus causes the experience to lose momentum and disengages the audience.
d The program (Playbill) distibuted in the theater by the ushers can be extremely incovenient in terms of physically. That is because the seats are tights, there is not a comfortamble amount of space between audience members so there is nowhere to convinently place it when one needs to clap or do something with their hands. Women can put it in their purses (which can get the paper wrickled) and men usually place it in their pockets or just leave it behind. Not to mention program’s information layout design. Every bit of inforation is signicantly difficult to read and process because of its small size and amount of words comprised in a sigle page.
e After the performance ends, there is no follow up to check on the audience member. Nothing to bring closure to the experience other than stage dooring, that is if they choose to go wait in line to meet the actors. They usually leave the theater excited and mermerized by the performance and it all seems to end the minute they step foot outside the theater doors.
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the problems the project focuses on
d the program is
c
inconvenient and extremely difficult
unnecessary
to read
long gap
c.
long gap
Musical theater performances tend to sell out extremely fast, especially if we are talking about a popular show. Therefore, people have to buy them months in advance. The minimum amouth of time one has to buy a ticket is around thirty days before the day of the show. Consequenty, this long hiatus causes the experience to lose momentum and disengages the audience.
d. program The program (Playbill) distibuted in the theater by the ushers can be extremely incovenient in terms of physically. That is because the seats are tights, there is not a comfortamble amount of space between audience members so there is nowhere to convinently place it when one needs to clap or do something with their hands. Women can put it in their purses (which can get the paper wrickled) and men usually place it in their pockets or just leave it behind. Not to mention program’s information layout design. Every bit of inforation is signicantly difficult to read and process because of its small size and amount of words comprised in a sigle page.
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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26 Degree Project | Spring 2019
How can design solve these problems?
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“
A program is a booklet available for patrons attending a live event such as musical theatre performances. It is a printed leaflet outlining the parts of the event scheduled to take place, principal performers and background information
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John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme.
28 Degree Project | Spring 2019
The program is undoubtedly an iconic part of the theater experience. If you ask any theater fan they will probably tell you about their Playbill collection. As an attempt to better understand what a well designed program should look like, I researched its definition, history and what types of programs are available to the public in each live performance.
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two types 30 Degree Project | Spring 2019
Playbill +
informational
+
free
Souvenir +
high quality images
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$20 at merchandise booth
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playbill 32 Degree Project | Spring 2019
The Playbill is given to you to an audience member as they find their seats. It is purely informational and filled with ads. It is composed of a generic design (every single Playbill looks the same) and there is not enough real state for the information displayed. Making it extremely difficult to read and process.
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The Playbill is also often used as a souvenir since its free and a available at every show. People usually take it stage dooring so the actor can sign it. That way, it can be kept as a even more precious memory of the night
34 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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souvenir 36 Degree Project | Spring 2019
Because pictures are not allowed during a performance, each theater production sells these souvenir programs full of professional, high quality pictures. They can be found at the merchandise booth of every show. The dimensions are usually 12x9 inches, allowing for the images to come alive. Additionally, the design aesthetic of the book matches the visual language of the show
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38 Degree Project | Spring 2019
SOLUTION THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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CONCEPT
new program
As a musical theater fan, I would love to be able to have a program that combines both information and high quality image in a purposeful way. Not to mention an efficient design using same visual language of the show, highlighting its uniqueness. And that could be applied to any production. However, I am using The Lion King as a case study for this new program concept.
information
+
imagery THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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TIMEFRAME
In order to solve the long hiatus problem I am proposing that the program gets send to the person buying the tickets by mail to their residence. Consequently, the program can serve as a teaser for the upcoming show and engage the audience with the content as well. That way, the person can digest the information in a much more effective way.
42 Degree Project | Spring 2019
program
program
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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44 Degree Project | Spring 2019
DESIGN THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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TYPOGRAPHY
Elephant header
Lk 46 Degree Project | Spring 2019
ABCDEFG HIJKLMN OPQRSTU V W X Y Z.
Gt America body type
Lk
AB C D E FG H IJ KLM N O PQ R STU V W X Y Z.
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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COLOR PALETTE
FFCF00 R:255 G:205 B:0 C:0 M:18 Y:100 K:0
000000 R:0 G:0 B:0 C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0
F3CA86 R:243 G:202 B:134 C:4 M:20 Y:54 K:0
48 Degree Project | Spring 2019
17298D R:23 G:41 B:141 C: 100 M:96 Y:16 K:5
E62100 R:230 G:33 B:0 C:9 M:96 Y:100 K:1
F1A71E R:241 G:167 B:30 C:8 M:38 Y:96 K:0
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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PATTERNS 50 Degree Project | Spring 2019
SINGLE PATTERN ELEMENTS
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52 Degree Project | Spring 2019
CONTENT THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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54 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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A lively stage adaptation of the Award-winning 1994 Disney film, The Lion King is the story of a young lion prince living in the flourishing African Pride Lands. Born into the royal family, precocious cub Simba spends his days exploring the sprawling savanna grasslands and idolizing his kingly father, Mufasa, while youthfully shirking the responsibility his position in life requires. When an unthinkable tragedy, orchestrated by Simba’s wicked uncle, Scar, takes his father’s life, Simba flees the Pride Lands, leaving his loss and the life he knew behind. Eventually companioned by two hilarious and unlikely friends, Simba starts anew.
STORY
But when weight of responsibility and a desperate plea from
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The Lion King | Program
56 Degree Project | Spring 2019
the now ravaged Pride Lands come to find the adult prince, Simba must take on a formidable enemy, and fulfill his destiny to be king. A vibrant and exciting tale from the great creatives at Disney, The Lion King is a story of love and redemption that nobody should miss.
Disney Theatrical Group
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THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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58 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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60 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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62 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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64 Degree Project | Spring 2019
PRODUCT THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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66 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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68 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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70 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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72 Degree Project | Spring 2019
THEATER-GOING: A Designed Experience
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