TOW #15 - JB Poster

On November 11th and 12th of 2016, Wissahickon High School held its performances of the annual fall drama. The show this year was titled JB and followed a successful, but god-fearing man who has everything taken from him in order for him to appreciate the things that he has in his life. In order to advertise the performances, the drama department hung posters for the show around the high school and the surrounding areas nearby. The posters use dull colors in order to show the dark tone of the show and also provide information about the performances to convince a viewer to come to see the show.

The most obvious features of the poster that can be easily seen from a distance, are the dull colors that it utilizes. The poster includes a black rectangular border that goes around the expanse of its edges. In the center, there is a grey/black radial gradient with the center being the brightest gray, and the edges being the darkest. The use of this dark to light transition is used in order to symbolize the dark and emotional tone of the play’s story. On the outside layer of the plot, it seems as though everything that exists in JB’s life is a horrible and depressing reality. However, as the story progresses, things begin to change for the better, primarily as his family returns to him. This is the metaphorical “light at the end of the tunnel” for JB. On top of this, the poster also features a large red calligraphic lettering of “JB” to symbolize the sophisticated nature of JB and how he was able to retain this nature despite how bad things got for him. This sort of symbolism could create an emotional response within a viewer that they may feel able to relate to, so they will feel more interested in coming to see the show.

In addition to these colors, the poster also features red lettering at the bottom of the poster with all sorts of information about the performance. This information includes the location, showtimes, and ticket prices. These are included obviously as it provides the essential information that an audience member would need in order to see the show. This ultimately convinces a viewer of whether or not they can go because they will be able to plan accordingly.

Ultimately, I do believe that this poster effectively convinced people to come see the show as there was a good turn-out of over 150 audience members each night.