What Kind of Projector Should I Use?
The main thing to remember when looking for a projector is to use what you can. Don’t let anyone convince you that you need a giant budget or scare you away with overly technical terms. These things are often discouraging and can prevent you from doing the most important thing you can as a drama teacher or director: just get started!
Explore and be creative! In our experience, your best bet is to find a projector you have access to, load up a high-res image on a laptop, and experiment in your stage space. From there, you can look into renting or buying something that’s a little brighter than your typical school or office projector—because once you have one, you can use it over and over again with each production you do. And as technology continues to improve, great projection is becoming easier and less expensive.
One startup projector we’ve seen in action many times and really like is the Optoma Gaming Projector. (No, we’re not a sponsor!) You can buy a new one for around $600 on Amazon. The Optoma is bright enough for smaller spaces, easy to use, HD quality and has a short-throw lens—which means you only have to place it 8 or 9ft from your screen or cyc to get a 20ft wide x 12ft tall projected image. (That’s big enough to rock a stage! And, if you're trying to cover a big area, you can always use two. The images of course get larger the further away you set your projector.)
A lot of our clients have reported that they bought the Optoma, because it’s not only inexpensive, they can also use it for other things when not running a show. But we’d love to hear from you if you find another great projector! We will spread the word. We also recommend you try rear projection if you can, which is a great ‘how-to’ lesson for another day. Or, if you’re curious and want to chat, just shoot us a quick note.
Happy projecting and don’t forget to check out our projection design shop!
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12/3/2025 Update note: When we first started helping clients in community theatre, these really were the projectors we'd use just to get rolling.
If you have the budget, we'd really recommend a high lumen projector—something 5,000-10,000 lumens or above and a short-throw lens. This combo is going to cost you more, but if you are looking to invest in something you'd like to use on a number of shows over a number of years, you want something bright that produces a large image—something that won't get washed out easily by your theater lights.
I would still say this is a reasonable option for a school or theatre program that is working with a small to tiny budget and just wants to get going (and can control their stage and ambient light well), but there are a lot more options out there now. Please do reach out with any questions!
—Mitch
2 Responses
Jodi Burn
Fairly new theatre director in a high school. I am going to order two of the projectors you suggested. Building small scrims to project images from the back. I could use all the advice I can get! jodi.burn@cherokeek12.net
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Meagen Adams
September 14, 2025
High school theater director here, and very interested in projecting images onto our stage. Specifically, wanting to project ice (for Frozen) around the outside of the stage perimeter but also want a projector that is vertical for future shows. I have no background knowledge of projection systems and would love any help you could provide.