In a crowded digital landscape, how do you make theatre marketing feel as bold and alive as the show itself without a major presenter’s budget or team?
As founder and lead producer of The Maybe Pile, I’ve toured nationally, hit the VCE syllabus, and pulled five-star reviews – often on a shoestring. A big reason our work cuts through is because we treat marketing as part of the creative process, not an afterthought.
This session digs into how independent producers can create marketing that’s dramaturgically aligned, visually rich, and built to evolve — even with limited resources. I’ll share how I design bespoke campaigns across photography, design, illustration, and analogue textures to build flexible, layered systems that grow with a season.
We’ll cover:
Crafting campaigns that reflect your show’s creative identity and USP
Avoiding brand fatigue with modular, evolving assets
When to DIY and when to spend the money
Tools and workflows for producing quality visuals on a micro-budget
Case studies of what worked (and didn’t) in recent campaigns
Why the “one poster fits all” approach is dead
A practical, image-rich workshop for producers who want to sharpen their marketing fluency and move beyond the single-poster template to campaigns that work harder, speak louder, and connect audiences to the work itself.
Ben Andrews (he/they) is a producer, graphic designer, production designer, photographer and performer (adhd). He is the founder and creative producer of award winning production company The Maybe Pile, which has been an incubator for a slew of Australian writers, comedians, performers and theatre makers since their inception in 2020 – including runaway success Trophy Boys by Emmanuelle Mattana, which their premiere season received 4 Green Room Award nominations, and went on to tour nationally in 2024 and 2025 winning Best New Work at the Sydney Theatre Awards, and best Production Company on the VCE Playlist in 2024 and being picked up for a separate production off-Broadway in New York.
In 2025 Ben also produced and set designed the critically applauded Australian premiere of Sam Grabiner’s Olivier Award winning play Boys on the Verge of Tears. Ben has presented works at major Australian presenters including Arts Centre Melbourne, Carriageworks, QPAC, The Seymour Centre, Geelong Arts Centre, Canberra Theatre Centre, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Midsumma but feels right at home at independent venues like his beloved fortyfivedownstairs.
With a strong love of education, previously Ben was the head of RMIT University’s Performing Arts Program, and the founder and artistic director of this is NOT a film festival – a regular short film event. He has over fifteen years of experience as a freelance graphic designer, photographer, and videographer inside and outside of the performing arts industry and was one of the 6 inaugural recipients of the Creative Victoria funded MILKE Producer Mentoring Program. He studied Film + Television at RMIT and Graphic Design at TGDS, and was fortunate enough to study sound and lighting design in London at RADA and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
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