Centaur Theatre
Centaur Theatre commissioned a complete visual campaign for its 2026–27 season, spanning show illustrations, posters, advertising, social media, digital graphics and the season brochure launched in May 2026.
The project began with the development of an illustrated visual identity for each production, creating a distinct image for every show while establishing a cohesive language across the season. As the campaign continues to develop, I am working alongside a photographer to bring these illustrated worlds together with photography, creating individual show posters, social graphics and advertising that combine both approaches within a single visual system.
Client
Centaur Theatre
Disciplines
Illustration, Visual systems
Exploration
The campaign presented three interconnected challenges.
The first was to create a cohesive visual language for the entire season while giving each production its own distinct identity. The illustrations needed to work individually as representations of their respective stories, while collectively feeling like part of the same theatrical world.
The second was audience. Centaur’s existing audience has historically skewed older, creating an opportunity to introduce a younger generation to the theatre without alienating the audiences who have supported it for decades. The campaign therefore needed to feel contemporary, colourful and unexpected while retaining the sophistication and theatricality expected of an established cultural institution.
The third was finding a way for illustration and photography to coexist. Rather than treating the two approaches as separate campaigns, the goal was to establish a visual system in which both could occupy the same space and reinforce one another.
Denouement – The Untagnling
The campaign concept is Great Stories in the Spotlight.
Each production is framed within a circular field of light, referencing the theatrical spotlight and isolating pivotal characters and moments from each story.
The spotlight becomes more than a compositional device. It suggests performance and theatricality, but also exposure: characters being watched, judged or revealed. It can capture a moment of waiting, tension or suspended action, creating the feeling that something is about to happen.
The circular framing provides a consistent visual container across the season, allowing each production to belong to a recognizable family while leaving room for its own characters, colours and narrative.
Harsh stage lighting intentionally reveals the constructed nature of the scene rather than attempting to disguise it. The audience is reminded that this is theatre—the stage is visible, the performance is constructed, and the act of performing is itself part of the story.
The result is a system that treats each production as its own world while keeping the entire season under the same light.
Photography
The visual language began with illustration. Rather than illustrating each production literally, the images focus on characters, relationships and moments that capture the emotional or narrative tension of the story. The spotlight provides a common stage for these moments, while colour, composition and character treatment allow each production to develop its own personality.
As the campaign progressed, photography introduced another layer to the system.
The challenge became less about choosing between illustration and photography and more about finding the visual relationship between them. By allowing the two approaches to share the same framing, lighting and compositional language, photographs and illustrations can exist as different expressions of the same campaign rather than competing visual identities.
Application
The system was developed to work across the full range of Centaur’s season communications, from the initial season launch and brochure through to individual show campaigns.
Applications include:
- Season branding and launch materials
- Season brochure
- Individual show illustrations
- Show posters
- Digital advertising
- Social media graphics
- Promotional materials
- Photography and illustration combinations
The result is a flexible campaign system capable of accommodating very different productions while maintaining a recognizable visual connection across the entire season.