THE MERCHANT
OF VENICE
When Jonathan Dietrich, the director of this production asked me to create the event poster for the Merchant of Venice, in an Art Nouveau/Art Deco style I jumped at the chance. I knew that the show was going to be something special. Jonathan has a history of taking well-known Shakespearean plays and reinterpreting them in fantastic ways that no one but he could imagine - Kabuki Macbeth anyone? Also, talented musician Tom Nagy was writing what was sure to be a wonderfully nuanced original score, and recording a CD with a local who's who of musicians specifically for the production. I just hoped that my work would do the show justice.
I designed the poster first, relishing the creative freedom Jonathan gave me. I drew it out with pencil and paper before painstakingly vectorizing it - this project was a true labour of love. From the poster I developed a card, postcard, event graphic, movie screen ad, show program, and finally the entire CD design.
I also had the opportunity to bring the same colours and style to the stage with the design and painting of the Belmont set. It felt very satisfying to be able to do that - a true full-circle moment.
