50% of Folkoperan’s budget is covered by sponsorship from companies and private people. Therefore Folkoperan wanted to attract current and potential sponsors to attend the gala premiere of their new production, The Masked Ball. This wasn’t made easier by the fact that the premiere was in the middle of the summer when many Swedes are in their country homes. Plus the classical setting with authenic costumes and scenery was not quite in line with Folkoperan’s avant-garde image of having a rebellious attitude to “traditional” opera.

The opera “The Masked Ball” is based on the murder of King Gustaf III in 1792. The idea behind the Direct Mail campaign is based on creating a contrast between a classical opera and modern criminology. The campaign was modelled after a real police investigation. The first mailing was a summons to attend the reconstruction of the crime (ie the premiere). The second mailing, a few week later, was the VIP programme for the opening night in the form of a folder with the complete police files – including the protocol of the post-mortem examination written by a pathologist, mug shots of the actors, fingerprints of the suspects, reconnaissance photos and newspaper articles.

90% of the VIPs invited came to the premiere. All performances were sold out a few days after the premiere.