As a personal challenge, I decided to create illustration-based posters for three very different musical productions. For each show, I wanted to draw upon different themes aligned with the stories and music of the show.
Norma: Operatic Themes of Tragic Love and Revenge
Norma is a tragedy exposing the love story between a Roman consul, a Gallic high priestess, and a younger Gallic priestess, set during the Roman occupation of Gaul. In the first scene of the second act, the titular character Norma considers killing her two children, who she had broken her druidic vows to conceive, and I wanted to focus on this scene of heightened emotion for the titular character.
Once I settled on a design, I explored historical references in order to compose my poster, but drew upon more dramatic colors for the end product.
The Firebird: Magical Ballet in the Forest
The Firebird takes its story from Russian folklore: Prince Ivan strays into the realm of Koschei the Immortal while hunting in the forest and comes across the Firebird. The Firebird begs the prince to spare her life, and in exchange helps him when Koschei tries to hurt him. Costumes for the ballerina dancing the role of the Firebird can be extravagent, and I wanted to create the aura of magic that comes from spying a strange figure in a clearing from behind dark trees in the woods.
West Side Story: Tragic Love
West Side Story reimagines Romeo and Juliet on the Upper West Side in 1950s New York City. I am very familiar with the story, and I always wanted to focus upon the scene where the two main lovers meet for the first time. When designing the colors for the poster, I put a pool of calm blue light around them as they dance, while outside of the spotlight lurks the bloody red of the feud that destroys them.
Who's Keiran?
Keiran Pillman is a designer, illustrator, and researcher living in Rochester, NY. They have a BFA in New Media Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology (2015), and a MFA in Art History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2017). They have worked as a freelance designer and illustrator for seven years, doing projects for a variety of clients.
In their spare time, Keiran enjoys running, hiking, writing both fiction and non-fiction, and serving as a loyal minion for their cat.