Theatre Posters –
Concerts and Events
Concert performances come in all shapes and sizes. From one-night stands of an individual singer performing the greatest numbers of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Nat King Cole to musical theatre companies presenting their own harmonic interpretations of classic songs from the likes of Gilbert And Sullivan, Gershwin, Berlin, Kern and Porter, not forgetting the modern masterpieces from the likes of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Jason Robert Brown and Lin Manuel Miranda, Anything Goes - literally! As long as there's a linking theme, you're OK... and, fortunately for me, there usually is.
One special concert took place in 2008, at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall. Exactly 50 years to the night that they had played there, a tribute concert was held to celebrate the music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Staged by promoter David Crosby, who in 1958 had been too young to attend, the concert attracted worldwide attention owing to the Merseyside acts and rock and roll legends who participated, and they were even joined onstage by Buddy's widow Maria Elena Holly. I was privileged to design all of the publicity and the commemorative programmes - including reproductions of the original 1958 UK tour poster and programme - for this unique, never-to-be-repeated event.
Every five years in Chester, a huge community theatre event takes place with the staging of the 'Chester Mystery Plays'. For two of these cycles, in 2008 and 2013, I was fortunate enough to be involved in designing all of the publicity (2008) and commemorative programmes (both). In a project like this, you get the sense of picking up a torch from someone else and - while trying to add your own signature and individuality - simultaneously honouring their previous work and also taking things to a new level.
