Mansfield Musical and Dramatic Society (MMuDS)

Behind the Curtain: Refreshing the MMuDS Brand

THE CHALLENGE

Mansfield Musical and Dramatic Society (MMuDS) has been entertaining the High Country for more than 40 years. But their website wasn’t quite giving standing ovation vibes.

Like many community organisations, they were rich in passion and talent, but short on time and technical know-how. They wanted a fresh, flexible site that could showcase their epic archive of 80+ productions and be simple enough for any future committee member to update, without having to phone a web designer just to change rehearsal dates.

THE BRANDING

As someone who grew up watching MMuDS shows (Sweeney Todd, My Fair Lady, the works), I was stoked to have a way to be involved! The goal? To keep their legacy alive online without making them wrangle complex web systems.

We wanted to preserve the instant recognition the MMuDS has logo has enjoyed for decades, so we worked together to just refresh and simplify their existing logo for easier re-sizing/embroidering. The brand identity is inspired by the stage: red velvet, deep theatre tones, and bold violet lighting glow hues with the speech bubble shape giving a nod to both performance and dialogue, coupled with fonts and formats that behave nicely everywhere: posters, socials, merch and phone screens. 

THE WEBSITE

The committee needed a simple way to showcase more than 80 past productions without manually designing each page so I designed and connected a smart content management system, that does the heavy lifting for them. Now, when they update a single line in a spreadsheet and upload some pics, the website automatically creates a new show page and updates the production list, saving hours of work while looking beautiful and consistent. Magic!

THE SOLUTION

The new site is a backstage pass to all things MMuDS: past, present, and future. From a scrollable show archive to upcoming productions and local initiatives like the MAD Orchestra, encouraging memberships and recognising local legends on their honour boards, it’s all there.

The vibe? welcoming, fun and dramatic (in a good way), and designed to let the content shine. And most importantly, the team can now manage it all themselves with no tech headaches.

THE RESULTS

MMuDS now has a modern website that matches the sparkle of their stage. The archive is beautifully organised, the branding is consistent across programs and merch, and the whole experience just feels more "them."

They’ve already started adding new productions and sharing the site with their audience, proof that even small-town theatre can have a big-stage presence online.

Big thanks to the MMuDS committee for trusting me with your legacy and letting me flex my creative side!