‘Off with his head!’: Pop-up Globe launches latest season

The Pop-up Globe has launched its latest season with a series of creative campaigns, the first touting Richard III as a serial killer.

The work was done by TBWAAuckland, its first since being appointed as the creative agency. To advertise Richard III – Shakespeare’s play based on the life of King Richard III of England – it based the creative components on the protagonist, encouraging spectators to spend an “intimate evening with a serial killer”.

With portraits shot by photographer Simon Harsent, the campaign was designed to challenge the audience to view Shakespeare through a modern lens.

Catherine Harris, managing director of TBWAAuckland, says it is a pleasure to be the creative partner for the Auckland institution, and to amplify Pop-up Globe’s “bold take on Shakespeare to even more New Zealanders this season.”

“This work is just the beginning of the fun we will be having with them.”

Ella Jullienne, head of sales and marketing Pop-up Globe, says Shakespeare is known and loved by many but there is still an expectation that some of his works are inaccessible and dated.

“TBWAAuckland’s creative concepts tackled this hesitance head-on with a campaign that was confronting, engaging and communicated the actual experience our audience can expect. Attending a show at Pop-up Globe is more like a stadium concert than a typical theatre show.”