Black Swan 2016 Season Programme Shoot

Every year there’s one phone call we look forward just about more than any other – it’s the call from Geoff at Dessein Graphics asking us if we’d like to get our teeth into the Black Swan State Theatre Company’s upcoming programme. Hell yeah.

Production of the 2016 season programme marks the 5th year of our partnership with BSSTC. This is a project that is filled with creative challenges and collaboration. And rewards; Dessein have taken out a number of international awards for Black Swan programmes and posters from 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Due to constraints around booking actors for lead roles and a tight publication schedule it’s all done in a super short timeframe.

A major contributor to the incredible success of the Black Swan publicity has been the visual cohesion. And therein lies the greatest challenge; each year the first conversations around this work are focussed on developing a theme that will run easily through comedy, tragedy and even musical theatre. For 2016’s programme we worked with the idea of shadows expressing some subtext from the each play. Having produced the past couple of years’ shots in studio we swung back to location photography. With 2016 seeing Black Swan celebrate their 25th year on stage we thought it appropriate to set the shots in the theatre. Each image features a behind the scenes backdrop from their new home – the State Theatre Centre.

Angels In America poster for Black Swan State Theatre Company, design by Dessein
Picnic at Hanging Rock poster for Black Swan State Theatre Company, design by Dessein

Clinton The Musical poster for Black Swan State Theatre Company, design by Dessein
Moliere's Tartuffe The Hypocrite poster for Black Swan State Theatre Company, design by Dessein
A Perfect Specimen poster for Black Swan State Theatre Company, design by Dessein
Black Swan - group portrait of the entire company