“Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk” Poster

Discipline: Promotional design and advertising
Format: Information graphic, Posters, Promotion
Design firm: Pentagram
Art director: Paula Scher
Graphic designers: Paula Scher, Lisa Mazur
Typeface: American Wood Type
Client: The Joseph Papp Public Theater

“Bring in ’Da Noise, Bring in ’Da Funk” is a musical history of rhythm in African-American life told through dancer/choreographer Savion Glover’s explosive street-tap style. Originally a hit downtown at the Joseph Papp Public Theater, the show moved to Broadway in 1996 for an ongoing run and received four Tony Awards.

The 1996–1997 ad campaign for “Noise/Funk” on Broadway centers on tapping feet dancing over the play’s title. As the show continues and Savion Glover’s career expands, poster imagery has become more anonymous to allow other artists to play Glover’s role in the future.