Signature Theatre Season Show Art

Art Design

Project Overview

Signature Theatre creates art graphics for the musicals and plays of their year-long seasons. A large part of what sells any show is the graphics, as it provides insight into what the show is about and its tone at a glance. The process involved collaborating with and presenting to senior staff, including the artistic and managing directors as well as marketing directors, to find the right concept and messaging.

Tasks included reading through each script, researching themes and relevant context, creating multiple quick mock-ups per show to then narrow down and refine, assisting with the direction of the photo shoots, and creating the final graphics with photo manipulation through Photoshop. Below is the process for each show over two seasons.

Scope: 4 months each, January – April 2025, February – May, 2026
‍Project Roles: Research, concept, design, photo manipulation, and typography
‍Tools: Miro, Photoshop, Illustrator

Show 1: Play On!

"Aspiring songwriter Vy comes to swinging 1930s Harlem to make it big. But when she discovers the doors of opportunity are closed to women, she disguises herself as a man to pitch her songs to Harlem’s hottest composer, the Duke. However, when her tunes attract the attention of Cotton Club performer Lady Liv, the object of the Duke’s affection, Vy-Man is swept up in a swinging tempest of love, mistaken identity and jazz." —SIGNATURE THEATRE‍

Show 2: Strategic Love Play

"From Succession writer Miriam Battye comes a razor sharp, not-quite-romantic comedy about the absurdity of modern dating in the seemingly endless quest to find “the one.” After matching online, a man and a woman meet for a date. Although they start off on the (very) wrong foot, they slowly begin to let down their guard in the hope that this time they’ve found something real." —SIGNATURE THEATRE‍

Show 3: Fiddler on the Roof

"Tevye, a poor Jewish milkman, his family and their tightknit community honor tradition but must contend with a changing world and a rise in anti-Semitism at their home in Czarist Russia. The glorious score... unite[s] with exquisite dance in this classic of the musical theater canon filled with humor, heart—and life." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

Show 4: In Clay

"On the eve of a visit from her estranged childhood friend, now an acclaimed painter, French ceramist Marie-Berthe Cazin recounts her life. From her early days as a gifted protégée discovering the art of pottery, to watching her husband rise to fame partly by claiming her work as his own, through the upheaval of World War I, Marie’s unwavering spirit reveals the beauty in the broken." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

Show 5: Safety Not Guaranteed

"An imaginative indie-rock musical by Guster’s Ryan Miller and Nick Blaemire (Soon, Glory Days) based on the film of the same name... After seeing this classified ad, ambitious journalist Darius sets out on an expedition to find its writer. When she agrees to go along for the ride, however, Darius finds herself in way over her head. Heartwarming and hilarious, with an electrifying score, Safety Not Guaranteed asks, if you could go back and change your story—would you?" —SIGNATURE THEATRE‍

Show 6: Pippin

"Medieval traveling performers bring to life the story of Pippin, the restless heir of Charlemagne, on his quest for purpose. Dreaming of greatness, he dives into war, passion, and even murder—only to find himself disillusioned at every turn in this dazzling and provocative coming-of-age parable about what it means to be extraordinary." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

Show 7: What Became of Us

"A beautiful and moving play about two siblings striving for connection over the course of a lifetime. A sister and brother, the elder born in The Old Country and the younger born in This Country, share both big and small moments and memories from childhood through teenage rebellion, career successes, parenthood, and growing old. Their disparate perspectives lead to both fractures and forgiveness as they witness each other's stories." —SIGNATURE THEATRE‍

Show 1: Merrily We Roll Along

"Sondheim's masterwork about friendship, ambition and the compromises that shape a life takes the Signature stage again after 20 years and is directed by Matthew Gardiner. Told in reverse chronological order, the musical follows three longtime friends as they navigate idealism, loyalty and disappointment over the course of twenty years. The successes and failures of their adulthoods unwind as the cynicism of age erases back to the glowing optimism of youth." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

Merrily We Roll Along, webpage

Show 2: All the World's a Stage

"In 1996, a closeted high school math teacher agrees to mentor a student for a theater competition. Both outsiders in their small-town community, their exploration of Angels in America unsettles the town’s delicate balance, and the vise of intolerance begins to tighten, twisting their lives in unexpected ways. This deeply human tale, with a vibrantly expressive score, is a rallying cry for authenticity and a touching tribute to all the teachers whose selfless courage uplifts and changes us all." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

All the World's a Stage, webpage

Show 3: The Secret Garden

"After losing her parents, 11-year-old Mary is sent to live with a wealthy, reclusive uncle she’s never met. As she explores his manor on the wild hills of England’s moors, Mary unearths many secrets, from the haunted inhabitants to the magic of a dormant garden. Sadness fades with the blossoms of spring as Mary’s determination to revive the garden’s beauty transforms the entire household." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

The Secret Garden, webpage

Show 4: The Monsters

"When his little sister unexpectedly shows up at his door after 16 years, a mixed martial artist decides to take her in and eventually train her to become the next big fighter. However, when her skills progress and she develops her own ideas of the sport and its darker underside, it upsets their longstanding dynamic outside of the ring. As they fight with and for each other, the siblings grapple with hidden selves, loss and finding the strength it takes to let go in a knockout bout to become each other’s ultimate champion." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

The Monsters, webpage

Show 5: A Mountain for Elodie

"A humorous and heartwarming musical from the award-winning singer and songwriter Benjamin Scheuer (The Lion).Ben, enjoying rockstar triumphs, is determined to be a different kind of dad from his own father. When he meets the love of his life, he sees a perfect opportunity and a clear path. Nothing could be simpler, right? With every strum of his guitar, Scheuer weaves the joys and tribulations of career, marriage and fatherhood – and the game of juggling it all – into a soaring melody.Performed by Scheuer with a band, A Mountain for Elodie explores anxiety, impatience, parenthood, grief and love, in a moving ode to the unpredictable, yet beautiful, mess that is life." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

A Mountain for Elodie, webpage

Show 6: Latin History for Morons

Show 7: Urinetown

"In Urinetown (the musical) the people can’t pee for free. A severe water shortage means the poor masses must pay exorbitant fees to a corporation to use the toilet or risk being exiled. However, when young Bobby Strong rebels against the corrupt powers-that-be, the entire system goes singing and dancing down the pipes. A hilarious satire flush with fantastic music, Urinetown skewers and spoofs everything from capitalism to musical comedy itself in an enthralling and absorbing experience." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

Urinetown, webpage

Show 8: Follies

"In an exciting co-production between Signature Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre Company, Stephen Sondheim’s sumptuous and sophisticated masterpiece glitters on the Harman Hall stage directed by Matthew Gardiner. In 1971, a chorus of former showgirls return to their theatre to take one last look where it all began—when everything was possible, and nothing made sense. Surrounded by the glamorous ghosts of their past selves, they reminisce and face regrets as reality and memory begin to blur in ways both dazzling and devastating." —SIGNATURE THEATRE

Follies, webpage