Chicago stage actors
featured in Leo Burnett’s new comedy campaign about saving energy.

LOS ANGELES— Tips for energy savings are delivered with a theatrical
flourish in a new campaign for ComEd directed by Accomplice Media’s Alberto Belli.

Conceived by Leo
Burnett, the ads appear under the title of the “Single Bulb Theatre” and feature
Chicago-area actors in
light-hearted scenarios acted out on stage sets. In Break Fast, two actors play a couple in the midst
of a domestic argument with the woman smashing plates in response to the guy’s
lame attempts to cover up his flirtatious actions. A neighbor listening in
through a wall, suggests a better way to save energy would be to only run the dishwasher when it’s full.

“It was a very cool idea to create awareness of ComEd’s
products and services,” says Belli. “They’re unique spots. People will be
sharing these on YouTube.”

A second spot, Slumber & Lightning,
features members of Chicago’s Red Rose and SHINE! children’s choirs in a
mini-musical about a spooky sleepover. A third spot, Dill Shakespeare, features the voice of John Byrnes from
Chicago’s Shakespeare Theatre in a reenactment of Romeo and Juliet set inside an aging refrigerator with lonely
pickles cast in the starring roles. The narrator quips, “Running an old
refrigerator always ends in tragedy.”

“Alberto’s vision was spot on. He embraced the theatrical
nature of the concept and introduced cinematic elements you wouldn’t expect
from a stage performance,” said Gary Fox-Robertson, creative director at Leo
Burnett. “The visual storytelling embraces local Chicago performers who
communicate ComEd services, community programs and energy saving tips in a fun,
engaging way.”

Belli, who was selected for this year’s Saatchi & Saatchi
New Directors Showcase at Cannes, has a knack for coaxing funny and engaging
performances from talent. He says that Break
Fast had to be handled with a light touch. “It needed to feel like a funny
moment between two people, and not something violent,” he says. “It was a
matter of finding the right balance and chemistry.”

Credits

Titles:              Break Fast, Slumber
& Lightning, Dill Shakespeare

Client:              ComEd

Agency:           Leo Burnett Chicago

Production:      Accomplice Media. Alberto Belli, director;
Mel Gragido and Jeff Snyder, executive producers.