October 2025 Project of The Month: Taproot Theatre
The beloved not-for-profit Taproot Theatre, located in the Greenwood neighborhood, was founded in 1976 by six friends, five of whom graduated from Seattle Pacific University. Today, Taproot is Seattle’s largest mid-size theatre, welcoming more than 150,000 people annually to its performances, touring productions, and educational programs.
As part of the Washington State Department of Commerce’s 2023-25 capital budget, Taproot received the support of a $515,000 grant to support their Jewell Mainstage Renovation. This project included a new marquee, updated seating, electrical system upgrades, and enhancements to the hearing loop system to eliminate interference.
The renovation took place between January and February of this year, with productions resuming in full swing by March. During this time, the existing signage was removed, and the marquee’s support framing was inspected and repaired as needed. Temporary banner signage was installed while the new sign was being fabricated.
Before the new signs were created, Taproot also underwent a logo and brand refresh. They worked with People People Studio to develop new branding in honor of Taproot's rich history while celebrating the exciting road ahead. The updated design highlights the theatre’s community-driven spirit and artistic energy with deep and bold colors, updated wordmark design, and a hand-drawn tree icon that nods to the previous design while feeling true to Taproot’s original identity.
For the new and improved marquee, we hand-fabricated two 12.5 x 4.5’ aluminum cabinets, internally illuminated with white LEDs. The marquee features changeable text reader boards, marquee bulb borders, and neon accent borders. The upper element of the sign body is painted black with a satin finish.
The “Taproot Theatre” letters are ¼” flat-cut routed aluminum, painted black with a satin finish, mounted on a .125” aluminum back panel painted kiwi green. White, exterior rated LED uplighting creates a striking silhouette effect. The lower frame is painted iron. The tree icon is a 4” deep aluminum logo cabinet, painted black with the tree logo routed out, backed with acrylic, and internally illuminated with white LED’s.
We are thrilled to have played a part in Taproot Theatre’s well-deserved revival as they prepare to celebrate their 50th anniversary next year, and we look forward to seeing both the theatre and its new sign continue to shine for decades to come.
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