CASE STUDY · THEATRE
My Neighbour Totoro
An autumn campaign for the Royal Shakespeare Company's stage version of the Studio Ghibli film, built around an interview with its two leads that also ran in print.
Sector: Theatre · Services: Editorial, Interview, Print, Sitewide Ads, Social, Giveaway, Newsletter
THE PRODUCTION WE PROMOTED
Studio Ghibli's Totoro, live on a London stage.
My Neighbour Totoro
Adapted by Tom Morton-Smith from Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 film and directed by Phelim McDermott, with Joe Hisaishi's score played live. With Victoria Chen as Mei and Helen Chong as Satsuki.
Royal Shakespeare Company with Nippon TV and Improbable · Puppetry by Basil Twist · Gillian Lynne Theatre
Final London performance 3 January 2027
THE PARTNERSHIP
How the partnership came about
My Neighbour Totoro is the Royal Shakespeare Company's stage adaptation of the Studio Ghibli film, made with Nippon TV and the theatre company Improbable, with Joe Hisaishi as executive producer. Japan Nakama worked with the production through its press agency, Bread and Butter PR, on a campaign for the West End run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. The team gave us interview access to the two leads, answers from the creative team, approved production footage and music, and tickets for our readers, with every piece approved by the producers in London and Tokyo.
OUR APPROACH
How we ran the campaign
Editorial
We opened on 24 August 2026 with a guide to the London run, kept up to date when the closing date moved to 3 January 2027. On 15 September we followed with How the My Neighbour Totoro Stage Show Was Made, a behind the scenes feature on the puppets, design and staging, built from the creative team's own answers.
Event guide 24 August, production feature 15 September 2026
Interview
Victoria Chen and Helen Chong, who play Mei and Satsuki, talked to us about the characters and the London run. The interview went live on 11 September 2026 after approval from the producers in London and Japan.
Cast interview, 11 September 2026
The cast interview also ran as a two page feature in the autumn 2026 issue of ZonePress, the free bilingual Japanese and English quarterly magazine found in Japanese restaurants and venues across London, including Japan House and Japan Centre. A QR code on the page links readers to the full interview online.
ZonePress autumn 2026 issue
Backstage photos and site adverts
On 9 October 2026 we published new backstage photographs of Victoria Chen and members of the company in the dressing rooms, wings and corridors. Site adverts for the show ran across japannakama.co.uk during the campaign.
Backstage gallery, 9 October 2026
We attended the media night on Thursday 8 October 2026 and shared the evening in Instagram stories the next day. Our second giveaway reel was set to the show's approved title track.
Media night stories, 9 October 2026
Giveaways
We ran two ticket giveaways for readers. The first closed on 2 October 2026 with three winners, and the second closed in late October with two winners, each taking a pair of tickets.
September to October 2026
Newsletter
Five newsletter sends carried the campaign: a promotion on 20 September 2026, the first giveaway on 22 September with a reminder on 29 September, and the second giveaway on 20 October with a reminder on 23 October.
20, 22 and 29 September, 20 and 23 October 2026
THE IMPACT
What it added up to
What the campaign gave the production, in plain terms.
IN FRONT OF THE RIGHT FANS
Ghibli fans and Japanese culture readers
The show reached London readers who already love Studio Ghibli and Japanese culture, online and in print.
A SEARCHABLE HOME
Four articles with first hand detail
The guide, the cast interview, the production feature and the backstage gallery give the run a lasting, accurate presence on Japan Nakama.
PRINT AND DIGITAL TOGETHER
A page that leads back online
The ZonePress spread put the interview in Japanese venues around London and its QR code links readers to the full piece.
ENGAGEMENT AND INTENT
Two reasons to enter
Two ticket giveaways gave followers a direct reason to engage with the show during the autumn.
“…thanks so much for all the coverage, it’s been great.”
Nicole James, Director of Sales and Marketing, My Neighbour Totoro
WORK WITH US
Got a production coming to London?
Tell us about your show and we will build a campaign for Japanese culture fans in the UK.