Uniform

Fabric of the city

By Dani Molyneux

When I say gigantic I mean just that. Three foot high letters – the sort that cannot be ignored, and just to be sure, we’ve added some flashing lights as well.

It’s about bringing the OP of Oxford Playhouse to life. The objective is audience development, introducing new audiences and developing a deeper engagement with existing ones.

We wanted the people of Oxford to feel a real sense of ownership and affection for their theatre – to make it part of the fabric of the city.

And so, in close collaboration with the lovely OP team, it was decided that the initial 3D creations should begin life at home, taking pride of place in the theatre foyer itself. Once comfortable in their own safe surroundings, they would venture out into Oxford, for their own exciting adventures.

Getting it right at the start was clearly important. Choice of letter fonts was one of the first decisions to be made. The classic serif P would remain simple and elegant, while the first 3D O would reference dressing room mirrors (hence the flashing lights).

We commissioned Splinter (a studio responsible for some fantastic stage sets) to create our O and P. I headed over to their workshop in Oldham to see these master craftsmen bring our ideas to life. It was incredible to watch. The scale and the detail were impressive and met our vision. It was all coming together nicely.

A week later, with our O and P complete and delivered safely to Oxford Playhouse, I headed down with photographer Geoff Lloyd. The reaction of the staff and passers-by was fantastic when they saw the giant lit-up letters, while we had a great day experimenting with different shots around the theatre.

Our introductory OP is now complete and resides in the theatre, but watch this space. This is only the start. O and P will continually evolve as they start their adventures around and about Oxford. This is when the real fun begins.

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