Please be patient with me - I'm new to theater props and backdrops.

Our library has a children's play each year.  We have been using large wooden flats for our backdrops up until now, but have run out of space to store them.  I am looking for a way to replace them with something that is much lighter and can be broken down.

My initial impulse is to build frames from PVC pipe and put muslin over them.  Is that the best low-price, easy-to-store way to handle this?  If we paint the muslin, what type of paint should we use (something that won't crack if we roll up the sheets)?  It looks like fabric paint would be too expensive for us, since the backdrops tend to be fairly large.

Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks!

Jesse

if you use scenic paints (ie rosco) you shouldn't have any problem with rolling your drops, though they can get a little stiff. Alternatively you can use dyes for even less difficulty.

Until you get a bazillion coats of paint on the muslin, and don't put texture treatments or heavy spots into the painting techniques, you should be able to roll your muslin on carpet tubes and store them until the next show. If you are painting one location, then loading in at your performance space, the larger in diameter the roll, the better.  If you paint in place each year, then go ahead and roll or fold the muslin to it's smallest dimensions for storage purposes.  You will eventually need to replace the muslin, and you will need to be very careful inserting and removing your PVC framework.