Types of backdrops for school plays

School productions are often the event of the year, whether it’s the eagerly anticipated Christmas nativity or sought-after summer production. However, one question that often crosses the mind of those organising the play is what type of backdrop will set the scene that the audiences’ little stars are performing in. Below, we’ve listed the perfect backdrops for all your school play needs.

Scenic Backdrops

Nothing transports the imagination of the audience like a traditional scenic backdrop. Hanging at the back of the stage, a scenic backdrop creates the perfect environment for your performers to act in. Usually made out of cotton canvas, these types of backdrops are relatively priced and perfect for painting on. Whether your story starts in a small village and finishes in the big city, you can immerse both the audience and the actors in what is happening, leaving you enough money to invest in some supporting stage props.

Projection Backdrops

A digital projection is a new way to go, but is a type of backdrop that more and more schools are adopting due to the versatility of it. With a digital projection, you can change the scenery as many times during your performance as you wish without encountering any extra costs for extra material. The best type of stage backdrop we’d recommend is a cyclorama, as its seamless appearance is perfect for the digital display. In terms of fabrics, you’ll also want a plain and ideally white fabric, such as filled cloth of cotton canvas to create that ideal performance space.

LED Backdrops

After a backdrop that makes your performance shine? A star cloth is a solution for you. This black backdrop is filled with tiny LED bulbs (or sometimes fibre optics) and creates a twinkling backdrop for your performance. The bulbs are connected to a source which usually gives you the option to mix up the sequence of lights, from twinkling like the night sky to a daring red on the entrance of your play’s villain. The material of the backdrop itself is made out of a heavy fabric such as wool serge or supreme blackout.