Suspended worlds

historic theater scenery in northern New England

Plot

A unique look at an overlooked element of the American fabric-the ambitious murals that have served as the backdrops for decades of Yankee entertainment. In small-town New England, long before television and the internet, the prevailing custom was to provide your own entertainment, often in the form of a performance at the local grange or Town Hall. Since there wasn't much money for costumes or props, the plays relied on all-purpose scenic backdrops-painted canvases of local scenes and interest. And they were glorious. Many of these minor masterpieces of vernacular art still survive and are presented in all their glory in this richly illustrated book celebrating the colorful and memorable painted curtains that graced the stages of countless New England towns. A remarkable team of conservators from "Curtains Without Borders" has overcome a century of dirt, damage, and neglect to restore hundreds of these historic theater curtains to their rightful place at the center of community life. This book presents exquisite photographs of these enormous pieces of art that have been hidden in plain sight.