What this blog ended up being, though, came as a very pleasant surprise. When I got my poster, I took to Twitter to thank its creator, Robbie Rozelle. Then, just today, as fate would have it, the platform I write this on was down, So I wandered over to Twitter while I waited, and saw Robbie on there again. So I took a chance, and asked him a few questions about the poster and how he works. He kindly (and quickly) obliged, and here's the scoop (and a very inspiring story, too!):
JEFF: Can you
talk about Playbill's commitment to Pride Month?
ROBBIE: I’m not on the editorial
team of Playbill- I’m the graphic designer and very happily art directed and
designed the Pride issue. I can tell you personally how much it moves me to
know that something I love so much, and a company I love so much, is so
dedicated to the Pride cause. As a teen, I used to walk down the hallways of
high school singing show tunes, and can honestly say that musical theatre saved
me from killing myself, so if we are celebrating what is possible, I think that
is amazing.
On Saturday night, I
searched the hashtag #PlaybillPride on Instagram, and found this from a
17-year-old, who could have been me: https://instagram.com/p/35QZEawwKp/
"I wanted to take a minute to
talk about just how much better the Playbill for Wicked made the actual show,
which was wonderful in itself. The Playbill is a special Pride edition. Being
from the South, I can't say I've ever actually seen people truly being
prideful. However, I've actually seen multiple pride flags in New York, and to
see something as big as the Broadway show of Wicked supporting the cause is
really overwhelming. I've felt a lot of comfort here, a lot more than I usually
feel back home. Thank you Broadway for your wonderful acceptance and your
stance on the right side of history #playbillpride”
Just knowing that I am a part of that, that I am woven into that history now, was terribly moving for me.
JEFF: How did
the poster come about?
ROBBIE: Last year, we didn’t
really think about Playbill Pride merchandise - it was something people asked
about, wanting it on a t-shirt or a hat. This year, with a little more
foresight, we decided to create this poster. Not all of the shows on it
actually have color playbills (Roundabout doesn’t do them, for example, and
some long-running shows have switched to black and white), so I set about
colorizing the ones that were always black and white or that were formerly in
color but had changed to B&W (i.e.: Finding Neverland). It was a little
difficult because we wanted this for June 1, but we knew the Tony nominations
might cause some shows to close and we wanted it to reflect June. As it turned
out, we were correct, and some stuff indeed folded right after the Tony nominations
came out, but what we were left with became this beautiful, colorful
celebration of the pride of Broadway.
JEFF: What is
your design process?
ROBBIE: My design process is so
different from project to project. Because I had designed the Pride logo last
year, we knew going in that we were going to use it again. This was the first
time I had designed the magazine, and created a style through it. I worked with
the Editor in Chief, Blake Ross, to create something that was really beautiful.
I wanted something that reflected what I would want to read and KEEP. We hit
upon the idea of including quotes from the various plays that the writers
profiled had written, to tie everything together, along with the rainbow banner
on the top. I’m really happy with it, and got an email from my mother today
saying she was, too. I really think that readers are responding to it. I can’t
speak for Playbill, but I’m really hopeful it will become an annual thing.
Thanks, Robbie!
(Photos by Robbie Rozelle)
For more information and purchasing Playbill Pride merchandise, go to: www.playbillstore.com
Jeff
No comments:
Post a Comment