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Saturday, 21 July 2007 | Levent OZLER
Planet Reinvents APT's Summer Season Renewal Requests
After 17 seasons, Planet Propaganda continues to reinvent American Players Theatre's (APT's) annual Book of Summer, which entices audiences to one of the most popular outdoor classical theatres in the country with a preseason look at the upcoming performances to be held in APT's woodland amphitheater in Spring Green, Wis.
For 2007, Planet designed a system of beguiling print materials, including a special limited-edition Book of Summer sent to loyal APT audience members who'd purchased tickets in advance of the previous season; a separate Book of Summer sent to a larger pool of potential APT ticket buyers; and the Guidebook to Total Immersion, an introductory piece distributed to performing arts audiences across the Midwest.
Planet Propaganda's creativity and strategic thinking has helped APT securely position itself as part of the essential summer experience in Wisconsin. Now, the theater seeks to welcome even more within driving distance. While APT is certainly a destination in itself, what enhances the memorable performance is the journey, according to Dana Lytle, Planet co-founder and creative director. He elaborates, "APT is a complete experience, a whole afternoon or evening spent in the presence of world-class theater and nature."
Mother Nature meets human nature as drama unfolds on the APT stage. This Nature-nature juxtaposition forms the theme of this year's preseason materials. In a radical departure from APT's exclusive reliance on illustration as the graphic vehicle, the 2007 preview booklets turn to imaginative photos taken by Steve Milanowski/Salisbury Studios. The unusual portraits feature actors, costumed in Shakespearean dress, standing in non-theatrical settings that patrons may encounter prior to show-time: in the middle of a two-lane blacktopped country road; on the tailgate of a pick-up truck; outside the concession stand; atop a picnic table. The scenes showcase APT's unique offering of high culture grounded in a humble Midwestern pastoral setting.
The photos, along with poetic copy by John Anderson, consort with ornamental borders, inked illustrations, textured overlays, and stylized type treatments by Planet's Lytle and Curtis Jinkins. Each of the three volumes is uniquely sized: The Book of Summer to lure new audiences commands attention at 9x12-inches with a kraft paper cover wrap plus 17 interior pages. The variation for renewing ticket-holders runs 24 pages in a 6x9-inch format with foldout covers. For other past and future audiences, the Guidebook to Total Immersion arrives as a compact 5.5x7.5-inch, 33-page booklet. Whatever their stature, APT's preseason booklets are often retained as keepsakes long after the performances begin.
Planet Propaganda is a design, advertising and interactive company committed to shaping passion-based brands. Founded in 1989 in Madison, Wis., Planet's national clients include Gary Fisher mountain bikes, Bretford furniture and workspaces, PunchStock images, and Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches.
Planet Propaganda: http://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/5742.html
Credits
Client: American Players Theatre
Creative Director, Principal: Dana Lytle, Planet Propaganda
Designer: Curtis Jinkins, Planet Propaganda
Production Coordinator: Kari Hamann
Photographer: Steve Milanowski, Salisbury Studios
Copywriter: John Anderson
Printer: Suttle-Straus, Inc.
Paper: Utopia U2 80 Cover; Influence 70 Text
Type: Tribute; Brothers
Software: Adobe InDesign; Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Photoshop
Equipment: Power Mac G5
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