Mobile Tradition Expands Its Horizons

Since 1961, Playhouse in the Park has served as a cornerstone of Mobile, Alabama’s local arts scene. For 42 years, Managing Director Danny Mollise and his wife, Pam Mollise, Scene Designer, have built and hand-painted sets to support their busy calendar featuring multiple musicals and straight plays each year. 

When the organization expanded beyond youth theatre to invite the broader community onto its stage, the scale of their productions grew. Staging four major productions annually meant finding a scenic solution that could deliver high visual realism without burning out their scenic design team or overstretching their budget. 

Breaking the Rental Cycle 

For years, the only alternative to hand-painting was renting backdrops—a costly burden for production runs lasting four to five weeks. Renting meant spending thousands of dollars only to ship the artwork back at the end of every show, all while facing strict rental windows that often prevented using the drops during early dress rehearsals.

 To break this cycle and build a permanent inventory, visual quality and versatility were non-negotiable. The theatre needed backdrops that could adapt to vastly different storylines—from the classic settings of The Sound of Music and Babes in Toyland to a dramatic laboratory environment for Frankenstein—without sacrificing artistic standards.

Playhouse in the Park partnered with Theatre Scenes after making the decision to begin buying their backdrops, transitioning from temporary rentals to permanent customizable purchases. The Theatre Scenes team collaborated closely with the theatre to modify designs to match their exact stage vision, establishing a cooperative, accessible relationship from start to finish.

Built for the Stage, Stored in Seconds

Beyond appearance, the backdrops were crafted to support practical stage management and long-term reuse. Designed for effortless handling during load-in and tech week, the backdrops allowed the crew to set up striking environments in a fraction of the time.

This ease of use directly impacted operations, with Mollise highlighting the exceptional speed, design quality, and customer support provided throughout the project. The resulting stage setups knocked audiences out and gave the cast and crew a professional backdrop to perform against. Instead of storing bulky set pieces or returning expensive rentals, Playhouse in the Park simply folded the drops into boxes and packed them away, ready to be pulled out and reused across future show cycles.

Stopping the Rent Drain

Investing in owned backdrops permanently transformed the theatre’s financial outlook. Running four show cycles a year with four-to-five-week runs, the recurring cost of renting temporary drops added up quickly. By purchasing high-quality drops that could be repurposed across different shows, the theatre turned recurring rental fees into long-term assets.

The customized backdrops elevated stage presence while keeping production expenses manageable. Mollise praised the affordability and craftsmanship, noting that the pricing allows them to begin building a permanent scenic collection without straining their budget. 

Standing Ovation for Service 

Executing detailed scenic changes under strict production deadlines required absolute reliability and service. Mollise highlighted the Theatre Scenes team as the "nicest, most cooperative people" who were always available to help and provided exceptional speed throughout the process. 

For Playhouse in the Park, the partnership delivered more than just backdrops. It gave their community stage a professional edge that will captivate audiences for years to come.