The Theatre Season theme for 2019 is under wraps and won’t be revealed until the Season Launch on Sunday 25 November this year.

I nearly let it slip at the Ian Moss Concert when I was speaking to a patron after the show. Carolyn was talking about a particular era of fashion she admired and without thinking, I said ‘Ooh you’ll like next year’s Season theme then’. Too big a hint and I quickly changed the subject.

I don’t want to spoil the magic of the big reveal at launch time, for patrons and for the staff who work diligently from now until November bringing together all of the branding, marketing, ticketing and production elements for the Season Launch.

It is at the Launch that we distribute the free 60-page full colour booklet containing all of the information about next year’s artistic program.

Not only that, you’ll find out who our valuable Theatre sponsors are, what to expect from your Theatre experience, how to snag cheap tickets, what to do when you don’t want to go to the Theatre on your own, and even a tip on which rows have more leg room!

I start developing the Season theme 12-15 months earlier. It’s never a case of finishing one theatre season and then working on the next. Planning overlaps and grows organically – it’s what keeps me awake at night. I add and subtract shows and concepts from the program until I feel that excitement in my belly that reassures me ‘this is it’.

It’s like a twist on the traditional wedding rhyme, ‘Something bold, something new, something funny, something true, and a block buster show for a coup!

It’s about now that I collaborate with our graphic designer on the conceptual design for the Season booklet cover.

Once we have reached that feeling of ‘that’s it – nailed it’ then the brand concept is rolled out for all marketing collateral such as website, ticketing, promotion and advertising. Whilst the design is in progress I’m contacting all producers, tour co-ordinators, marketing managers and sponsors to provide the marketing content for the booklet.

The pressure is on to compile the first of eight drafts of the booklet. That’s the easy part. The time consuming part is the rounds of proof reading and approvals required before final sign off. As a guide, a total of 48 people need to check the season booklet content for accuracy, image credits, logo placements, appropriate media quotes – the list goes on.

You can imagine the trepidation staff feel when the first pallet of the printed booklets arrive a week before the launch. We rip open the packaging to read it from cover to cover, now with fresh eyes, and breathe a sigh of relief when not even one typo is found.

So have a guess at what the theme is?

No, actually don’t guess, join us at the Season Launch on 25 November at 1 pm!