Non-Holiday Backdrops for All Your Holiday Productions & Events
The holidays are nothing if not steeped in tradition. Many of our customers put on the same holiday productions annually–and many even rent the same backdrops year after year. However, we think there’s a real benefit to switching things up and using less conventional “non-holiday” backdrops for your seasonal events. Test your creativity and think outside the typical holiday backdrop box with these fresh ideas!
Snow Backdrops
Though snow backdrops come with some specific needs–not too much green showing on the ground or on the trees, for example–you can still use a backdrop that’s not technically snow-covered to represent a snowy landscape. Consider using a nighttime backdrop with a less saturated color scheme, barer-branched trees, and silvery highlights, which will still suggest winter with the right lighting, props, and costumes.
Two great examples of this are Moonlit Pathway and Blue Full Moon, whose pale highlights suggest that the ground could be covered in crisp frost. Add some snow banks or other snow-covered set pieces and you’ll paint a picture of a wood that’s just received a light dusting. To add a little more magic, bring in a snow effect to really sell that your stage is at the start of a gentle winter storm. Another great forest to consider is Dark Enchanted Forest and its coordinating header and leg set. The magical glowing orbs can easily represent large falling snowflakes. Indeed, dozens of customers have used this as a replacement for a snowy drop over the years.
If you’re open to a more abstract representation of snow–perhaps for the snow scene in The Nutcracker–choose one of TheatreWorld’s snowflake patterned backdrops, like Stylized Snowflakes or Winter Solstice. Or, for a particularly elegant option, consider our gilded December backdrop. You don’t need a snow-covered landscape to put your audience in a frosty state of mind!
Snowy Central Park
Customers producing Elf need a backdrop to represent New York’s Central Park for the iconic scene where Buddy saves Christmas. We have two beautiful Snowy Central Park backdrops, but there’s no reason you can’t create your own Central Park on stage instead. Use set pieces to represent trees, benches, and some of the park’s iconic landmarks, like one of the iconic bridges. Then, layer them in front of any of TheaterWorld’s skyline backdrops. Some great choices are Stylized Manhattan, Lights of NYC, and New York Noire. As an added bonus, you can totally control both the perspective and the layout, giving you as much or as little room for blocking and choreography as you need.
If you’re less concerned about creating a realistic perspective, you can even use a street-level backdrop in the same way. Two particularly great options are Under the Bridge and Chicago Streets. You can then use these same drops for all the various New York street scenes throughout the show. Either way you go, it’s a win-win!
Santa Substitutions
There are a million ways to interpret Santa’s home and workshop, from a classic Christmas card style to a modern, industrial toy factory. If you favor a vintage interpretation of Santa’s workplace, our old-fashioned Olde World Toy Shoppe, Olde Time Candy Shoppe, or Olde Time Candy Shoppe – B bring all the nostalgia. Just add a Christmas tree, presents, and toys and you’ll have no doubt that we’re in Santa’s workshop! Another non-holiday choice straight out of the past is our plaster-walled Old World Cottage Interior. It definitely feels like it has been standing as long as St. Nick has been in business.
Similarly, consider a vintage, festive interior to represent Santa’s house. Our extremely cozy Quincy Manor Christmas, for example, is warm, classic, and all decked out for the holidays. This would be a particularly great option for a Santa meet-and-greet. Just add his comfy velvet chair and you’re good to go!
In contrast, take a super modern interpretation of Santa’s workshop and portray it as a contemporary factory. After all, only a large-scale manufacturing operation could create that many toys over the course of a year! Industrial yet colorful Chocolate Factory Interior and Hard Candy Chamber are two great non-holiday options. Or, for total blank canvas, add lots of Christmas-y set pieces to Vintage Warehouse – B for a Santa’s Workshop that looks exactly like YOU imagine it.
Land of Sweets
One of the most iconic images from The Nutcracker is Act II’s Land of Sweets. If you’re looking for something a little outside the box, yet still elegant, opt for Winter Terrace or Elsa’s Garden. Both backdrops are straight out of a Christmas fairytale! For a similar look that does not feature snow, choose lush and elegant Rose Terrace. The tall arches and thick rose bushes make it a perennial ballet favorite. For a bright backdrop that’s sure to engage the children in your audience, consider a Candyland or Willy Wonka backdrop. A few examples are Candyland Castle – A, Candyland Castle – B, Candyland Gumdrops, Chocolate Riverwalk, or Chocolate Valley. Or, of course, any of our palaces or ballrooms would be stunning, as would one of our luxurious foyers, like Paris Opera House Grand Foyer.
Nutcracker Party Scene
The Nutcracker opens in a beautiful home where a Christmas Eve gathering is taking place. While most customers gravitate towards our drops that feature holiday decorations already painted into the design, there’s no reason you can’t use a non-holiday backdrop and add your own holiday magic. Build set pieces and gather props that complement the design and bedeck them with your own holiday greenery. Just add your growing tree and you’ll have more holiday spirit on your stage than you’ll know what to do with!
Baroque Ballroom, Baroque Parlor, Baroque Dining Room, and Baroque Windows, with their gleaming polished woodwork and oversized windows, set a rich tone. The opulent Majestic Mansion Foyer and Grand Theatre Foyer – B are two extremely upscale options. Finally, consider using the non-holiday versions of our Victorian parlors, like Victorian Mansion Parlor or Victorian Parlor Night. Since the windows of these drops are dark, it’s easy enough to believe that it’s winter outside, even if there’s no crisp blanket of snow on the ground.
Bethlehem Backdrops
TheatreWorld designed a number of Bethlehem backdrops specifically for Nativity plays. However, any of our desert backdrops work just as wonderfully. Using a standard desert backdrop has many advantages, from allowing you to use a real glowing star to being able to shift easily between different locations by sliding set pieces in and out. Arabian City, Arabian City – Crescent Moon, and Arabian City at Dusk are all purple-toned nighttime desert drops that feature a distant city. These drops have great depth to play with! Ancient Middle Eastern Town is a daytime scene, but with the right lighting, you can create a nighttime look. Desert Night and Cloudy Crescent Moon are sprawling night sky backdrops feature little to no terrain, giving you total freedom to create whatever you envision for your interpretation of Bethlehem.
***
We encourage you to try something totally new this year and pick a non-holiday backdrop for your holiday shows! If you’re not convinced, give our customer service team a call. We’re happy to talk you through all of your options and find the best backdrop for your special event or production.
