Don Juan

Concept design and art direction

Celebrating the king of manspreading

Client: Turku City Theatre

Project: Don Juan

Year: 2019

Molière’s Don Juan is a stage classic that does not get much anymore. When Turku City Theatre decided to do a staging of the play with national treasure Eero Aho (hot on the heels of his lauded appearance in a recent film production Unknown Soldier), we knew we had to let this rakish figure take center stage.

Don Juan is a true hedonist, a nobleman who shirks all responsibility in pursuit of pleasure. Faithless and unfaithful, he pursues new conquests with reckless abandon, seducing women, men and anyone who can help him chase satisfaction — providing audiences with great amusement in the process. The comedy eventually takes a a dark turn, as Don Juan's deeds catch up with him.

Don Juan oozes charisma. You shouldn't like him, but his unashamed pursuit of pleasure is so entertaining you can't help but be drawn in.

The set design aimed to trap Don Juan in a single room with sparse decoration, showing how the man primps and preens while preparing for each new conquest, unable to realize his actions already have him confined in a prison of his own making. A bathtub was part of the set design, immediately prompting the image of a rakish lothario spread out in a hot bath, surrounded by rose petals. The concept for the ad campaign became Don Juan looking straight into the camera, seducing the audience.

The tagline presented itself straight off the pages of the script – "Rakkaus on tehty jaettavaksi" (Love is meant to be shared). The campaign helped Don Juan spread the love, giving the viewer his undivided attention.

The ad campaign easily exceeded the theatre's goal of 50% of tickets sold before the premiere. The ads drove ticket sales to surpass 70 % prior to the premiere and the play was largely sold out during its run.