Any productions that would be improved with projections?

Speaking as one of the people who hated the screens in Anastasia (and to a lesser extent, in Mean Girls):

There are tons of appropriate, tasteful, and highly creative ways to use projections and LED screens. For me, it largely depends on the setting for the show, in conjunction with the amount that it's being used, and whether it's being used as a crutch, or as an essential storytelling tool. A show like Curious Incident (to use a common example) is able to use a ton of projections because it's built into the storytelling concept in a brilliant way. And then there are shows like Wicked, which only uses projections in a subtle way, and it's well-integrated into the lighting design so that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. But something like Anastasia? Set in the 1800s (or whatever)? The projections feel garish and distracting.

I also hate when projections/screens are used as a substitute for the storytelling tools in film, especially when it's a show adapted from a movie. Because at a certain point, I find myself thinking: if you're just going to use these screens to make this feel like a movie, why did you bother adapting this for the stage in the first place? (usually, the answer is just: $$$)

For those reasons, I have to confess that I don't think I would enjoy the production of Tangled you're imagining. I do like idea of creating a contrast between a LED set and a real set - I actually think that's a pretty creative way to use projections as a legitimate storytelling tool for the stage. I just don't think it would be a good fit for Tangled, personally, because of the world/time period it's set in. I also don't like the idea of telling backstory through projections, because again, now you're just in film territory. Unless the images are projected onto the physical set in a way that feels seamless, so that it seems like the paintings on the (physical) wall are coming to life.

Updated On: 1/18/21 at 06:16 PM

Not that I WANT these productions to use projections, as I love them because they don't rely on them, but I've always wondered what a production of PHANTOM or WICKED would be like if they were just beginning development today.

Granted, I hated the new US tour of Phantom, but they didn't use projections.

If there is anyone that did projections tastefully, I think it's Frozen. I did not realize that the backdrops were screens and they still had huge physical set pieces. I'm not sure if it's because the brightness on it is not very high, but they looked very real. However, I wasn't fond of the projection mapping on the proscenium. I think Harry Potter did a better job at that.

Call_me_jorge said: "Add An American In Paris as a show that used projections in a creative way, the projection designer was even awarded the tony award for best scenic designer that year."



To be fair, it's pretty much standard nowadays that if a show uses a ton of projections/screens, they will usually get joint-eligibility with the scenic designer. And for a show like An American In Paris, which also used real sets, it's tough to say which design element they really had in mind when voting.

For my money, I thought the use of projections in the show could have been much worse - definitely one of the better examples of a period show using projection. But I didn't love it.

NameGreg said: "Another great moment with projections is the act one finale of Sunday in the Park with George where after all the actors have gone in place, they reveal the actual painting which fits perfectly."



They achieved this effect without projections in the original production.

There are some new projections that were added for the national tour of The Band's Visit ("Something Different" and "Answer Me". I found them to be very much story-driven and effective.

JBroadway said: "Speaking as one of the people who hated the screens in Anastasia (and to a lesser extent, in Mean Girls):

There are tons of appropriate, tasteful, and highly creative ways to use projections and LED screens. For me, it largely depends on the setting for the show, in conjunction with the amount that it's being used, and whether it's being used as a crutch, or as an essential storytelling tool. A show like Curious Incident (to use a common example) is able to use a ton of projections because it's built into the storytelling concept in a brilliant way. And then there are shows like Wicked, which only uses projections in a subtle way, and it's well-integrated into the lighting design so that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. But something like Anastasia? Set in the 1800s (or whatever)? The projections feel garish and distracting."

YES to all of this.