"Ballyhoo of Broadway" Exhibit, Through Sept. 24, Spotlights 100 Years of Theatre Fanfare | Playbill

Related Articles
News "Ballyhoo of Broadway" Exhibit, Through Sept. 24, Spotlights 100 Years of Theatre Fanfare "The Ballyhoo of Broadway," an exhibition which looks at a century of theatrical advertising, is now on display to the public in Vanderbilt Hall, located within Grand Central Station through Sept. 24.

The show, which opened on Sept. 20, is produced and by Serino Coyne, Inc., the preeminent, 27-year-old theatre advertising outfit. It is part of the first annual "Advertising Week in New York."

"On behalf of all our clients on Broadway, past and present, Serino Coyne is very excited to be participating in the first annual Advertising Week in New York and proud that the AAAA’s selected Broadway advertising as one of its featured themes," said Nancy Coyne, CEO of Serino Coyne, in a statement. "For some shows, especially musicals, the artwork used to promote the show becomes as famous as the show itself. In addition to recognizing the role that advertising has played in shaping the public perception of many great shows, this event helps further our goal of creating exciting new alliances between Broadway and Madison Avenue."

"Ballyhoo of Broadway" is curated by Reagan Fletcher, archivist at The Shubert Archive.

In addition to works by Serino Coyne, the exhibit features the output of one time stage advertising giant Blaine Thompson, as well as Elirian Murphy Group and SpotCo. Included are print ads, photography, direct mail, merchandise, Playbills, billboards, cast recordings, sheet music, magazines, window cards, television commercials and radio spots.

The show may have a long-term effect. "In assembling this exhibit, our team discovered that theatrical advertising is not being preserved in any systematic way," said curator Fletcher. "It appears that the show’s advertising is considered a throwaway—and, that's what has happened to much of it. Thankfully, private collectors and estates opened their archives so that we could showcase the beauty, creativity, and unique theatrical strategies that agencies and their clients use to sell the magic of theatre. We hope this first archival effort will inspire a permanent collection."

 
RELATED:
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!