Theater drapes and stage curtains
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[edit] Stage Curtains and Theater Drapery
Theatrical softgoods - the stage curtains and theater drapery - are an often overlooked aspect to stagecraft.
If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between stage curtains and theater drapery types - such as Teasers, Tormenters, Border Curtains, or Theater Scrims - the stage curtain pictures and explanations provided below may help. You'll also find information on stage curtain fabric choices and curtain track selection.
The front curtain - known also as the grand drape, act curtain or house curtain - hangs just upstage of the proscenium arch and is used to close the acting area from the audience's view when the acting area is not supposed to be seen. There are several types of front curtains:
The braille curtain is suspended from the gridiron and either raised or lowered by a counter weight system in order to expose, or close, the stage.
The traveller curtain is composed of two sections of curtain suspended from a traveller track, allowing the curtain to part in the middle and pull offstage into the wings.
The "tab" or tableau curtain gathers the two sections of fabric up and to the sides and usually forms a draped effect when it is opened.
Typical Fabric Choices for a Grand Drape include 21oz or heavier Cotton or Synthetic Velour.
Track Recommendations for this type of application will vary depending on the style of drape chosen.
[edit] Stage Backdrop
See: Stage Backdrop Image (Flat Curtain, Often Used for Theatrical Scenery)
A standard stage backdrop or theatrical backdrop is made from flame retardant muslin, sewn without fullness. It has a strip of very heavy fabric, called webbing, across the top, which is studded with grommets. (Brass eyelets that are embedded into the fabric) Small pieces of tie-line are then fed through the grommets so that the drop can be tied to what ever will support it. Typically a drop will have a pipe pocket sewn onto the bottom to accept a pipe. The weight of the pipe will help to pull the drop flat.
For theatrical scenery, images and textures can be hand painted by a scenic artist or digitally printed. Either method may be combined with bobinette or scrim fabric to create a cut drop.
[edit] Traveler Curtain
See: Traveler Image (Often Two Overlapping Curtain Halves)
The conventional action of a Draw or Traveler Curtain is the drawing together of two curtain halves on two overlapping sections of track. The track guides the carriers, which are attached to the top edge of the curtain at about 1-foot intervals.
The draw line is fastened to the first or lead carrier which pushes or pulls the rest of the carriers to open or close the curtain. Sometimes a one-way traveler is needed, which means that instead of coming from opposite sides of the stage, the curtain is drawn on stage from one side on a single long track.
Typical Fabric Choices for a traveler curtain include Cotton or Synthetic Velour, Atlas Oxford, or Chevron Repp. While an upstage drape may sewn unlined, a main stage drape will usually be lined to help with opacity and add to the life of the drape.
Track Recommendations for this type of application include the Silent Steel 280 series and the Besteel 170 Series by ADC, and the 100 Series, 200 Series, and 400 Series by H&H Specialties.
[edit] Tableau Curtain
Tableu Curtain Image (Tab Curtain, Two Curtains Overlapping)
Like the Traveller, the Tableau Curtain is made up of two curtain panels hung, with center overlap, from a single batten. Each panel is lifted by a diagonal drawline attached to the central edge about a third of its height off the floor, that runs through rings on the back of the curtain to a pulley on the batten.
Typical Fabric Choices for a tab curtain include Cotton and Synthetic Velour. While an upstage tab drape may sewn unlined, a tab which will play downstage will usually be lined to help with opacity and add to the life of the drape.
Track Recommendations for this type of application include the Silent Steel 280 series and the Besteel 170 Series by ADC, and the 100 Series, 200 Series, and 400 Series by H&H Specialties. The "tab" motion of the drape will only work from the curtains closed position.
[edit] Contour Curtain
Contour Curtain Image (Full Curtain with Vertical Draw)
The Contour Curtain is made is a single panel with great fullness, usually about 200 percent of the curtain width. The curtain, which is made of thin or soft material to drape well, is tripped by a series of vertical draw lines attached to the bottom edge of the curtain and running through rings on the back to pulleys attached on the batten. By varying the lift on certain lines the bottom edge of the curtain takes on many different contours.
Typical Fabric Choices for a contour drape include Sparkle Satin and Iridescent Silky Charmeuse. For a spectacular piece consider metal boucle or liquid lame.
Track Recommendations for this type of application will vary depending on the number of lift lines and whether they are motorized or not. A decorative set piece that is not intended to move can be rigged with fixed lines from a batten and will not require any track.
[edit] Austrian / Braille Curtain
See Austrian Curtain Image (Front Curtain, Vertically Lifted)
The Front Curtain in a no-loft stage is sometimes rigged as a Braille curtain to achieve a faster and more-desirable lifting action than the slower motion of a traveller curtain. In this case the amount of lift on each drawline is equal, eliminating the need for the abnormal fullness of a contour curtain. When in its lowered/closed position, a braille curtain will simply hang with the look of a regular drape with fullness. The lift lines will be strategically and evenly placed on the back side of the drape on the seams.
To add a decorative quality the curtain may have horizontal fullness added by gathering material on the vertical seams, thereby producing a series of soft swags. Best known as an Austrian curtain. The image to the left shows an Austrian Curtain being raised.
Typical Fabric Choices for a brail or Austrian drape include Cotton or Synthetic Velour, Sparkle Satin and Iridescent Silky Charmeuse.
Track Recommendations for this type of application will vary depending on the number of lift lines. A motorized system is necessary for this type of drape and will require installation space and electrical elements to be positioned by a licensed contractor.
[edit] Teaser/Tormentors
Teaser and Tormentor Image (Horizontal and Vertical Masking Pieces)
Within certain limits the size of any proscenium arch can be altered by using a Teaser and Tormentors. The Teaser is a horizontal masking border usually made of the same material as the front curtain. It is attached to a batten and suspended just upstage of the main curtain. The exposed area above settings of different heights can be masked by raising or lowering the teaser.
Typical Fabric Choices for a teaser include Cotton or Synthetic Velour or whatever fabric the related Grand Drape has been manufactured of.
The tormentors are vertical masking pieces usually of plain "flat / framed" construction, placed on either side of the proscenium opening just upstage of the teaser. They are usually covered in black velour or painted scenery canvas and are used to reduce or reveal the full width of the proscenium arch as needed to fit each setting.
Typical Fabric Choices for a tormentor include Black Cotton Velour and Black Commando Cloth .
[edit] Legs / Border
Legs and Border Image (For Masking, Additional Stage Depth)
Additional stage depth and masking of technical equipment is achieved by the placement of multiple sets of Legs and a Border. While they serve much the same purpose as the teaser and tormentors, they are usually always of standard drapery construction and are used to reduce or reveal the full width of the proscenium arch as needed to fit each setting.
While legs and borders can be manufactured without a lining, for maximum opacity and longevity of drapery it is recommended that they be lined. The lining will help to prevent any damage to the face fabric by set pieces that may come into contact with the back side of the drape. Additionally, a lining will slow the process of the fabric becoming brittle when exposed at close proximity to stage lights.
Typical Fabric Choices for legs and borders include Cotton or Synthetic Velour. For an economy masking drape with reasonable opacity consider 16oz Commando Cloth, Arlas Oxford, or Nassau Chevron Repp.
Track Recommendations for this type of application include the Silent Steel 280 series and the Besteel 170 Series by ADC, and the 100 Series, 200 Series, and 400 Series by H&H Specialties.
Borders which are not intended to move may be rigged directly to a batten or pipe.
[edit] Scrim
Scrim or Transparent Curtain Image (Transparent Stage Curtain)
A Scrim is a commonly used piece of stage curtain magic. Due to the scrim fabric’s unique capabilities, when lit correctly from the front, a scrim appears opaque. When the front light is turned off, however, and objects behind the scrim are lit, the fabric appears transparent.
Sharkstooth scrim fabric, with its rectangular weave is dense enough to provide a dye-painting surface and still become transparent when back-lit, therefore making it an extremely versatile piece of stage scenery.
[edit] Cyclorama
Cyclorama Image (Cyc, Largest Piece of Scenery)
The largest single piece of scenery in the theatre is the Cyclorama or "cyc". As the name Cyclorama (theater) implies, it encircles or partially encloses the scene to form the background. Its most familiar use is as a sky or void backing a setting or elements of scenery placed in the foreground. The flat background of the cyclorama blends into the sides in a gentle arc and is kept smooth by fastening the tielines to both a top and bottom curved pipe. Occasionally it is painted with a decorative or pictorial scene to fit a specific show.
Typical Fabric Choices: As seams tend to interrupt the smooth surface of the cyclorama it is usually recommended that it be made from extra-wide muslin so that it can be of seamless construction. Leno filled scrim is also a popular choice for cyclorama curtains. It is similar in construction to sharkstooth scrim, but the spaces within the threads have been filled in. This helps to soften and diffuse reflected light and blend light from various light sources providing smooth soft transitions.
Track Recommendations for this type of application will usually be for a rolled Schedule 40 pipe with Spigots for dead hung installation onto a batten for trim flexibility. A second identical pipe should be rolled for insertion into the bottom hem (pipe pocket) of the cyc. Only rarely will a cyclorama be hung on a one way track for storage to the side. Leaving the cyclorama in a stored position for extended periods causes vertical wrinkles that can obscure the smooth effect usually provided by the seamless surface.
