Since Joan Littlewood took the reins in 1953, Theatre Royal Stratford East (TRSE) has been renowned as a centre for radical and political theatre. But two years of closures and cancellations had sapped the theatre’s momentum. So they came to Mr. President for a new brand positioning; one that could give the brand a new sense of cohesion and differentiation, and a reinvigorated purpose.
So, we immersed ourselves in the theatre’s culture and history, their resident ghosts (we counted at least two), and plans for the future, which meant interviewing a range of stakeholders, from front of house teams and bar crew, to marketing personnel and the theatre’s creative director. All to unearth the core values that united the multi-faceted brand. We then used these values to unify them underneath
A BOLD NEW MISSION: TO BECOME LONDON'S BEST AND MOST ACCESSIBLE THEATRE.
Distilling the insights gleaned from our brand positioning, we turned them into a thrilling ethos that the whole company could rally behind. One that told, in the brand’s own voice, the story of their new mission, as well as the new promise that the brand would be making to its staff, its fans, its locals and those yet to step through its doors; that TRSE would always be here for great theatre.
Because, sure, you can go to the West to see the shows and the bright lights, but the East is where it’s at. The East is where truly great theatre has always been, and always will be, created, honed and crafted. So we made sure that they would always be not just part of, but integral to, the beating heart of East London and a place where broad-mindedness, diversity and a grounded point of view would be fostered and cherished.
The Ethos, and its chest pumping rallying calls, was crying out to be brought to life. And bring it to life we did, with visually striking animations, shareable gifs and eye-catching posters, all tied together with a distinctive colour palette, and all designed to shout about the theatre and spread the word of their mission as they enter the next stage of their development.
