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What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?

What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?

rich101 Profile Photo
rich101
#0What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:11am

What is the difference between black and white & color playbills? I just started getting serious about collecting playbills and I am not sure if there is some significance between the different covers. Can some people share their knowledge on this subject matter? Thanks

Rich

TheatreDiva90016 Profile Photo
TheatreDiva90016
#1re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:11am

Cost?


"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>> “I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>> -whatever2

The Distinctive Baritone Profile Photo
The Distinctive Baritone
#2re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:15am

When the show first opens they're in color, but after a little while they usually go to black in white to save money.

JerseyGirl2 Profile Photo
JerseyGirl2
#3re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:18am

About a buck per playbill, I would say.


Pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel like you're less than f**ckin' perfect!

orangeskittles Profile Photo
orangeskittles
#4re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:19am

Why do some shows have different designs for their playbills? Like Chitty has one that's just a white background, then another that has clouds.


Like a firework unexploded
Wanting life but never knowing how

The Distinctive Baritone Profile Photo
The Distinctive Baritone
#5re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:19am

Yeah--color printing is REALLY expensive.

cathywellerstein Profile Photo
cathywellerstein
#6re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:33am

if a show starts to lose moeny, the color of the playbill is sometimes the first to go. black and white is cheaper.

munkustrap178 Profile Photo
munkustrap178
#7re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:42am

And some shows are NEVER in color.


"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

cathywellerstein Profile Photo
cathywellerstein
#8re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:46am

the phantom of the opera...haha.

munkustrap178 Profile Photo
munkustrap178
#9re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:50am

I thought that it was, in the very beginning. I could have sworn the OBC had a red rose in addition to the mask...


"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

Conor Profile Photo
Conor
#10re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 1:11am

i think you're right, I have feel like I have seen some with the rose or maybe it was just the poster?

Thesbijean
#11re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 9:50am

I know WICKED and AVE Q are still color.

Fosse76
#12re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 9:54am

I never understood why it went to black & white though. I mean, only the show's logo is in black & white while the rest of the magazine is still in color. I can't imagine it would cost that much more. I used to think it was an artistic decision because the show was on Broadway, to distinguish it. I know it's cost-related, I just can't imagine that it would cost so much more.

nydirector2
#13re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 10:21am

That's because the cover is by the show and the inside is the actual magazine. Color covers are really expensive and usually a show has color when it opens and after 6 months to a year will switch to b&w to save costs. The exceptions are event shows or shows with smaller houses. Think how disappointing it would be, for example, to get a Wicked PLaybill WITHOUT the green on it? Q's color scheme is really kind of the same. It's such a colorful show...and also it's running costs are low enough that the producers can shill out the few bucks. So why not?

myManCape Profile Photo
myManCape
#14re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 6:46pm

I know someone in printing and they said when the rest of the magazine is in color, a color cover isn’t THAT much more expensive when their ordered in as large quantity as playbill prints. They said it would be about 15-30 cents more depending on the number of colors in the logo. Shows like Q with only 1 color are cheaper than Chitty or Scoundrles which have many colors.


"Have they come yet?"

NSMTpublicity Profile Photo
NSMTpublicity
#15re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 7:03pm

I dont think it is a cost issue. As they print the yellow Playbill screen even when they are black and white. Some shows go back to color later in a run.. it may come with major cast changes... I am really unsure of this.


Unles a show's one color logo is Cyan, Magenta, Yellow or black... it will cost the same as full color to mix the custom pantone color match.


Where Music and Theatre Come To Life
Updated On: 11/4/05 at 07:03 PM

myManCape Profile Photo
myManCape
#16re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 7:05pm

or when they decide their current logo sucks.
Like the original Lennon one.


"Have they come yet?"

munkustrap178 Profile Photo
munkustrap178
#17re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 7:06pm

"I dont think it is a cost issue. "


Yes, it absolutely IS.


"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

NSMTpublicity Profile Photo
NSMTpublicity
#18re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 7:08pm

Really because my contract with Playbill has no verbage about color relating to the cost. Maybe yours is different.


Where Music and Theatre Come To Life

WiCkEDrOcKS Profile Photo
WiCkEDrOcKS
#19re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 7:23pm

When I went to Wicked last Sunday, the Playbill was still in color.

jonartdesigns Profile Photo
jonartdesigns
#20re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/4/05 at 11:59pm

well theoretically shows like wicked and q could actually use special screening (god knows wicked can afford it) so that its still 3 color passes (pink, green, and black) as opposed to the standard 4 (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) which would cut down on costs.
as opposed to say... chitty which would require the 4 color process to pull off the look


"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel

BroadwayRandy0711 Profile Photo
BroadwayRandy0711
#21re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:25am

I have not seen a NYC Off-Broadway production before and was wandering for shows like SWIWS if you get a playbill or not? And if so is it in color or black and white?

MackieManiac
#22re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:07pm

Pink Green and Black would not allow the yellow for the Playbill Logo.

WickedGeek28 Profile Photo
WickedGeek28
#23re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/5/05 at 1:16pm

Well, I guess if the show is making a large profit it jsut stays in color. Hairspray, Lion King, Wicked, Piazza, Spelling Bee.

Some have a lot of color, others don't.

Did I see an ASU in b/w. I thought I did, I have the color one and saw it a month or so before it closed.


"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird

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jonartdesigns
#24re: What is the difference between black and white & color playbills?
Posted: 11/5/05 at 4:06pm

MackieManiac- oh duh i forgot that, for some reason in the back of my head i thought that "playbill" part was preprinted


"Grease," the fourth revival of the season, is the worst show in the history of theater and represents an unparalleled assault on Western civilization and its values. - Michael Reidel


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