All posts by sperling

At times you may be watching a new movie and realize that it is very similar to another movie you may have seen before. That is probably because the overall plot was based on a Shakespearian play! We searched for top movies with a Shakespearian plot. Some of what we found was completely obvious while others would have you saying, “Duh! How did I not make the connection?”

1. The Lion King

Although this Disney movie has been connected to other mythologies such as the biblical story of Joseph and Moses, The Lion King’s story plot can definitely be connected to the play ‘Hamlet.’ The act of Scar killing Mufasa to become king and Timon and Pumbaa playing the role of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s friends, can all be tied into the play.

Other movies based on ‘Hamlet’: The Bad Sleep Well, and Strange Brew

2. 10 Things I Hate About You

This one couldn’t be clearer. The plot for this movie is almost exactly like that of ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’ In the movie Bianca (Bianca) can’t date Cameron (Lucentio) until Katherina (Katherina) dates so, she gets set up with bad boy Patrick (Petruchio).

Other movies based on ‘The Taming of the Shrew’: Deliver us From Eva, and Kiss Me Kate

3. Romeo Must Die

This one is definitely a little more difficult to make out but, the story line can be connected to that of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ The bigger difference is that the relationship’s issue is not much about family loyalty as it is about race, and, even though it incorporates a love story, the movie is more of an action film.

Other movies based on ‘Romeo and Juliet’: West Side Story, and Warm Bodies

4. Get Over It

This movie may have the most obvious connection to a Shakespearian play than the rest of the movies. The storyline is based on a high school play on ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ As the plot unravels, the drama on the stage ends up playing out in the movie’s storyline, of course.

5. She’s the Man

Although the movie has some plot twists, it can be connected to ‘The Twelfth Night.’ In the movie, Viola poses as her twin brother so that she can play on the men’s soccer team and also ends up pursuing her brother’s roommate. In the play, however, Viola gets separated from her brother and poses as a male to help the Duke pursue a romantic interest but later ends up falling in love with the Duke.

For years there have been many high school productions portraying controversial topics for high school students. Let’s go over a few productions that may have caused some disputes with parents and/or school faculty and administration.

‘Rent’ by Jonathan Larson

The high school edition of this musical is popular among many high schools around the country. However, this has not stopped schools around the U.S. from canceling, or attempting to cancel this production. In the past there have been records of schools in California, West Virginia, Minnesota, and Texas –among others – trying to shut down the performance due to its controversial content including the mention of homosexuality, theft, HIV and aids and illegal drugs. Regardless of these challenges, school directors have fought for the acceptance of this play as it can also serve as a teaching tool for young adults and provides challenging roles for young actors.

‘Sweeney Todd’ by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler

This production is also a popular one among many high schools. The issue with this one, of course, is the dark subject matter including: murder, cannibalism, rape, and suicide. Even though a high school edition was made, schools like one in New Hampshire have attempted to shut the production down. After discussions stating that ‘Sweeney Todd’ is more about injustice, morality and greed, along with stressing its importance in the theatrical and musical development for students, the musical has become more accepted.

‘Bang Bang You’re Dead’ by William Mastrosimone

This is a one-man play written about a school shooting as a reaction from the writer towards threats of violence at his son’s school. The production of this play has brought controversy due to the many school shootings that have occurred around the country for many years. Although other parents and faculty members may feel like this play is too violent, the production was written in order to raise awareness on the importance of taking violence in schools more seriously.

‘Higher Ground’ by Jennie Brown

This play also ties in with school violence, but in a different direction. Jennie Brown, an Oregon drama teacher, had her play production banned from the school she worked in due to its ‘adult content’ such as homophobia, racism, bullying, and intimidation. After much discussion about this production, students decided to vote against the ban because they thought that it censored what actually goes on in their lives and even in their school. Although the production was not allowed in their school, Brown was still able to direct it off school grounds.

When searching for a backdrop for your production you may come across many different words like “Scrim” “Chameleon” or “Duck” and wonder what they even mean! Chances are these words are being used to describe what type of backdrop it is. With so many to choose from, it can be difficult to choose the right type of backdrop for your production, so we decided to give you a quick rundown to help you decide!

Canvas Backdrops:
These are made up of heavy fabric and is usually painted and used to create scenic realism.

Plain Canvas is loosely woven and maid in a variety of colors to avoid having to dye it.

Duck/Scenery Canvas is great for dying and painting, and is usually used stretched over frames.

Muslin Backdrops:
These are made out of light fabric and can also be painted or dyed easily. They are typically less expensive than canvas but do tend to get more wrinkled, and the flame retardant pieces tend to rot out.

Cotton Muslin is made of sturdy woven cotton material and is much smoother and softer than canvas backdrops.

Scrim Backdrops:
These are made of shark tooth material, believe it or not. This makes them more seamless and easy to change its appearance (from translucent to opaque) by using different lighting techniques. They can also be placed anywhere on the stage.

Leno Filled Scrim is opaque and has great glowing quality. They are also better for traveling productions.

Chameleon Scrim is easy to paint and less expensive.

Cut Drops:
These are usually painted as archways with an opening cut out of it.

Partial Backdrops:
These are purposefully made to not fully cover the stage. It can be used to detail a vertical column, wall, or doorway and even to add a scenic view behind a window.

Cyclorama Backdrops:
In a theatrical stage, these are placed in the back of the stage to create the appearance of sky. These are also great for creating lighting and silhouette effects.

For more information on the different backdrops and which would work better to bring your vision to life, contact us here!

Arts and Theater Programs have been getting cut out of schools for more than a decade, especially following the most recent recession. But why? And how does this affect our students futures?

First the facts; by 2010 only 3 percent of U.S. schools still offered artistic classes at all. If this data doesn’t seem drastic enough, when taking into consideration the cut of visual arts programs in U.S. schools in the early 2000s (87 percent) and in 2010 after the great recession (83 percent) it doesn’t seem like there would be much left to cut! The worst part is how important these programs really are for the learning development of our students.

According to the Washington Post, low-income students who had a rich art experience were about 3 times more likely to get a B.A. than those who had no art experience at all. It has also been proven that art is a form of inspiration and expression that helps at-risk students improve their outlook on education. Art programs help students test better overall. According to a College Board study, students who had taken art classes for all 4 years of high school have scored 91 points better on the SAT than those who took a half year or less of art classes.

According to the American Alliance for Theater and Education, theater programs can also help students in both reading comprehension and self-esteem among other aspects of their lives. Studies have shown that theater programs help adolescents develop better verbal skills and better recall and understanding of written material. Studies also show that performing Shakespeare texts is followed by improvement in understanding scientific and mathematical materials. In 2005, students who were involved in a theater program outscored the national average by 35 points on the verbal portion and 24 points on the math portion of the SAT (American Alliance for Theater and Education).

Not surprisingly, students’ self-esteem is also improved by being involved in theater. High school students who perform on-stage and are highly involved in theater have a better self-concept and communication skills than those who are not. It’s a no-brainer that a student that feels more confident personally can perform better in school.

So make sure to be an advocate for keeping Theater programs in schools, they really do make a difference!

When you think of a Broadway show, you probably instantly think of the actors, dancers and singers. But, do you know how many other jobs are involved behind the scenes that help make it a great production? There are many people that don’t get enough credit for their contributions to the show; so today we will be highlighting them below:

Musical Directors tend to not get much credit for the work they put into the production. Sure, they work under the director and producer, but they are who bring the musicals to life with their music. When the shows are on, they either sit back and enjoy the show or work with the stage manager to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Stage Managers, on that note, are in charge of the show staying on track. Their job responsibilities can consist of managing blocking, cues, lighting, scenery, props, scheduling, and, most importantly, reporting to directors and producers.

Property Masters are essential for bigger productions where the stage managers have greater responsibilities. They’re mainly in charge of keeping track of all the props and, sometimes, even working with the creative team in order to strategically place the props and furniture in the appropriate location for the show.

Flyer. This is almost exactly what it sounds like, except they are not the ones doing the flying. They are actually the ones operating the machinery that helps the talent fly through the stage. They are in charge of keeping the actors safe and gracefully soar the actors through.

Wig Makers and Makeup Artists are essential for many productions. They both work with the director and costume designer in order to make the actors look their best and in character. The wig maker is in charge of wig fittings and constructing the appropriate wigs, while the make up artist is in charge of bringing the characters to life with dramatic makeup that works well under harsh lighting.

Costume Attendants have the responsibility of making sure all costumes are safe and in good conditions. They specifically adjust outfits in order to fit the talent it is made for and help them make quick and smooth costume changes.

Choreographers are essential for musical productions. They are in charge of bringing the music to life through dance and strategic movements throughout the stage.

Scenic Carpenters are those who create the sets and scenic designs that make the show visually more pleasing. They work closely with production managers in order to come up with the best looking and safest scenic sets.

Lighting Designers are essential to every production. They are planned ahead of time to match the artistic vision of the shows, and are important for keeping the actors on cue.

Hello,
We hope you have all had a great start to 2016!

Our new year has started out with a new website—www.charleshstewart.com! Please check it out as soon as you can! We have tried to keep the same information and navigation from the old site for continuity purposes, but there have been some changes. We would like to go over some of the new features here so that you can be aware of the changes before you go through the website. We urge you to navigate around the new site. Your feedback would be appreciated.

First, there is no longer a “Backdrop by Number” page. Instead, if you do have the backdrop number and just need to see a photo of it, you can plug the number into the search bar at the top of the Home page. Simple. You can still search the backdrops by category or by show, but you can also search by other keywords in the search bar also. We are confident you can find what you need by going through the categories. We have broken down the backdrops into 60+ categories. We will also add new shows to our list as they become available. Currently, we provide a list of suggestions for over 100 shows. If you have any suggestions for shows not on our list, feel free to let us know, and we will try to put together a suggestion list of backdrops.

The “About” tab will have a brief history of our company including catalog covers that you may remember from the past! Some interesting stuff! It will also include some customer testimonials. So, if you’d like to give us a good word, you can write it on our Facebook page or send us an email. We’d love to include your thoughts on our company.

Another new feature is our “FAQ” tab. Obviously, it’s a basic function, but one that was not included on our previous website. This should answer any of your basic questions about Charles H Stewart Backdrops. Feel free to email or call with any questions. We’ll be happy to answer them for you.

The “Rental Information” tab will explain our prices, terms and policies. It will explain the ordering process, payment policy, cancellation policy, shipping policy, and your liabilities. Most of this information is also on the second page of the invoice that you will receive when you place an order.

The “Contact” tab contains a form for you to fill out in case you have any questions including availability for your show. We answer all emails and inquiries as quickly as possible. Obviously, this is a function that we currently have, so this is not new. The requests are checked frequently throughout the day, so you will get a speedy response.
On the “Home” page, there are eight category boxes right in the middle of the page. These are our highlighted or most popular backdrops. These will change to include certain shows as well as categories based on the time of year. For example, at some point you will see a Nutcracker option or maybe the “hot” show will be highlighted. It’s a neat feature for quick navigation. Plus, there is a “Browse All” box that will take you to all of the backdrop by category page, which will also include any items we might have for sale.
We have also added a “News” blog, Curtain Call, as you can see. We will update this on a monthly basis at the very least or when anything happens that you should be aware of. Show updates, website updates, photos of new, upcoming designs, photos of our backdrops used in your productions, reminders, and any promotions will be included here.

We are also trying to build an archive of pictures of our backdrops used in your productions. If you have any pictures from past shows, please e-mail them to info@charleshstewart.com with your studio info, and we will get them on display right away either on our Facebook page or website or both. See some of our backdrops “in action” below.

As I just mentioned, we will post pictures on our Facebook page of our backdrops in action or of any new designs. If you haven’t already ‘liked’ our page, please do and feel free to post any photos of our backdrops “In Action” from your show. Go to www.facebook.com/backdrops
Thank you, and we hope to hear from you soon! And remember that it’s never too late to order your backdrops (it’s never too early either!).
Please, enjoy some of our backdrops that have been used in recent holiday performances.