Theatre Royal

The show must go on.

Theatre Royal has played many leading roles in its time. From local landmark to Australia’s oldest continually working theatre, for over 185 years it has faithfully served, inspired and supported the people of lutriwata/Tasmania.

After the recent addition of ‘The Hedberg’, an architecturally-designed, multi-disciplinary theatrical space adjoining the theatre’s original Georgian-era structure, the Theatre Royal was set to take on a new role as Tasmania’s premier contemporary performing arts venue. With this came the opportunity to challenge the existing stigmas surrounding “the theatre”, and move away from its “old” foundations by incorporating and embracing a future that was altogether more open; to new audiences and new creative viewpoints.

In order to facilitate this shift in direction, Theatre Royal needed an identity that would best reflect its newfound sense of purpose and invited For The People to help tell their story of transition and transformation.

Future. Classic.

The identity finds inspiration in the tensions that exist between these two uniquely contrasting yet complimentary buildings, and the stories found within. It is a juxtaposition of the classic and the contemporary, speaking to the theatre’s intent: to create a space that invites in, and embraces differences within the theatre.

To succeed in this, Theatre Royal needed their identity system to have the ability to present the shows, works and experience of being at the theatre, as well as the varying perspectives innately tied within and alongside them in equal measure.

The visual and verbal expression of the identity is a deliberate manifestation of this, celebrating the juxtaposition of Theatre Royal’s storied past, with its exciting future.

TR Facade: From convention to contemporary

TR Facade is a custom, mixed-case, modular display typeface, inspired by the panelled, opalescent facade, and interlocking forms of ‘The Hedberg.’ It is intentionally untraditional in appearance and establishes the foundation of a strong, contemporary graphic language for the theatre.

The mixed-case usage is an important addition to how the theatre can communicate, embracing the lowercase conventions used within palawa kani, the Aboriginal language of lutruwita/Tasmania, and critically allowing Theatre Royal to correctly write ‘nipaluna’ (the name of country in which the city of Hobart is situated).

More than a building for hire

Over time Theatre Royal's approach to communication had wrongly led many of their audience to believe they were no more than a building for hire. They needed to regain the awareness and recognition of their role as not only curators and producers, but also youth educators and supporters of the artists themselves.

Acknowledging these flexible needs, the brand identity system was designed to scale between brand-led communications and production-led communications, allowing it to have presence on its own, and also be complementary and supportive to hero productions. It can seamlessly shift between the two, or strike the perfect balance by adjusting the prominence of the wordmark, monogram, messaging and colour, all while utilising custom typeface TR Facade across the spectrum.

Further, the colour palette of Flame Red, Abalone Shell and Golden Banksia, is inspired by an artwork integral to the venue – a visual interpretation of the story of The Dance of the Banksia Wicks — a collaborative work by Liminal and Tasmanian Aboriginal artist Michelle Maynard.

Opening the 2023 season

2023 will see Theatre Royal present 25 diverse projects as part of their new season: ranging from ambitious, large-scale festivals and flagship productions in the historic Theatre Royal theatre; to the new and experimental works forged in The Hedburg’s Studio Theatre.

While the program is diverse, there are unifying elements – it is an investment in the future of Tasmanian storytelling. Half of the program showcases Tasmanian works and the theatre’s First Nations program profiles several projects originating in lutruwita/Tasmania, with Nathan Maynard’s ‘At What Cost?’ an unmissable centrepiece for the year. Powerful female-led works showcase compelling, relevant stories and virtuosic talent. Meanwhile, a third of the program features work for children and families, including school holiday programs profiling productions by Tasmanian companies.

Encore, please.

The disruptions of recent years have been transformative for the arts, and for the Theatre Royal. As a result, the theatre used this time to rethink and recalibrate its purpose. Embracing the change, the theatre responded by opening itself up to its artists, audiences and communities, leveraging and understanding its responsibility as a cultural centre to engage the past and the future by facilitating new ideas, new conversations and new experiences.

With the 2023 season launch came the reveal of the refreshed identity, bringing local audiences and artists together to celebrate Theatre Royal's evolution as a true cultural leader for lutruwita/Tasmania. We'd like to congratulate Simon Wellington and all the team at Theatre Royal, and say a big thank you for the opportunity to play a part in the theatre's 185 year journey.