Cabaret

Concept design and art direction

Concepting the advertising and identity for a modern take on a classic musical

Client: Turku City Theatre

Project: Cabaret

Year: 2020

Key art and advertising art direction for a Finnish staging of the musical Cabaret. The project included concept design, art direction and a scripting of a short teaser. The campaign ran locally and nationally in Finland.

Cabaret is a classic, which means the musical has been done over and over, to the point of exhaustion. At the the time of publication, the musical had already run in numerous neighbouring cities. The challenge was to create a campaign that would lure audiences familiar with the work, but would also appeal to a younger crowd disinterested in traditional musicals. The theatre had hired a groundbreaking and visionary director, Jakob Höglund, to direct a striking, modern interpretation of the musical —the stage was set.

The situation depicted in Cabaret is like an ominous dream. You can enter, but you can’t leave.

The tone for the campaign was set by the set design, a red and white LED-light rig that was to cover the entire stage. The director planned to focus his interpretation on the protagonist, a young man drawn to the uninhibited, underground Berlin club scene. He begins to drown in a bottomless sea of liquor and endless parties, deaf to the rise of facism looming on the streets above.

The campaign focused on the mental state of the protagonist, signaling a descent into a dreamlike world that will gradually become a nightmare. The copy became an ominous “Willkommen.”, welcoming both the protagonist and the viewer to an entirely different kind of Cabaret – referencing one of the most. famous songs from the musical.

Launching the hottest speakeasy in Berlin – but in Turku

Theatre staff had lamented the lack of their own bar – a place where they could shake off excess adrenaline after performances. The marketing department, together with the director and performers of Cabaret, came up with the idea of opening a speakeasy-like club for theatre audiences post-show, allowing the musical audience and performers alike to continue the spirit of the infamous Kit Kat Club depicted in the musical. The idea was to keep the theatre bar open and willing performers performing, moving from the stage to the foyer for a night of debauchery.

We devised and ran a guerrilla campaign for this local Kit Kat Club, making it seem like a club opening. The campaign consisted of a website, outdoor advertising and coasters for the club (to be spread out in bars across Turku and neighboring cities). The campaign welcomed visitors to a new night club, “opening soon”. The campaign managed to both reference the musical and to advertise the pop-up club, doing double duty.

Unfortunately, the onset of COVID-19 halted both musical performances and club nights.