A captivating new brand and website for a leading West-End theatre group that shines a spotlight on their own story

Synopsis

Nederlander Theatres are the proud owners of three legendary venues in London’s glittering West End — The Dominion, The Aldwych, and The Adelphi (co-owned with LW Theatres). As one of the largest and most experienced theatre groups in the world, they have been synonymous with world-class productions for over a century.

Nederlander embarked on a brand evolution to elevate their UK presence and build trust. The challenge was to craft a modern identity that honours their rich heritage and prestige, while shining a spotlight on the exceptional experiences the venues offer.

After years spent in the wings, bringing other stories to life, it was time for Nederlander to share their own. We were brought on board to create a compelling brand strategy, visual identity, and a website to put the ‘Nederlander Experience’ centre stage.

Graphic that reads 'Every Night is Opening Night' in bold capital text. In smaller font size, it reads 'Brand Idea' and 'A Nederlander Experience'.

 

 

Nederlander’s dedication to creating an exceptional experience for every guest inspired the brand idea, ‘Every Night is Opening Night’. This sentiment expresses the magic of live theatre, and acts as a promise that Nederlander Theatres team will always perform at their best to make each and every performance special.

It helps to tie the theatres together under a unified message, and emphasise the shared values and passion that make each visit memorable.

Modern Heritage

A key challenge was to celebrate Nederlander’s legacy while appealing to diverse and new audiences. Taking inspiration from archival brand collateral, architectural details and interior palette from each venue, we created a design system that creates distinction between each theatre, through relevant shapes and colours.

A bold, all-uppercase type specimen for the font "Marr Sans Condensed" in black against a vibrant blue background. The letters A-Z are displayed in a condensed, sans-serif style, with thick strokes and minimal spacing. Text above the alphabet sample reads: "MARR SANS CONDENSED" and smaller text at the bottom includes references to "Ralf Herrmann" and "Helsinki Letters."
A collage of colorful posters and flyers showcasing bold typography and phrases related to theatre. The central poster, in blue, reads "Every Night is Opening Night" in large block letters. Surrounding posters include phrases like "Putting You Centre Stage," "Golden Staircases, Beaming Smiles," and "Here's Magic in the Air." One poster displays the alphabet in the Marr Sans Condensed typeface. The color palette features a mix of blues, greens, reds, and pinks, highlighting various design elements and slogans.
Nederlander Theatres 17
A vibrant grid of images and posters promoting a theatre experience. The designs feature bold typography and lively colors. Key phrases include "There's Magic in the Air," "Golden Staircases & Beaming Smiles," and "Helen George – Theatre Royal Drury Lane." The visuals include shots of theatre interiors with warm lighting, and an invitation to the "Royal Lounge," accompanied by a photo of an elegantly set table. The overall aesthetic blends modern design with a classic, theatrical feel, using colors like blue, pink, green, and red.
A photograph of two employee lanyards on a marble counter top. One lanyard is red, the other is blue, and they both use the graphic shapes of their respective theatres.

Capturing the Magic

To capture the essence of the ‘Nederlander experience,’ we defined an art direction that is atmospheric and energising. We worked with photographer and videographer Nic Kane to develop a library of photography and videos that highlight the unique spaces, great people, and ambience that make each experience memorable.

This versatile content is designed for use across marketing communications, easily adaptable for both digital and print.

Mock up of two drinks menus on a marble counter top. The left is a wine list and is printed on a light green background, with darker green text. The right is a fizz list and is printed on light pink, with a darker pink text.
Business card on a background of a red velvet seat - like the ones in theatres. Business card is white with darker blue text, and displays the person's name under 'Starring', as a nod to the theatre setting.
Printed brochure of Nederlander Theatres in the hands of someone, showing all the exciting performances they have coming up. Background is dark, whilst open brochure has a white background with splashes of dark blue.
Nederlander Theatres 17

The World’s A Stage

A re-designed website takes centre stage, bringing the new brand expression to life for the whole world to see.

Focused on user experience to aid ticket sales, the website now serves as the main stage for everything Nederlander—a digital presence that matches the quality of their on-stage productions.

A snippet of brand guidelines as part of our project with Nederlander Theatres. There is a collection of different and ecclectic assets on a dark blue background.
The team at Fiasco have been invaluable in helping us to capture the essence of our company values and beauty of our beloved venues in a fresh and dynamic brand, celebrating not only our buildings but also how all our teams come together to deliver the Nederlander experience. Now that we have taken our brand to the next level, we are excited to see how it will continue to grow.
Abi Stacey - Head of Marketing and Communications

Thanks to Abi and the whole Nederlander team for being a joy to work with. Special mention to our fantastic project partners: Nic Kane for photography and videography, and Tom Brown for copywriting.

More Like This

Do you have a project in mind?

Let us know more. We’d love to have a chat to see how we could help.

📬  From the Studio

A bitesize roundup of creative inspiration. Delivered straight to your inbox at 4pm every Friday.