Homemade Backdrop on a Very Tight Budget

[jdartfan]

Hello all! I'm part of a community theatre organization in my hometown. We are relatively new; our first major production will be this summer. Now, our current budget is pretty tight. We have about 900 dollars in the bank (we hope to get some more through fundraising). For the show, a large portion, if not all, of the budget will go towards the location, show rights, and musicians. This leaves me, the set designer, with a dilemma. I've had some experience in scenic painting, so I figured a single painted backdrop would be more cost effective than constructing sets. Well, after a little research, I discovered that buying a professional-grade blank backdrop would blow our budget. I'm in desperate mode now, so I was considering using a canvas dropcloth from a home improvement store. The biggest size is around 12'x15'. Our space will most likely be small, so I'm hoping it'd fit. It's tacky, unprofessional, and risky, I know, but I have to be creative. What do you think about this? Any alternative ideas?

 

[Van]

A very good theatre here in Portland recently did a production in which all their backdrops were made of sewn together Home Depot canvass drop cloths and it, apparently, looked great. Cheesy? Yes. Cost effective and works in a pinch ? Heck Yes !

 

[jdartfan]

I guess there's hope then! Now the issue of hanging arises... I think I could add grommets to the top, but where it would actually be hung (ie batten, ceiling, pipe, etc.) depends on the space. Thanks for the advice!

 

[kicknargel]

You may do better to build/stitch the backdrop yourself the traditional way. Medium weight muslin is about $7/yd at 120" wide from a theatrical supply. Search CB for instructions on how to build it--I think I wrote it up once upon a time.

 

[josh88]

I second a drop cloth. I did a tour this summer that needed a small drop in a pinch and I had a nice canvas drop cloth from Home depot and it worked wonderfully. Sure not the best option but I had no complaints about how it looked

 

[len]

Check out the fabric suppliers, Rose, Dazian, Sewwhat, and the hundreds more, who often have specials, closeouts, etc. Make sure whatever is fire rated or is treated.

Maybe contact another theater company that has a backdrop for sale. You could reverse it and paint it?

 

[gafftaper]

Yeah, I've purchased remnants from Rose Brand at significant discounts before. Give them a call you never know what you'll find.

 

[chausman]

I'd also try contacting any other local theater groups, and seeing if they have one you could use. Depending on what you need it to look like, they might already have one. Then you wouldn't even need to paint it.