ABSTRACT
In 1957 projection screens were used for the first time in the Broadway production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as background projection. Erwin Piscator developed the medium in the 1920s using movie projectors. The Kodak Carousal could hold 80–140 35 mm slides and was introduced in 1962. Video projectors using LED tiles became commercially available in the 1980s. Single background projection screens can now be as large as 60 × 20 ft with additional floor projections of 70 ft. The quality of the images is different even between the type of projection screen material. The most successful productions find a balance between the projected material and the light direction and intensity. Another key issue for LED tiles is matching frame rate. Theatre is probably the one medium needing the most subtle of balance between the projection, screen material, and actors. The projections need to move the story along, not dominate the action.
