Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts / Phila, PA
How do you transform one of America’s premier performing arts venues into a destination people experience even before the first note is played?
As Highmark Mann prepared to celebrate its 50th anniversary on the historic grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, the organization saw an opportunity to rethink the role of a performing arts campus.
What began as an Experiential Master Plan® evolved into a multi-year collaboration spanning experience strategy, fundraising support, content strategy, exhibit design, media development, artifact procurement, and implementation coordination. Crafted Action partnered with Highmark Mann from the earliest visioning sessions through opening day, helping to align stakeholders, build organizational momentum, secure philanthropic support, and transform a bold idea into a campus-wide ecosystem of experiences that will continue to evolve for decades to come.
Together, these experiences transform Highmark Mann from a place people visit for a performance into a destination they return to explore.
PROJECT TEAM
Lead Experience Designer: Crafted Action
Client: Highmark Mann Center
Supported by: The Satell Family Foundation
Architect: EwingCole
Custom Fabrication: Art Guild
General Contractor: Hunter Roberts
AV Integration: Electrosonic
Engineering: Intertek
LED: DetaiLED
Site Engineering: Pennoni
Signage Design: MERJE
Signage Fabrication: Urban Sign
Owner’s Representative: JLL
Satell Centennial Wall East
Celebrating the Past. Inspiring the Present. Imagining the Future.
The centerpiece of the project is a nearly 5,000-square-foot LED storytelling canvas integrated into the TD Pavilion.
Rather than another event screen, Highmark Mann envisioned a permanent platform for civic storytelling—one that celebrates the nation's past, engages audiences today, and inspires future generations. Designed to expand over time, the wall supports educational programming, original films, public art, and cultural experiences.
Its inaugural presentation, Proving Ground: The First 250 Years of the American Experiment, combines cinematic storytelling, an original score broadcast throughout the plaza, and AI-assisted cinematic imagery that celebrates the innovators, artists, entrepreneurs, and institutions that shaped America—and inspire audiences to imagine what comes next.
Reflecting its civic purpose, the installation received unanimous approval from both the City of Philadelphia Art Commission and the Signage Commission—an uncommon achievement made possible by Highmark Mann’s commitment to ensure the wall will never be used for advertising. Instead, it is dedicated exclusively to storytelling, education, and cultural programming for generations to come.
Music Hall of Fame
A Place to Celebrate & Participate
Working alongside EwingCole, Crafted Action transformed the Hall of Fame into an active experience that blends exhibits, media, artifacts, and retail into a single environment. Rather than separating storytelling from commerce, the space invites visitors to discover Highmark Mann’s history through interactive exhibits, exclusive merchandise, and upcoming performances.
Wall of Fame
Objects with a Backstage Pass
Crafted Action helped identify and procure a collection of signature artifacts that celebrate the venue’s extraordinary legacy, including a Whitney Houston tour jacket, a drumhead signed by Phish, a custom 50th Anniversary commemorative guitar, and a conducting baton associated with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Designed in collaboration with Art Guild, the custom display casework features integrated lighting that gives each object the presence of a museum-quality artifact. The modular system was designed to grow with the collection, allowing Highmark Mann to rotate objects and add new acquisitions as future performances become part of the storied institution's history.
Digital Storytelling Pillars
A Campus That Never Stops Talking
A series of BoldVu digital pillars and donor recognition experiences extends storytelling across the campus, transforming everyday communications into part of the visitor experience.
Powered by Plainly and ISAAC, the system enables Highmark Mann to update content, donor recognition, event messaging, educational programming, and interactive wayfinding in real time. Digital campus maps can be quickly reconfigured to reflect each event, helping guests navigate changing entrances, amenities, and activities with ease.
The pillars also celebrate the rich history of the Centennial District through a rotating collection of historical stories and surprising facts—including that the banana received the top award over Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone at the 1876 Centennial Exposition—creating moments of discovery throughout every visit.
LEGO Experience
From a joke to a custom set
What began as an AI-generated concept by Crafted Action became one of the Hall of Fame’s most beloved experiences.
Crafted Action partnered with a LEGO Master Builder to create a detailed, scale model of the reimagined campus, capturing the architecture, landscape, and public spaces with remarkable accuracy. The model quickly became one of the Hall of Fame’s signature attractions.
The collaboration also inspired a limited-edition, approximately 600-piece LEGO set that recreates the new plaza and campus experience—giving visitors the opportunity to take a piece of Highmark Mann home.
LEGO by Michael Willhoit
Mann Moments
The Stories Behind the Performances
The Mann Moments Interactive invites guests to discover fifty personal stories from performers, patrons, educators, donors, and community leaders through an intuitive touchscreen experience. Each story is accompanied by photos, media, and directional audio that allows multiple visitors to explore independently without filling the room with sound.
Together, these voices reveal that the history of Highmark Mann isn’t defined by performances alone—it’s defined by the people who experienced them.
Digital History Wall
Fifty Years in Motion
A large-format digital media wall continuously weaves together five decades of performances, architecture, philanthropy, and community impact through a cinematic montage of archival photography, rarely seen footage, contemporary film, and motion graphics.
Rather than presenting history chronologically, the experience creates an emotional portrait of Highmark Mann—revealing how generations of artists, audiences, and supporters have shaped one another over time.
Mann Jukebox
Earn the Right to Choose the Music
Knowledge comes with a reward.
Visitors first answer trivia questions about Highmark Mann’s history. Get the answer right, and they unlock control of the digital jukebox, selecting from fifty iconic songs performed throughout the venue’s history.
The playlist spans generations—from Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra to “Weird Al” Yankovic—transforming historical knowledge into a shared musical experience that fills the Hall of Fame and connects today’s visitors with decades of unforgettable performances.
LED Tickers
A Living Hall of Fame
More than 500 performers scroll overhead continuously, celebrating five decades of music, culture, and community.
Custom Rise LED tickers wrap the space, creating a constantly evolving installation that can instantly adapt for special events, anniversaries, or featured artists. Colors, messaging, and content can all be updated remotely from a mobile phone in seconds, keeping the experience as dynamic as the venue itself.
What appears timeless is actually one of the most flexible storytelling systems on campus.
Living Classroom
Learning Between Performances
Designed to support the Highmark Mann’s educational mission year-round, the Living Classroom becomes a flexible teaching environment during the Summer Music Academy, where a large-format display serves as a digital whiteboard for instruction, masterclasses, and collaboration. The space also supports live broadcasts and virtual lectures, connecting students and audiences with artists, educators, and experts from around the world.
Before performances, the space shifts into a different role. As guests gather with food and drinks, the display features the "Galaxy of Stars"—a dynamic visualization celebrating performers, donors, partners, and community supporters—alongside stories about the Highmark Mann’s educational programs, nonprofit initiatives, and regional impact. The result is a space that educates, inspires, and enhances the visitor experience long before the curtain rises.
IN THE PRESS
“The renovated Highmark Mann has reopened and the vibe is national-park chic. A 195 foot-long digital wall is its new star.
A spectacular digital screen now bedazzles the main concert shed, greeting visitors with a stream of video art and programming rendered in images vivid and saturated even in bright sunlight. The Satell Centennial Wall East on the side of TD Pavilion won’t carry advertising, Mann leaders vow, but sequences on culture, history, and the like.”
“The Experiential Master Planning process has been invaluable as we consider new ways of creating the best possible experience for our visitors and staff. Working with Brad and the Crafted Action team has allowed us to quickly address short-term opportunities while laying the groundwork for more significant initiatives.”
Catherine M. Cahill
President and Chief Executive Officer, Highmark Mann
Our Role
Experiential Master Planning®
Fundraising & donor relations
Visitor Journey development
Content strategy
Media planning & implementation
Exhibit design & coordination
Artifact procurement
Fabrication and AV coordination
By the Numbers
4,900 sq ft LED storytelling wall
12 interactive experiences
500+ performers recognize
50 oral histories
50 songs unlocked through trivia
600-piece commemorative LEGO set
42,000 sq ft reimagined entrance
Collaborators
Narrative Strategy & Copywriting: ADvsCOPY
Tech Lead: Braxton Collier
Executive Producer: Hillary Crawford
Content Development: Halley Fehner
Experiential Motion Design: Nick Greenawalt
Visual Design & Art Design: Alyssa Hamilton
CMS Development: Alex Nguyen
Music Composition: Landon Trimble
Creative Direction: Bradon Webb
Design: Jake Youse