Behind the Scenes: Two New ALADDIN Scenic Backdrops Debut at Florida Elementary Schools

Last week, several of TheatreWorld’s new ‘Signature Series’ Agrabah Palace Exterior backdrops arrived from our production facility at 10:30 A.M. By 3:30 P.M., one copy was on its way up the fly system for a production of Disney’s ALADDIN at a local elementary school! So much for tech week! Whew! (Naomi, we wouldn’t have done this for anyone other than you!)

Once the ALADDIN Agrabah Palace Exterior backdrop was hung (on the day of final dress rehearsal, mind you), the backstage crew (consisting mainly of volunteer high school students) began rapidly assembling various set pieces, positioning microphones, spiking the stage, etc. in a mad dash. Minutes later, the elementary school cast walked through the door.

We have suffered through tech weeks in a variety of venues and we were very impressed! These young people did an excellent job with virtually no time, with mainly fluorescent lighting on stage, and with a variety of other challenges that would short circuit the heads of many theatre “pros” I know. Once again, “hats off” to Naomi and her support team!

ALADDIN at Ashton Elementary School

Meanwhile, 75-minutes away and two counties south, another elementary school was taking an entirely different approach to their scenic needs.

To compliment the kids on stage in their production of Disney’s ALADDIN, Kids, Sarasota, Florida’s Ashton Elementary School chose TheatreWorld’s Taj Mahal Sunset backdrop.

Assistant Principal, Jacob Ruscoe, Ed.D. said “We absolutely loved it!!! The backdrop was so easy to put up and it looked great! We are going to rent from you again for our show next year! Thanks again!”

TheatreWorld Backdrops loves playing a small part in encouraging young people to participate in the performing arts from an early age. Congratulations to both of these schools and casts on very successful – AND FUN – productions of ALADDIN!

Congratulations, St. Peter’s Boys’ School, Minty Award Winners!

In closing, we’d like to congratulate St. Peter’s Boys’ School in Staten Island, NY for winning the Best Musical Award at the 2nd Annual Minty Awards for their production of LES MISERABLES last month! While we will be featuring St. Peter’s Boys’ School and their production in an upcoming article, we wanted to congratulate them timely and, as a small part of their award, TheatreWorld is thrilled to be providing them with a complimentary backdrop rental for next season. (Denise, I probably won’t have time to stop by personally, but I’ll honk my horn on the way by to Long Lake!)

Congratulations to all,

Mike