All posts by sperling

It’s no secret that Americans love their sports, from baseball to football and from hockey to basketball. It’s no surprise that due to this adoration, Broadway would focus many storylines on sports, often exploring themes of teamwork, resilience, and the pursuit of greatness.

Some popular Broadway shows that incorporate sports include Damn Yankees, Take Me Out, The Wolves, The Great Leap, Rocky the Musical, and Good News.

If your theatrical performance, award ceremony or special event is focused on sports, Backdrops by Charles H. Stewart has dozens of backdrops to choose from that can be quickly delivered for your use.

America’s Favorite Pastime – Baseball

Americans love baseball as it’s woven into American culture and identity. Fans avidly support local or regional teams and have distinct opinions on competitors. It’s not unusual for fans to follow a team for the entirety of their lives, making this sport a lifetime obsession.

Should your performance or event be based around baseball, we have several options for your backdrop.

This Baseball Backdrop is currently for sale and shows three baseball players showing off their skills on the baseball field, including a player throwing a ball directly at the audience.

Basketball

Invented in Massachusetts in 1891 by a gym teacher, basketball is one of the most popular sports in America alongside baseball, football and hockey.

This Basketball Backdrop depicts a player completing a layup during a game for a one-pointer as a packed arena cheers.

Or choose this Basketball Tab Backdrop that shows two of basketball’s greats battling it out on the court. This Tab is currently on sale.

Golf

Whether you are throwing a Master’s Party or have a performance that includes golf, this Golf Course Backdrop with a view from the fairway looking onto the putting green is ideal.

American Football

What is fall in America without football? This American Football backdrop shows football players blocking opponents and diving for the ball.

Stadiums & Bleachers

Nothing conveys the excitement of sporting events like the cheering crowd in a stadium, arena or baseball park. These stadium backdrops make for excellent options for your productions, including athletics of all varieties.

The Stadium Backdrop

The Crowd Backdrop

Does your play, musical, special event, or awards ceremony involve sports? From horse racing to car racing and from basketball to baseball, Charles H. Stewart offers many options for your sports-themed event. Explore all the options on our sports category page.

At Backdrops by Charles H. Stewart all of our backdrops are numbered and organized by show and category, making it easy for our customers to find the right background for their play, musical, theatrical performance, awards ceremony, or dance recital. Sorting by show, theme, color, decade, and design is easier than ever on our site.

One popular category for recitals, plays, and musicals is the Seasons backdrops, as they allow for a simple way to show the passage of time or put the audience in the frame of mind of the time of year, including foliage, temperature, and general climate. Check out our fall, winter, spring, and summer options for your next performance.

The Four Seasons

Not only do the seasons—fall, winter, spring, and summer—show the passage of time during theatrical productions, but they are often used to symbolize the cyclical nature of life (birth to death), mirroring the natural cycles of growth, abundance, decay, and renewal.

Each season can also be associated with different life stages and emotional experiences, reflecting a journey from beginning to end and back again. Here are some of our favorite seasonal backgrounds that can help portray these aspects during your performance.

Fall

Autumn or fall is a colorful time of year with changing leaf color on full display. It can symbolize the slow decline in the action of a performance or show that a life cycle is coming to an end.

This Autumn Tab Backdrop shows the colorful changing of leaves that accompany this change in weather.

This Fall Landscape Backdrop shows a similar backdrop of an older tree glowing orange in the sunlight.

Winter

Winter is often associated with cold, snow and hibernation. Images of snowy fields, snow capped mountains, and tree boughs frosted with ice make for a lovely backdrop for any show focused on this season or theme.

This Winter Tab Backdrop shows a brilliant winter sun shining down on snowy grounds, trees and landscape.

This Snow Forest Backdrop depicts a similar scene in that it offers snow-tipped trees, a snowy landscape and a full moon backed by a midnight sky.

Spring

Spring means blooming flowers, warming temps and a rebirth with hibernating creatures emerging for the season.

This Spring Flowers Tab Backdrop shows beautiful pink and white blooms, showing the oncoming spring.

This Park Backdrop shows the budding trees in a park with a serene walkway and green grass.

Summer

Summer represents the peak of energy and growth before the world begins its cycle back to fall and winter.

This Tropical Beach Backdrop depicts a warm beach scene with palm trees, warm waters and a sun-drenched beach.

This Garden Backdrop shows summer in all its glory with fully blooming flowers, greening bushes and beautiful blue skies.

We can also accommodate depicting all four seasons throughout your performance. Check out this unique Four Seasons Backdrop, which provides a continuous landscape blending the four seasons of the year.

Explore all 89 of our seasonal backdrops for your event, and transform your theater into a fall, winter, spring, or summer setting.

The natural environment is varied and beautiful, from majestic mountains to sandy deserts and from rocky shorelines to grassy plains. Your production may have a prominent environmental feature that helps depict the setting for the performance, making it come to life even more. Deserts, rivers, oceans, mountains, the sky, under the sea, tropical foliage, and canyons are all backdrop options in our extensive backdrop collection.

In our blog today, explore the many categories of backdrops we offer, from the highest mountains to the deepest canyons. Find the perfect natural landscape for your production.

Forests & Woods

Forests and woods refer to areas dominated by trees, but a forest is typically larger and has a denser canopy cover than a wooded area. Forests have a significant amount of land covered by tree canopy, while woods tend to have a more open canopy and sparser tree density.

This Woods Park Backdrop depicts a dense woods with a path and brook leading into the forest. This serene imagery would be ideal for a production of Into the Woods.

For productions of The Jungle Book, this Rainforest Backdrop shows thick vegetation and large palm leaves.

This Forest Glen Backdrop depicts a lush green forest that opens up to a meadow.

Mountain Scenes

Sloping ridges and soaring peaks are hallmarks of mountains whether you are in the Alps, the Rockies, Appalachians or the Himalayas. Here are a few of our mountain backdrops that would be ideal for performances of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or The Sound of Music.

This Mountain Landscape Backdrop gives the view of a snow-covered mountaintop against a blue sky with clouds.

This Mountainside Backdrop is slightly different in that it shows an Austrian hillside with Alps in the distance, a cabin, and a stone wall.

Desert Landscapes

Sandy dunes, blistering sun and sparse vegetation are what people commonly think about when envisioning a desert landscape. Our desert backdrops will transport your audience to a far-off place where the sand shifts daily, making them feel the heat.

This Desert Backdrop depicts a hot, dry desert with sand dunes, palm trees and rocks. The simplicity of the backdrop allows your audience to focus on the central action and brings them right into the scene.

Tropical Savannah Backdrop

This Serengeti Backdrop would be perfect for shows such as Madagascar, The Lion King or Jungle Book with its African landscape showing a setting sun, red sky and Acacia trees.

Canyon Scenes

Have a Western performance you need to set? This Canyon Sunset Tab Backdrop is a beautifully designed backdrop showing silhouetted buttes against a sunset sky.

Sky & Ocean Backdrops

You can almost feel the sun on your face and the salt air blowing in the breeze with our sky and ocean backdrops.

This Sky and Ocean Backdrop is a brilliant blue sky with a crystal clear ocean as the focal point.

This Tropical Beach Tab Backdrop will have audiences feeling like their toes are in the sand and the warm sun is on their faces. Palm trees and a white sand beach are the focal point of this backdrop.

Explore all of our landscape backdrops on our site and start planning your next performance today. For more information, contact Backdrops By Charles Stewart.

If you’re creating a theatrical performance based around a historic event, national holiday or global landmark, then Charles Stewart has precisely what you need! We offer a wide assortment of backdrops perfect for productions that feature iconic monuments, including the Parisian Eiffel Tower, the Acropolis in Greece, the Egyptian Pyramids in Giza, and other landmarks worldwide.

The addition of one of our professional, expertly crafted scenic backdrops will allow your audience members to step into another time and visit a faraway land. Let’s take a deep dive into the unique places and iconic landmarks where you can transport your audience.

American Monuments

If your event pays homage to or is set near an American monument, we have you covered. From sea to shining sea, our monument backdrops create a patriotic and nationalistic scene.

This Patriotic Backdrop is ideal for a performance honoring military heroes, national holidays, or American culture as a whole. It portrays the American Bald Eagle, the Stars and Stripes, the White House and the Statue of Liberty with an illuminated torch.

Productions set on the West Coast may enjoy using this San Francisco Skyline Backdrop, which displays the iconic Golden Gate Bridge at sunset with the San Francisco skyline.

Create a truly recognizable American setting with this Patriotic Backdrop of Mount Rushmore with the United States flag waving in the breeze.

This Boston Traveler Backdrop shows the iconic Boston skyline, transporting your audience to the “cradle of liberty” in Boston, Massachusetts.

Celebrate the Executive Branch of the United States with this White House Backdrop, which shows the south lawn of the “People’s House” – the White House. The daytime shot is the epitome of patriotism.

Around the Globe Monuments

Theatrical productions often include multiple settings including highly recognizable landmarks around the world. Our backdrops help you take your audience on a trip from one place to another.

This Around the World Backdrop shows a nighttime scene showing different landmarks from around the globe, including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, the Big Ben Clock Tower in London, the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles and the Sydney Opera House.

Take your audience to the ruins of ancient lands with this Acropolis Backdrop, which shows the rubble and remaining features of the Acropolis. Enjoy the architectural columns and Greek setting of this unique backdrop.

Travel to Egypt with this backdrop showing the Great Pyramids of Giza. This Pyramids Backdrop shows the iconic structures against a beautiful night sky and stars.

Head “down under” with this Sydney Harbor Backdrop showing the sunset sky at the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Productions set in Italy will love this Rome Backdrop highlighting buildings like The Vatican, Roman aqueducts and the Colosseum amid the Roman skyline.

Explore all the monument backdrops available at Backdrops By Charles Stewart and get started creating the setting of your dreams.

At some point, we’ve all dreamed of finding a magic lamp with a genie inside who could grant our wildest dreams and make them a reality. The blockbuster musical Aladdin explores what happens when a poor young boy releases a genie in a lamp who grants him three wishes. The rags to riches story follows the fictional life of Aladdin, a Middle Eastern teen who falls in love with Princess Jasmine of Agrabah.

With over 16 backdrops specifically for the musical Aladdin, Charles Stewart Backdrops can help transform your stage into an Arabian palace, a Middle Eastern street market, or a mysterious Cave of Wonders. Let’s explore the musical Aladdin and the backdrops that can set the stage for a successful performance.

The Story of Aladdin

The musical Aladdin chronicles the harsh life of a street-savvy young man who must beg for food on the streets and use his wits to survive. While he may be poor, he is also carefree and finds himself falling in love with the Sultan’s daughter, Princess Jasmine. The two may come from different worlds, but they are both looking for independence and forging their own identities.

Jafar, an evil advisor to the Sultan, imprisons the young street urchin when he discovers that Aladdin is the “diamond in the rough” who will be able to safely enter the Cave of Wonders and retrieve a priceless treasure. Forced into the dangerous cave, Aladdin finds a magic lamp, rubs it, and finds a genie who promises three wishes.

Aladdin’s release of the humorous and somewhat deviously smart genie sets the pair on an adventure to win the heart of the princess while also defeating the evil advisor who is determined to take over the region from the Sultan.

The musical, written by Sandy Wilson, was created for the inaugural Christmas pantomime season at the newly refurbished Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. It premiered on December 21, 1979.

Backdrops for Aladdin, the Musical

Given that the musical is set in the Middle East in a region that spotlights both unequalled wealth and utter poverty, the backdrops are varied in their displays.

This Arabian Market Backdrop shows a street bazaar with produce, tents and a royal palace in the background.

This Arabian Desert Palace Backdrop showcases an Arabian palace with turrets, palm trees and vast desert sands.

Or, choose this Moroccan Oasis Backdrop that displays lush palm trees, flowers, and stucco buildings with a pink sky.

This Palace Grounds Backdrop illustrates an opulent palace backdrop with turrets, archways and a pool.

For scenes inside or directly outside the Cave of Wonders, this Treasure Cave Split Backdrop shows a split backdrop that actors can walk through to make it look like they are coming out of the cave.

View all of our high quality backdrops for your performance of Aladdin on our website and schedule your delivery today.

Fat Tuesday may have already come and gone, but Mardi Gras lives on all year as a theme to many school celebrations, recitals and dances. From the traditional Mardi Gras masks to the brightly beaded purple, yellow and green necklaces, your Mardi Gras-themed event will be perfect with the addition of a Charles H. Stewart Backdrop.

What Is Mardi Gras?

The festival of Mardi Gras is celebrated across the globe as the day that marks the end of the pre-Lenten season in the French catholic tradition. In the United States, particularly in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Mardi Gras is marked with a major party with street performances, parades with brightly decorated floats, masked balls, live music and delicious King Cake.

As it is technically a religious festival (enjoyed by the religious and non-religious alike) this annual celebration marks the opportunity for partying and eating rich foods before Lenten fasting begins. Often, the merrymaking for Mardi Gras begins in the weeks leading up to the last day before Ash Wednesday and the observance of Lent in the Roman Catholic tradition. The term Mardi Gras is the French term for “Fat Tuesday,” and that day marks the final day of festivities.

Schools, colleges, corporations, and local theater groups often use this fun, bright and festive theme for events. Should your organization need a backdrop to set the joyful mood for a Mardi Gras event, Charles H. Stewart Backdrops has many options to choose from.

Our Most Popular Mardi Gras Backdrops

Set the stage for a jubilant party at your school, work, or theater with our many backdrop options, including traditional New Orleans streets, parade backdrops, and of course the color theme associated with Fat Tuesday.

This Mardi Gras Backdrop shows the classic yellow, green and purple colors. The images on the backdrop highlight the festive nature of the event, including masks, instruments and beads.

Looking to purchase a backdrop for recurring Mardi Gras events? This Mardi Gras Backdrop uses traditional colors, masks and balloons perfect for your Fat Tuesday celebrations. It is currently for sale on our site.

Straight from a float on Bourbon Street, this backdrop depicts the celebration of Mardi Gras as if you are a parade viewer watching the floats pass by. It is for sale on our site and would make for a great annual backdrop for your school’s Fat Tuesday festivities.

Set the stage with this classic residence in the French Quarter. This New Orleans Street Backdrop depicts the historic look of New Orleans homes.

To view all of our Mardi Gras-themed backdrops, visit our site. You can choose from classic Southern architecture, float-themed backdrops and more.

Using powerful imagery and high-quality backdrops, Charles H. Stewart Backdrops offers an impressive array of options for your next school play, recital, concert, party or children’s theater. Setting the mood and scene is a major component of the success of any performance.

From fantasy worlds to jungle safaris and treasure maps to classic fairy tales, the backdrop options for your next event are plentiful and will transform your space into something truly out of this world. Let’s take a closer look at some of the themes and backdrops available for your next children’s performance.

Treasure Maps

Ahoy, ye mateys! “X” marks the spot for pirates and landlubbers alike. From sandy beaches to treasure chests filled with gold coins, our treasure map backdrops set the scene for many performances centered around the pirate world. These backdrops would be ideal for children’s theater performances of Peter Pan, Finding Neverland, Treasure Island, SpongeBob the Musical, or HMS Pinafore.

This Treasure Map Tab Backdrop is currently for sale and depicts an old parchment map with pistols, an “X” marking the spot and a pirate’s sword.

Jungles, Gardens & Forests

Many children’s stories and fairytales take place in lush jungles, fanciful gardens or mysterious forests. Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Into the Woods, The Lion King, Madagascar, or Shrek the Musical are just a few that children love to view and take part in.

This Fairyland Forest Backdrop would be ideal for shows such as Snow White, Shrek, or Alice in Wonderland. It illustrates a lush green forest shrouded by shadows, just mysterious enough to have audience members sitting on the edges of their seats.

If you are looking for a jungle setting, this Jungle Backdrop shows a thick jungle with animals such as an elephant, tiger, lemur and exotic birds.

If you seek an enchanted garden, this Backdrop is ideal. It features butterflies, wildflowers, and a giant oak tree. The soft color palette makes for a whimsical backdrop for your performance.

Toys & Games Backdrops

For holiday-themed shows, these toyshop backdrops set a fun and exciting mood! This Toy Shop Backdrop is filled with toys for boys and girls, from wooden trains to tea party set-ups and stuffed animals galore. Dollhouses, rocking horses and pretend play items make for a unique backdrop for your child-centric event.

Hosting a carnival-themed party or event? This Carousel Backdrop is a great choice for creating a festive environment. Illuminated with carnival lights, a towering slide and a movie screen, the backdrop is suitable for all sorts of events and recitals.

Explore our site’s children-centric backdrops and search by category. Most are available to rent, while some are currently for sale.

The musical Kiss Me Kate is one of those unusual performances that has a play within a play. The concurrent narratives show the performance of William Shakespear’s comedy, Taming of the Shrew while also following the love lives of director and leading man Fred Graham (who is playing Petruchio) and his ex-wife and co-star Lilli Vanessi (Katherine).

The musical depicts a real-life example of how life imitates art as the characters of Kiss Me Kate play comparable characters in the Taming of the Shrew. The themes of the battle of the sexes and love are also touched upon in both the lyrics and the plot.

Background on Kiss Me Kate

Kiss Me Kate, a play within a play, is based on a book by Bella and Samuel Spewack and highlights music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The main plot follows Fred Graham, the director of a Broadway-bound musical version of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and his ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi who plays the role of Katharine in the Shakespearian play, thus the name Kiss Me Kate.

Forced to play characters opposite each other in the internal play, the couple professes to hate each other, but are very clearly still in love. Despite their bickering, they reminisce nostalgically about other shows in which they have appeared together over the years. A subplot follows two other players including Lois, a singer in the Taming of the Shrew and her gambler boyfriend Bill (Lucentio). In the middle of all the craziness of the play within the play, Fred declares his interest in Lois by sending her flowers. The bouquet, however, is mistakenly delivered to Lilli who believes the romance has returned to her failed marriage.

Just when you think the story can not get confusing enough, Lilli learns during a live performance that the flowers were never intended for her. Meanwhile, a pair of gangsters storm the stage in search of Fred (or Bill) who owes their boss money.

The gangsters force everyone to stay on stage to finish the play to collect on the debt owed. They sing, dance and perform the show-stopping number, Brush Up Your Shakespeare. The show ends as all shows should with Lilli and Fred and Bill and Lois working everything out and going on with their lives happily ever after.

Backdrops for Kiss Me Kate

Since the musical takes place in two places simultaneously – on a stage and while portraying Shakespeare’s masterpiece, The Taming of the Shrew which is set in the age of the Italian Renaissance.

While Backdrops By Charles Stewart offers over 51 backdrop options for this musical, here are a few of our favorites.

This Bare Stage Backdrop displays a brick wall with a theater door, spiral staircase, catwalk, and scenery flats leaning against the wall thus giving the illusion of being behind the scenes.

This Backstage Scrim Backdrop is great for scenes between Fred and Lilli or Lois and Bill. It shows a bare stage with a theater door and backstage dressing rooms.

If your performance is looking for a simple design this Bare Stage Backdrop with a ladder, pipes, and scenery sets leaning against the wall may just be ideal.

For scenes that are geared more toward the Taming of the Shrew side of the story, a more opulent set should be visible. Many performances attempt to display the feel of a wealthy, upper-class Italian household during the Renaissance period, with opulent décor, large rooms, and hints of societal hierarchy.

Here are some options that may help as your crew switches from the internal play to the external play.

This Drawing Room Backdrop illustrates a home that is more lavish and juxtaposed to the backdrops showing the stage background. This particular backdrop shows a Victorian interior with a sitting room, blue draperies and a large wood archway.

This Garden Backdrop is also an option for the performance as it shows a garden colonnade with a low brick wall, white columns and pink flowers.

To view all of our Kiss Me Kate backdrops please visit our site and follow the links for show suggestions.

With the spring equinox right around the corner, we are looking forward to the warm days ahead. With spring comes one of our favorite times of the year: concert and recital season!

Backdrops By Charles H. Stewart loves being a part of your concert or dance recital settings. We look forward to working with so many dance organizations and local and regional orchestras to help create the appropriate backdrop for your event. From abstract to novelty backdrops, we have exactly what your organization needs to create the mood and atmosphere you desire.

Let’s take a look at some of our most popular backdrops that will help you set the stage for a successful concert or recital.

Celebration Theme

Should your organization, theater group or dance troupe be celebrating a milestone during your performance or promoting a celebration theme, these backdrops may be ideal for your event.

Our celebration backdrops include themes such as fireworks, patriotic backdrops, space celebrations, Rio Carnivals, gold sparkles, falling stars, and happy anniversaries.

This Rio Carnival Backdrop illustrates a festive atmosphere, including fireworks and palm trees, for performances set in the summer or around major holidays. It is also ideal for groups hoping to portray tropical destinations or a carnival theme.

Our colorful balloon backdrop with clouds and a blue sky is fun and uplifting. Named the Celebration Balloon Backdrop, this option would be perfect for year-end concerts, corporate award ceremonies, parties, dance recitals or retirement parties.

This Patriotic Backdrop would be ideal for events or performances based around American history or US holidays such as Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day or Independence Day. The backdrop includes images of a bald eagle, the American flag, the Statue of Liberty and the White House.

Stars & Sparkles

For performances that would like to keep the backdrop neutral but with some detail, these stars and sparkles may be perfect for concerts, recitals, and corporate events.

This Gold Sparkle Backdrop displays a black background with shiny gold falling sparkles. This is a painted backdrop with no metallic material.

Another sparkly option includes this Falling Stars Backdrop. It is a beautiful deep blue backdrop that shows white and gold falling stars.

Abstracts

Our abstract backdrops range from vibrant colorful backdrops to unique designs.

This colorful Rainbow Wave Backdrop illustrates the colors of the rainbow in a wavy pattern.

To view more of our backdrops for your spring concerts, recitals or events, visit our website and choose Rent By Category.

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