Going Beyond the Script
Mean Girls Backdrops and Scenery Perspectives
Mean Girls is so fetch right now! This fun and fabulous musical (based on the beloved 2004 film) is back in the spotlight thanks to a brand-new film adaptation of the musical, which is playing in theaters now. The musical has a book by Tina Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and music by Jeff Richmond. It centers on Cady Heron, a teenage girl who transfers to a public high school after being homeschooled her whole life in Africa.
Thanks to the new film, a whole new generation of film and theatre fans are discovering Mean Girls. There’s never been a better time to present your own version of this millennial favorite and TheatreWorld has all the backdrops you need to do it right! Let’s jump into the wild kingdom of North Shore High.
Mean Girls – Act One
Welcome to North Shore
Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard introduce the audience to Cady Heron, a new student at North Shore High School, who recently moved to their Chicago suburb from Africa. Janis and Damian decide to help Cady as she tries to find her social group at North Shore. They explain all the cliques of high school, especially the social royalty they call “the Plastics”. The trio consists of Queen Bee Regina George, eager-to-please Gretchen Wieners, and Karen Smith, the stereotypical dumb blonde.
Curious about the new girl, Regina and her fellow Plastics invite Cady to eat lunch with them for the rest of the week. Damian and Janis encourage Cady to say yes to the Plastics and report back on everything they say.
School Backdrops
TheaterWorld has a wide selection of drops to help you present the delicate ecosystem of North Shore High School. For the halls of North Shore, consider High School Hallway, a classic public school thoroughfare with lockers, a water fountain, and other typical suburban high school trappings. For classroom scenes, especially calculus class, use Classroom Interior. Outdoor scenes need nothing more than School Exterior, a classic brick school facade with an American flag and a wide green lawn. For the cafeteria, choose either breezy Modern Loft Interior or all-American High School Gymnasium. Add rolling cafeteria tables and benches and you’ve got everything you need to represent the social epicenter of North Shore! Finally, for moments where Cady remembers her life in Africa, you can’t go wrong with African Sunrise.
Malls and Mathletes
In AP Calculus, Cady meets and falls instantly for the dreamy Aaron Samuels. Impressed, Kevin, head of the Mathletes, asks Cady to join the team. Regina puts down Kevin to make him leave and Cady appreciates Regina “protecting” her. Janis warns her that Regina is dangerous, but infatuated with her newfound power, Cady ignores her words.
The Plastics and Cady go to the mall. Gretchen asks Cady if she has met any boys she likes. Gretchen is horrified when Cady mentions Aaron because he is Regina’s ex-boyfriend, which makes him off-limits. The Plastics and Cady head to Regina’s house. Gretchen and Karen show Cady their old Burn Book, where they put photos of their classmates and write mean comments about them. They come across Janis’ photo in the book. Gretchen explains that she and Regina used to be best friends, but Janis freaked out when Regina didn’t invite her to her thirteenth birthday party and ended up in art therapy.
The Mall and Regina’s Home Backdrops
TheatreWorld’s Mall Interior backdrop is just the right backdrop for the scene where Cady gets schooled on girl world at the local mall. The fountain in the center of the food court is the perfect place for our Plastic queens to hold court. For Regina’s luxurious home, glam pink Sorority House Interior, with its double staircase and crystal chandelier, is fit for royalty. Finally, use Victorian Bedroom for Regina’s royal bedchamber.
Revenge Party!
The next day, in Calculus, after an awkwardly concealed verbal slip-up results in Aaron explaining a math problem to her, Cady concludes that, if she acts stupid, Aaron will help her and therefore talk to her more. Cady’s tactic works. Aaron invites her to his Halloween party. Cady is embarrassed when she shows up at the party in a scary costume instead of a sexy one like the other girls are wearing. Desperate for her approval, Gretchen snitches to Regina about Cady’s crush on Aaron. Regina decides to flirt with and manipulate Aaron until he agrees to get back together with her. Cady sees Aaron kissing Regina and is devastated.
Furious, Cady runs to Damian’s house and tells him and Janis what happened. They decide to get revenge on Regina together. First, they give her Kälteen Bars to make her gain weight. Next, they trick Gretchen by sending a fake Candy Cane Gram to Cady from “Regina” saying that they are now best friends. Devastated, Gretchen reveals Regina’s clandestine hook-ups with football player Shane Oman, among other secrets. Regina’s reign begins to slip when the Plastics perform a disastrous dance at the school talent show. When she breaks one of the Plastics’ arbitrary clothing rules, Cady bans her from sitting at their table. It’s the final straw: Regina is no longer Queen Bee and everyone is relieved to be free .
Aaron’s Party and Talent Show
For Aaron’s party, choose Elegant Living Room Interior, a contemporary, yet classic upper-middle class suburban home. For the talent show, have some fun with holiday backdrops. Some great choices include icy Snowy Christmas Tree Ridge, colorful Ice Skating Pond, and whimsical Winter Solstice. If you’d like a plainer choice that could also work in later scenes, opt for Royal Blue and Silver Drapes, a classic theatrical curtain.
Mean Girls – Act Two
There’s a New Queen Bee in Town
Following the winter break, Cady has undergone a complete makeover befitting of her new “Queen Bee” status. Cady tells Janis that she cannot attend her art show because she’s going out of town with her parents. Gretchen and Karen convince Cady to lie to her parents and throw a “small” party while they are away. Gretchen starts to notice similarities between her friendship with Regina and Cady.
Cady follows Gretchen and Karen’s advice and throws a party. However, as the night goes on, she grows intoxicated and crazy. When Aaron shows up, Cady admits she pretended that she was dumb to make him like her. Aaron says he liked the smart and kind Cady, not her new Plastic self. He leaves, but she chases after him. Outside, she runs into Janis and Damian, who have come to confront her after the art show. They tell Cady that she betrayed their trust accuse her of going full Plastic. Cady accuses Janis of being in love with her. Disgusted, Janis throws the winning picture from her art show at Cady: a painting of the three of them.
Cady’s House
Cady’s house should be more down-to earth and less opulent than that of her peers, to reflect her less materialistic upbringing. Quincy Manor Interior is a timeless, yet lovely foyer with classic art and furnishings. For something even more casual, choose Family Room Interior. Its slightly dated, yet comfortable decor and furniture make it a great choice for the Heron family home.
Regina’s Revenge, Remorse, and Amends
Regina discovers that she was not invited to Cady’s party and that the Kälteen Bars were the cause of her weight gain. She gets revenge by releasing the Burn Book, but not before after adding “Regina is a Fugly Cow” to it to take the blame off of herself. She throws copies of the Burn Book’s pages all over the school, revealing insults about everyone except Karen, Gretchen, and Cady. The junior class girls fight over the insults and the principal calls a mandatory assembly. Ms. Norbury tries to bring the girls together. Janis explains her philosophy to the school, empowering the girls to stand up for themselves . Regina storms out in anger and disbelief. Cady follows, trying to apologize, but Regina, distracted, is hit by a passing school bus.
The accident prompts Cady to reevaluate herself and realize what a monster she has become. She then learns Ms. Norbury is about to be fired due to a lie Cady wrote in the Burn Book. Cady takes the blame for the Burn Book, despite not having written the entire thing herself. She is suspended for three weeks and banned from the Spring Fling. When Cady returns to school, Ms. Norbury offers her a way to earn extra credit and save her grade: joining the Mathletes at the state championships. The team wins, and Cady feels redeemed. She sneaks into the Spring Fling with Aaron’s help. There, she runs into Regina, and they have a heart-to-heart and eventually make up.
Cady is elected Spring Fling Queen. Upon accepting the crown, she notices how fragile and cheap it is and breaks it into several pieces. She distributes them to each girl in attendance, telling them they are all “real, and rare”. She apologizes to Janis and Damian, and they move forward as friends once more. Cady, Damian, Janis, Gretchen, Karen, Aaron, and Regina join together, finally accepting each other.
State Championship and Spring Fling Backdrops
Ace the state championship scenes with one these great choices! To set the competition at a public school, choose Theatre Backstage or Red and Gold Drapes, both which capture the feel of a typical school auditorium. For more of a prep school aesthetic, opt for wood paneled Harvard Classroom. For the dance, Chromatic Rainstorm is a great choice to reflect the theme of acceptance and tolerance, but still brings a touch of glamour. Or, choose a more classic school dance look and use heavenly Starry Night – B or shimmering Stars Applique.
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With the help of TheatreWorld’s backdrops, your production of Mean Girls will make you the queen bee of your local theater scene! Our hand-painted backdrops are anything but plastic. We know you’ll love them! Call or create a Wishlist to begin the rental process for your own Mean Girls backdrop package today!
