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The sound of holiday music, the piney scent of a freshly cut Christmas tree, and the sight of cheerful seasonal decorations, are just some of the iconic things we all come to expect to see and hear when the holiday season rolls around every year.

Along with each of these quintessential holiday moments, comes the showing of one of our favorite seasonal performances – A Christmas Carol. There is something about watching a performance that exudes the true meaning of the holiday season to put us all in the holiday spirit.

The Story of the Christmas Carol

While there are many adaptations of a Christmas Carol, they all tell the story of a mean-spirited, miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge and his evolution from greed and avarice to joy and selflessness.

Based on a novella written by Charles Dickens and published in 1843, the story recounts one very odd evening for Ebenezer Scrooge. Set in London, Scrooge is visited in a dream by his former business partner Jacob Marley, who explains to Scrooge that he has been living a life of greed and selfishness. He also explains that Scrooge will be visited by three ghosts: Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

Each ghostly visit teaches Scrooge the errors of his ways and invites him to change, not only for his eternal future, but for the good that he can still do during his remaining years. Specifically, the ghosts show Scrooge how his generosity could make a difference in the life of his clerk, Bob Cratchit’s family.

After the three visits, Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning with excitement and a new lease on life where he will be generous, loving, and filled with the spirit of Christmas.

Backdrops by Charles Stewart enjoys the Christmas Carol so much we have numerous backgrounds to choose from for your next theatrical performance.

The Streets of London

The opening scenes and scenes throughout the play show the streets of London where Scrooge spends his time living and working. We have a wide assortment of street scenes including tudor style buildings, English taverns, and snow covered streets. Dickens Street Backdrop #2310 and Dickens Backdrop #2453 or #1838 are excellent choices for these scenes.

Scrooge’s Bedroom Parlor

Ebenezer spends part of his evening whilst being visited by the three ghostly apparitions cowering in his bedroom parlor. Our Beam & Plaster House Interior (Cut Window) Backdrop #0099 with its exposed wood beams and bare walls make for an exceptional home of the miserly Scrooge.

The Graveyard Scene

During Scrooge’s evening with the ghosts, they make a trip to a Christmas Yet To Come where Ebenezer sees his future if he does not change his selfish ways. The Graveyard Backdrop #2415 is perfect for this scene.

The Snow Forest

If your school or theater group is considering choosing A Christmas Carol as your next production, talk to our team today about how we can set the stage and re-create the London of the mid 1800s on your stage.

Before the pandemic, getting a ticket to see some of the most popular Broadway shows was difficult, but none so challenging as the hit musical Hamilton. Other musicals may bring in more revenue or have had a longer run on Broadway, but Hamilton has inspired our nation and has most of us singing (and rapping) the lyrics to the hit songs, even when we haven’t seen the performance live.

Now that theaters are beginning to open up again and the world has become energized about life, will it still be as difficult to get theater tickets? The answer remains to be determined, but we all know how popular Hamilton is so let’s review some ways you can get in on the music and shows.

Try The Lottery

Let’s face it, Hamilton tickets are a bit pricey, and not everyone can afford to splurge for the tickets. That’s where the Hamilton lottery comes into play.

According to Playbill, “The cheapest way to get a seat to the Broadway smash is through the Ham4Ham Digital Lottery. For seven of the eight shows each week, the lottery takes place digitally through Broadway Direct. Lottery participants can enter to win up to two tickets per entry. For details and official rules and lottery policies, visit the official website, click New York, and then click “Broadway Lottery” in the tickets section.”

Keep in mind that the pandemic has changed things, including how many patrons can enter the theater as well as the cost of tickets. We will keep you updated on the lottery and how things will work as theaters open.

Try the Ticket Office

I know, it seems like an obvious choice. Lots of theatergoers assume that all shows will be sold out. This is true (for the most part), but many shows hold tickets for purchase at the box office. For online purchase, stick with official ticketing websites like Ticketmaster.

Keep in mind that these tickets come at a premium and can cost quite a bit and not be in the best seats in the house…but do you care?

Try the Cancellation Line

This interesting method can sometimes pay off. On a rare occasion, people may have to cancel their tickets to Hamilton. This may happen even more often with the different covid variants floating around and theaters expanding their numbers.

According to Playbill, “There is a designated line outside the Richard Rodgers for hopeful ticket-buyers to wait. It is a first-come, first-serve system—and there is no guarantee that tickets will become available at all, or, if they do, how many. It’s a gamble, but could pay off. Tickets are sold at their original ticketed price.”

Let us know if you have been able to score tickets to Hamilton and how you did it! We’d love to hear from you.

Does your teenager think they know everything about Broadway musicals and shows? Do they sing the lyrics of Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, and Hamilton incessantly? Well, here is a Broadway trivia quiz to keep your teen guessing (and learning).

We know that many teens think they “know it all,” but can your teen answer these trivia questions about some of Broadway’s all time favorite teen shows? Stump your child today with some of these tricky quiz questions.

Favorite Broadway Shows for Teens

Teen-centric narratives have been a part of Broadway dating back many decades, some would say even to the beginning of theater itself.

According to Broadway Direct, an online source for shows and tickets to some of Broadway’s most popular performances, there are many shows that appeal to the teen age group but none such as: Wicked, Mean Girls, Beetlejuice, and Dear Evan Hansen.

Wicked, based loosely on the Wizard of Oz, helps teens look at issues such as identity and morality, while a show like Dear Evan Hansen examines the problems that are encountered when a teen gets caught up in lies trying to fit in. Mean Girls explores the troubles of teens navigating the cliques of high school. Beetlejuice is perfect for teens who feel like the odd man out and are looking for a way to make the most of their life, or afterlife.

Stump Your Teen

Here are a few questions from musicals and shows that you can use to quiz your teen.

Where does Hairspray take place? Baltimore
Which song is NOT from Wicked? Popular, Defying Gravity, Dancing Through Life or A Change in Me
Which Disney film has NOT been turned into a Broadway musical? Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Aladdin or The Little Mermaid
Which of these is NOT a rock musical? School of Rock, Hamilton, Rent, or Rock of Ages
Which musical was not based on a film? Dear Evan Hansen, Pretty Woman, Young Frankenstein, Legally Blonde the Musical
Spamalot was based on what show? Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Mamma Mia is based on the music of which Swedish pop group? ABBA
Which smash hit musical tells the story of the founding fathers of the United States? Hamilton
What is the name of the carnivorous Venus flytrap plant in Little Shop of Horrors? Audrey II
The musical West Side Story, which tells the story of rival gangs in New York City’s Upper West Side, is based on which Shakespeare play? Romeo & Juliette
What was Disney’s first Broadway musical? Beauty & The Beast
Which musical features a group of drama students at New York’s High School for the Performing Arts? Fame
Which Disney musical features the song ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’? Mary Poppins
Name the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony-award-winning composer of musicals such as Cats, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. Andrew Llyod Webber
Which musical, adapted from a novel by Victor Hugo, features characters such as Jean Valjean, Cosette and Javert? Les Miserables

Can you smell it in the air? Temperatures are dropping, seasons are changing, and we are rushing headlong into the busy holiday season. Christmas is just a couple of months away! That means holiday music will soon begin to play, stores will be decked out in visions of yuletide greetings, and theater performances depicting the magic of the season will be right around the corner.

The Nutcracker is one such ballet performance that we have always been fond of here at Backdrops by Charles H. Stewart. In fact, we love the Nutcracker ballet so much we have over 130 Nutcracker backdrops to set the scene for your next performance of this famous theatrical event.

The Story of the Nutcracker

The Nutcracker ballet is based on the story, “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice” written by E.T.A. Hoffman. While the ballet is slightly different from the original storyline, the basic plot remains the same.

The story opens on Christmas Eve in the late nineteenth century at the Von Stahlbaum home where Clara and her brother Fritz are excitedly preparing for the next day with family, friends, and guests. As last minute preparations are made for Christmas day the brother and sister join Herr Drosselmeyer, Clara’s mysterious godfather for games and stories.

Drosselmeyer keeps the children and guests entertained with magic tricks and mechanical dolls. While Clara would love to have one of these dolls to keep for herself, she is instead presented with a wooden nutcracker soldier.

Clara is devastated when a struggle causes the nutcracker doll to fall and break. Her godfather mends the pieces and sends his goddaughter off to bed where her dream then becomes what we know as the Nutcracker Suite!

Nutcracker Backdrops for Every Scene

Each scene of the Nutcracker ballet takes us through the imagery that Clara creates as she dreams about the Nutcracker soldiers and Mouse King coming to life in her Victorian era home.

Scene I – The Party Scene

It is this Act , known as the “Party Scene” and eventual “Battle Scene” where Clara and her family gather for the holiday that can be beautifully set by some of our “Palace” backdrop options. The elegant staircase and stately columns set the stage for a grand room that is in the final stages of preparation for Christmas celebrations.

More of our Victorian home backdrops include: The Drawing Room #1910, Victorian Interior #1943, Victorian Interior #2251, Victorian Interior (with center fireplace) #2264, Christmas Interior #2460, Palace Interior with French doors #2538, Blue Drapery Interior Victorian #2541, and Christmas Interior with cozy fireplace #3148.

Scene II – The Snow Forest

In addition to the beautifully adorned palace in this act, Clara also travels through an enchanted snow forest where the Snow King and Queen, as well as Snow Maidens dance for Clara. Some of our backdrops are perfect to set the stage such as the Winter Wonderland shown below or: the Snow Forest #2474, Snow Landscape #2240, and Snow Forest Backdrop #1863.

Scene III – The Sweets

During this act, Clara celebrates the defeat of the Mouse King with the Sugar Plum Fairy as highlighted by many noteworthy dances such as Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Dew Drop Fairy and, of course, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

We have several backdrops for rent that would make the perfect setting for this “Palace of Sweets” portion of the ballet.

Here are links to several others that would be appropriate for Act II of the Nutcracker: Palace of Sweets #2274, Land of Sweets #1853, and Palace of Sweets (with rotunda) #1946,

No matter what version of the Nutcracker your organization is performing, we can help you find the perfect backdrop to set the stage for your holiday performance.

In a May 2021 Op-Ed article in the Los Angeles Times, authors Steve Rathje, Leor Hackel, and Jamile Zaki made the case that experiencing the magic of theater makes us collectively better people. We love this concept and wanted to explore this a bit further now that the theater industry is coming back after 18 months of being shut down due to the coronavirus.

Why Theater Makes Us Better?

According to Rathje, Hackel, and Zaki, theater makes us better people because, “it is a vital way to build psychological skills — especially empathy, or our ability to share, understand and care about others’ emotions.”

At the heart of their article they pose the question, “Can watching theater actually build people’s capacity to care?” There’s actually some scientific research that has been done that supports this idea.

In a nutshell, over 1,600 surveys were given to theatergoers before and after performances in two major cities; New York City and Portland, Oregon.

The viewers watched either “Skeleton Crew,” written by Dominique Morisseau or “Wolf Play” by Hansol Jung. The former being about auto workers in Detroit at the start of the financial crisis and the latter revolving around the struggles of a a lesbian couple trying to adopt a child.

In both cases the surveys were meant to determine if empathy for the auto workers or lesbian couple increased due to experiencing the show based on those stories.

The findings were exactly what the authors believed, theater can make us better, more empathetic, caring people. “After seeing the plays, we found that audience members expressed more empathy for the groups depicted onstage and changed their attitudes about a wide range of political issues.”

The study even showed a change in behavior for the theatergoers who increased their donations to a charity. The way this part of the experiment works went as follows:

Audience members were given the option to donate some of their payment money to a charity.
The more they gave to a charity the less they would receive in the form of a gift card.
After seeing the plays, audience members donated more to charity regardless of whether the charity was related to the plays.

Psychologists Weigh In

Historically, psychologists have believed that theater has the power to teach about current topics, help viewers change their attitudes, build psychological skills, and reduce prejudice.

Psychological skills such as empathy, compassion, and sharing can be built just by merely experiencing a show. The authors of the LA Op-Ed explained theater as a sort of “empathy-gym” where the brain is taught to strengthen the skills of empathy and compassion towards others by experiencing what they feel through a show or musical.

Additionally, theater can help change our attitudes and reduce prejudices just by “walking in someone else’s shoes” during a performance. The experience allows people to understand someone else’s circumstances and experience life from someone else’s perspective.

What do you think? Can theater help us become better, more empathetic people? Drop us a line below and let us know your thoughts.

Last week we explored the most popular high school musicals including: The Addams Family, Mama Mia, and Beauty and the Beast. Now we shift our sights toward plays that have ranked in the top 10 according to an NPR Education Performance poll.

One of these delightful shows may make it on your short list for this year’s performances. Enjoy our resources and remember that our backdrops coordinate with major shows to make your scenery come to life.

Top Ranking Plays

There are so many great plays out there that deciding on one for your group of teens can be a long and difficult process. Here are three of the top ranking plays that your group may fall in love with including: Clue, Almost, Maine, and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. We have included general information on the number of cast members and ensemble requirements for your planning purposes.

Clue

Based upon the Hasbro board game and the 1985 Paramount movie of the same name, Clue is a beloved murder mystery story with a comedic twist. According to Broadway Licensing, Clue tells the story of a dinner party gone wrong when the host turns up dead.

The main characters, Wadsworth, the butler, Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up.

Almost, Maine

Set in a remote and mythical town, Amost, Maine is a series of nine short plays that examines the themes of love and loss. The main characters, residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in various and sometimes hilarious manners.

Almost, Maine set box office records and has been adapted into a book of the same name. Your students are sure to love this quirky and thoughtful play.

Casting for this play is flexible and can range from four main actors taking on several parts or 19 actors taking individual roles.

A Midsummer’s Night Dream

In this Shakespeare play, the theme of love resurfaces again and again. Set in Athens, Greece, the plot of this complex play revolves around the planning of the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta.

Subplots, (and there are many,) follow two Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors rehearsing for the wedding day, who find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies.

Like every great Shakepearian play, there is conflict, love, and eventual resolution, sometimes with hilarious outcomes. Your students will love the challenge this complex layered play will provide.

Even with the pause from last year during the pandemic, high school musicals and plays are as popular as ever. Check out the lists from Playbill that rank the top musicals and plays. You are sure to find one that fits the skills, size, and depth of the acting provided in your school.

Oh, how we have missed traditional high school musicals and play performances coming out of the nation’s secondary schools this past year. This type of performance is often a young person’s first outlet or foray into expressing themselves or their art. In fact, many young people get the theater “bug” during their high school years and go on to act for years to come.

According to a study released by NPR Education Publishing, there are ten top shows that rank as the best musicals and plays for high school level performances. This takes into account the size of the cast, skill set needed, and popularity of the storyline. Theater groups, directors, and producers may want to utilize some of these findings as they begin their search for the perfect show this fall or winter.

Let’s take a look back at some of the most popular high school plays and musicals to give you inspiration to plan your next performance.

Top Ranking Musicals

In the category of highest ranking musicals, the top three include: The Addams Family, Mama Mia, and Beauty and the Beast. Just hearing those names has my toes tapping and some catchy lyrics spinning around in my head.

The Addams Family

A comedic marvel, the Addams Family celebrates the quirky differences that every family experiences. The story unfolds as daughter, Wednesday, brings home a “normal” boy who must impress her parents as he begins to date their special daughter. The Addams family requires 10 major roles with a flexible ensemble. The licensing belongs to Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

Mama Mia

Set on a beautiful Greek island, Mama Mia tells the story of a young bride-to-be trying to determine who her real father is. The bride discovers that three men are possible matches to be her true father. The story is told using the hit songs by 1970’s singing group ABBA.

The cast includes 13 main parts with singing roles and a large ensemble that will need dancing and choreography skills. If this musical sounds like it is one your students would love, the licensing belongs to Music Theater International.

Beauty and the Beast

This favorite musical explores the true meaning of loving someone for what is inside rather than just their appearance. Beauty and the Beast follows the unlikely love story of a village girl who was determined to save the life of her father from the grotesque Beast. She then finds out that everyone has a story and that the Beast is no beast after all.

The cast includes 12 major roles and a very large ensemble with dancing and choreography skills. If your theater group is interested in this show it is licensed by Music Theater International.

Want the complete list of rankings for high school musicals? Check out these resources that can help you determine your shows this year. Don’t forget to check out our scenery and backdrop options that correspond to each show.

It’s been more than a year since the lights on Broadway went out due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, the announcement of reopenings starting this fall have given hope to the thousands who work in the industry and those who have businesses that rely on the entertainment industry for work.

With the increasing amount of vaccines available and theater workers preparing for reopening, what might be different come the fall? How will things look and feel for thespians and those who love musicals and plays? Let’s explore how this pandemic may transform our theater experience.

Theater Offerings May Shift

According to the Broadway League, the trade organization that represents theater owners and producers, a typical Broadway audience pre-pandemic was made up of 35% local residents and 65% tourists.

While these statistics may seem hopeful, the prospect that more than half of the audiences were once made up of tourists is frightening, especially since full tourist audiences are not expected back until 2025.

This shift in the demographics of the audiences could consequently mean a shift in the program offerings. Fortune online predicts that, “Broadway will need to develop and produce content tailored more towards the 35% of audiences that hail from New York City and its suburbs and rely less on the international tourists (19%) and domestic tourists (46%) that made up the majority of its pre-pandemic audience.”

As a result, show creators and theater owners may need to adjust the offerings that are less tourist-popular and more interesting to the local and regional residents in the Tri-State region. This could include limited-run performances or special concert programming.

New Venues Outside of NY and London

Travel to and from many countries remains highly restricted due to the coronavirus. This may mean that since tourists still need to get their theater fix, they may do it at Off-Broadway venues rather than larger more populous venues.

As a result, smaller venues and nonprofits around the country may (in no small part) lead the comeback of theater. The same is true of regional theaters in Europe that may bypass a trip to London in order to remain in a semi-dafe bubble of their own country.

Creativity Will Expand

It doesn’t take the end of the pandemic to see that creativity is even stronger than ever before in the theater industry. Think about all of the out-of-the-box thinking that went into outdoor performances, Zoom dance classes, and collaboration through video conferencing when creating a perfectly harmonized duet.

Rest assured that this creativity of how to perform and continue to grow in their craft will continue now that the curtains are going up in theaters across the country.

Crossovers Between Theater & Movies

As we saw during the pandemic, where there is a will there’s a way. Theater goers were starved for live performances and were stuck at home on the couch. As a result, collaboration between Disney and Hamilton producers brought about something that we never thought we would see, a recorded performance of Hamilton on Disney+.

These types of crossovers are most likely going to continue as well as movie versions of fan favorites like Dear Evan Hansen. Fans love the idea of having access to a show even from the comfort of their own home.

Starting in this fall, the lights of Broadway will begin to flicker back on. First one show, then another, then a slew of Broadway performances are slated to reopen by the end of the year!

The news can not come soon enough to the struggling entertainment industry both in New York and across the country. The closing due to the pandemic hit the industry hard as well as all of the associated businesses and vendors that rely on their presence in the Big Apple entertainment industry to keep their business thriving.

The Impact on New York City & Beyond

By the time Broadway begins to reopen in September 2021, the theaters along the Great White Way will have been closed for nearly 19 months. It’s been a long wait.

Broadway is the core of New York City’s identity as a cultural and performance hub of the nation. The entertainment industry drives tourism in the region, helps sustain the economy, and employs thousands of actors, performers, crew, and show creators. Visitors from across the globe once flocked to the city to catch a show and enjoy a weekend of touring the bright lights of the city that never sleeps.

According to ABC News, “Prior to the pandemic, almost 250,000 people were seeing a Broadway show every week. Broadway supports nearly 97,000 local jobs and contributes about $14.7 billion every year to the New York City economy.”

Without the industry the culture, economy, and “feel” of New York has been a bit off. Thankfully, that is all about to change in just a couple of months.

Not only was NY struggling but every major city that is home to Off-Broadway performances, community theater, and local theater groups. Most in the theater industry hope that the comeback is epic in that people feel confident in coming back to the shows and enjoying a sense of normalcy once again.

What Shows Are Opening This Year?

While not all shows will be reopening as soon as this fall, many have already announced their opening nights through theater guides and online Broadway newsletters.

For a full listing of specific dates and times of showings check out the New York City Theater Guide online.

We can tell you that the first few shows that are making their comeback are: Hadestown, Chicago, Hamilton, Lion King, and Wicked. You will have your choice of musical perfection and finely choreographed pieces to enjoy soon enough.

Staggered roll outs of other shows throughout the fall and winter months include other fan favorites like: Aladdin, Come From Away, Six, Moulin Rouge, Mrs. Doubtfire, Phantom of the Opera, and Dear Evan Hansen.

In order to support these performances in NYC, “the Fiscal Year 2022 enacted budget included $1 billion in Small Business and Arts Relief and Recovery Assistance, which includes the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit Program that provides up to $100 million in tax credits to jumpstart the industry and revitalize tourism in New York City.” (ABC News)

I know we have all been waiting so long and the light at the end of the tunnel is finally here. Tell us what shows you will be attending in the comments or on our social media platforms.

Proudly renting theatrical backdrops to the United States and Canada for over 100 years.