Glimpse Back Through the History of Playbill | Playbill

Photo Features Glimpse Back Through the History of Playbill A look at some of the earliest Playbills all the way to the newest cover design.

A little over a year ago Playbill implemented its new cover design, eliminating the borders around the logo and cover art for most Broadway programs, the first major design change to the iconic magazines in more than 40 years.

There have been a few experiments in the history of our iconic logo. In June 2014 the company exchanged the yellow logo for a rainbow-colored one to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month. The substitution has now become an institution and the logo turns rainbow every June. As of July 1, Playbill changed to a new, sleeker, design to go hand-in-hand with Playbill.com’s redesign that unveiled in February of 2016.

Flip through the history of Playbill covers below:

Glimpse Back Through the History of Playbill

The black-on-yellow Playbill logo has been woven into the theatregoing experience for most of the lives of those who now attend theatre. Playbills get pressed into albums, read at intermissions, clutched on trains, framed like posters, given as gifts, sought by collectors and opened eagerly by young actors, a certification that they have at last “arrived.”

Playbill continues to be proud and grateful to serve the artists and audiences who share our passion for the performing arts.

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