Classic Theater Posters

The art of theater poster design is inextricably linked to its commercial appeal:
“I must distill a two-and-a-half hour stage production into an image that is memorable and eye-catching, but most of all serves as an effective selling tool,” says designer Frank Ferlizzo, aka Fraver.
This distillation is a tricky business, as press agent Susan L. Schulman observes.
“It can’t give away too much but just enough to intrigue.”

Below are nine classic posters by a range of artists, and, below that, nine more by Fraver; click on these for his explanations of them, taken from his recent memoir.

Author: New York Theater

Jonathan Mandell is a 3rd generation NYC journalist, who sees shows, reads plays, writes reviews and sometimes talks with people.

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