A domestic environment is the backdrop for many productions, and this particular form of project is suitable for this kind of theater production. Challenge students to take a specific play, set of characters or even just a certain era or mood, and design a room backdrop for it. This backdrop can incorporate items of furniture, personal effects and artwork as required. For example, when asked to design a backdrop for a play set in the 1940s, students could utilize objects such as worn armchairs and a wireless radio.
Not all theaters are used by human actors in the traditional sense. A more off-beat stage production would see students creating a backdrop for a puppet theater. This has obvious consequences for the amount of space the student gets to play with, and creates challenges in the need for an engaging backdrop that’s also suitable for puppetry. This project works best for individual or small groups of students, who can then construct the stages themselves.
Theatrical productions often have a need to indicate the changing of the seasons or the effect of the weather, but this can often be difficult during the course of the action. The task for students in this project is to create a backdrop that can cover the back of the stage and reflect whatever seasonal or weather conditions are required. If the backdrop can be altered during a production, the project will have been even more effective. Since this project will produce a large-scale creation, it’s best suited to larger or full-class groups.
In this project, you present each student group with a particular well-known musical, opera or play and challenge the groups to create a backdrop to accompany that production. The backdrop could be a single piece of art for the back of the stage, or perhaps a number of pieces the performers will stand in front of during a production. The backdrop should reflect the mood, atmosphere and era of the specific title you’ve selected for each group. Example titles include the Bohemian chic of “Rent” or the Dickensian “Oliver.”