Anatomy of a Suicide
by Alice Birch
WVU College of Creative Arts and Media hosts a wide selection of plays performed by students throughout the school year. Anatomy of a Suicide was directed by Radhica Ganapathy and performed by the School of Theatre and Dance in the fall of 2023.
design
“Anatomy of a Suicide by Alice Birch depicts three generations of women in a family, staging periods from the 1970s, 1990s, and 2030s. As their lives play out simultaneously onstage, the play looks closely at generational trauma and suicide. This storytelling is an exploration of their complex emotional, intellectual, and physical devastation.”
The design for the performance of Anatomy of a Suicide was created using Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. The process required working closely with the director of the play, director of the School of Theatre and Dance and the director of Marketing and Communications. Designs for student performances aren’t limited to the branding guidelines of WVU, but must remain appropriate for University-wide exposure.
Stains, Mirrors, Threes
The goal was to illustrate the burden of generational trauma. The illnesses and experiences that formed our grandparents consequently formed who our parents became. These traumas then shape who we are and how we operate. Like a stain, it might fade with time but it always be there in some fashion.
The design was painted using watercolor and ink pen. It was then digitally scanned into the Adobe Creative Suite where the splatters could then be manipulated, reflected and layered.
dust Jacket
A dust jacket was created from the design. The jacket includes critic commentary, hotlines, a synopsis of the story, the play’s accolades, and a short biography of the author, Alice Birch.
The design used different iterations of watercolor splattering and handwritten lettering throughout.
Banners and Ads
Promotion efforts for the play are executed in-house by the Marketing and Communications office. For a theatre production, posters are placed in hallways, ads are placed in local newspapers and social media posts and events are created. Billboards and roadside banners are some examples of out-of-home advertising.
