Stagecraft Chapter 5: Soft Goods- Curtains and Drops

Soft Goods

This term is often used to identify or indicate scenery made from fabric, as opposed to wood or steel. This includes different types of curtains intended for use in specific situations.

Drapes

Usually made from opulent fabrics such as velvet or velour. This term is used interchangeably with curtains.

Drops

Usually rendered/made on scenic muslin and are essentially large paintings. They are flat, with no folds or pleats.Most of the time these are used as coverings of the entire stage picture as a background.

Fullness

A gathering of the material of the soft goods to make it thicker and make it disappear in light even more. Looks more attractive and finished than when hung flat. This is expressed in percentage of fabric folded back on itself, or how much longer material is than pipe length it takes up.

Webbing

Strong fabric woven as a flat strip, or tube in varying widths for use in place of rope. It is a versatile component, used in many fields where strength and safety is needed. Traditionally this material is made of jute, it is 3.5 inches wide and comes on a roll that is 72 yards long and very inexpensive. There is a newer type made from polypropylene, and although it is only 3 inches wide, it is stronger and more superior in all aspects.

Grommet

These protect the fabric and webbing from tearing when you pull on a tie line. These should be placed one inch from the top of the webbing because any closer to the edge and they could tear out. Placing them in the center of the webbing would leave too much fabric at the top. The standard size to use is the #2. You will need a #2 sized one of these for the whole cutter and setter for your purpose.

Pipe Pocket

Opening at the bottom of a drop to hold a pipe. Made from separate pieces of muslin and sewn to the bottom of the drop. It will add several inches to the finished height with a couple of inches taken away by seams, so that the finished product will most likely be only one or two inches larger than the ideal.

Chain Pocket

Pocket at the bottom of a soft good in which chain is enclosed.

Grand Drape/Main

This refers to a curtain hung in front of the stage to separate the stage from the auditorium. Often a decorative, very plush curtain made so as this may be the only item the audience has to look at while awaiting for the show to begin. It may also have a matching decorative valence at the top of the main rag, as noted in stagehand slang. They are almost always sewn with lots of fullness that gives a more opulent appearance.

Legs

These mask the offstage space or wings. They are tall but not usually very wide. They should be at least several feet taller than the proscenium opening, but not so tall that the bottoms do not clear sight lines when they are flown all the way out.

Tormentors

A curtain or framed structure behind the proscenium at both sides of the stage, for screening the wings from the audience.

Borders

They mask the overhead space of a stage. They are generally wider than they are tall.

Teasers

A drapery or flat piece across the top of the proscenium arch that masks the flies and that, together with the tormentors, forms a frame for the stage opening.

Traveler (Mid/ Mid-stage)

They open a curtain sideways across the stage on a track, usually parting in the center. This is a good way to overcome a lack of overhead space, when the stage house isn't tall enough to fly curtains all the way out.

Tab Curtain

These improve sight lines by hanging on the sides of the stage, preventing the audience from seeing into the wings. This is very common in theaters where the seating is very wide and that width creates problematic sight lines. The name for these are used for several different types of curtains, in this case referring to a short traveler that runs up and downstage between two leg and border sets. These are most commonly used across in one position, because that's where the sight lines are usually the worst. They are hung on a track, typically at a slight angle, allowing gravity for more automatic closure.

Velour

Drapes are usually made from this opulent fabric. This fabric often adds weight and is very heavy, helping the curtains to hang straight.

Duvetyn

This is a less expensive substitute for heavier fabrics, it has a nappy textural surface, but no actual pile. The nappy surface helps to trap light, making the drape non-reflective and less obtrusive. Black is the most popular color for all stage drapes, because it absorbs the most light. These drapes belong to a certain theater style and are sometimes called the "house rags."

Muslin

The most common theatrical fabric. It is a lightweight, all cotton fabric that creates an excellent painting surface. It is often used for backdrops and cycloramas. It is also used to cover the surface of soft covered flats, although when very high strength is required, shops may also use canvas for this purpose.

Scrim

This is the most popular of a variety of net-type fabrics used in the theater. They used to be referred to as the sharks tooth ___________ because of its open weave structure. These days they have a rectangular weave instead of tiny triangular shapes. They are used in a variety of ways and can be painted or used as toner for cyc's and other drops. They are also utilized to create a materializing effect of a person or object, such as in the ghost of Hamlet's father. Variations in light intensity are used to create variations in the opacity of it's fabric.

Selvage Edge

A "self-finished" edge of fabric, keeping it from unraveling and fraying.

Drop/Backdrop

Painted or printed backgrounds designed for a specific purpose. They are usually rendered on scenic muslin and are essentially large paintings. They are flat without folds or pleats and they cover the entire stage picture as a background. But they can also have an edge that has been trimmed to an interesting profile as a cut drop, forming a portal or an opening to the upstage. They may also have textural material stuck on them for 3-D effects. But they are always painted representations of something or somewhere.

Cyc (Cyclorama)

Some theaters are equipped with a batten that curves around the entire stage area, rather than from side to side. The two arms of this run up and downstage at the offstage ends of a regular pipe. If it is meant to be lit, in order to create a sky effect, which it usually is, AKA as the sky ____________.

Bleed Through

This is used to change from one screen to another by means of lighting effects. A painted backdrop scrim is lit from the front, so that the painting on it is visible, as well as the actors who are standing in front of it. This effect is created by fading light down on the front of the scrim while simultaneously fading light up on the screen behind it.

Scrim Bleed

When light strikes the ____________, the ____________ reflects this light and appears as a solid object. At night, when no light reflects off the _____________, it tends to disappear and anything lit inside the house becomes visible.

Flame Retardant

Fabrics which are chemically treated to be slow burning or self-extinguishing when exposed to an open flame. These fabrics can be made from any material, but they must be treated with special chemicals to qualify as this.

Resistant

A material that is inherently resistance to catching fire (self-extinguishing) and does not melt or drip when exposed directly to extreme heat.

Retardant

A material that has been chemically treated to self-extinguish. There are many textiles that can be "treated."

Treated FR fabrics are often heavier in weight than inherent FR fabrics.

True.

Inherently Flame Retardant

Lasts for the life of the fabric, as the fire retardant is woven into the fabric.

Durably Flame Retardant

Fabrics that meet a self-extinguishing standard and are labeled so by the manufacturer.

Non-Flame Retardant

The fabrics are woven from threads that do no meet fire codes, but have been topically treated with flame retardant chemicals so that the end product meets fire safety codes. But prior to the treatment, the fabric was designated as this standard.

Hanging- Bow Ties

Used to tie drapes/drops to a batten with this type of tie ONLY. No other tie is acceptable.

Stretching

Hanging a pipe or chain on the bottom of a drape or drop to smooth creases.

Tripping

Involves using a second batten to fly out the bottom of the drop. On rare occasions, a drop will be sewn with a special pipe pocket, half way down that is intended from the get go to be used for this. This is done when the design of the show calls for a drop that is extra ordinarily tall and unlikely to fit anywhere. Therefore, most commonly a second method is employed when it suddenly apparent that the drop just won't fit.

Dead Hanging

Anywhere a piece of scenery or curtain is suspended in such a way that it cannot travel up and down as in a conventional fly system. Although it is possible to hang objects in this manner in a theatre with fly space, it almost never happens. Instead, this hang is typically found in smaller theatres, like the gymnocafe auditoriums at many small public schools. There, all of the drapery and other soft goods are permanently hung from the low ceiling. These are predominantly found in theatres with no fly loft or formal grid.

Opera Clamp

This hangs/mounts to the top pipe on which a drop/cyc is hanging. If the drop/cyc has a bottom pipe, the clamps (spaced evenly along the top pipe) can pickup the bottom pipe allowing the drop to use half the height to get out of sightlines. Very useful in houses with less then adequate grid height. Care must be taken to not gather too much fabric when you clamp the bottom pipe, else the clamp can pinch and tear the drop.

Austrian Curtain

This type of drape has a series of small nylon lift lines, evenly spaced across the back of the curtain. Each lift line feeds through a number of small rings sewn onto the back of this curtain. As the lift lines are pulled upward, the drape gathers itself from the bottom, creating several small swags as it rises. This curtain is sewn with many small horizontal pleats to enhance the effect.

Roll Drop (Oleo Curtain)

These curtains are for dealing with a low overhead and were quite popular in the days of vaudeville. It has an actually painted drop like a show curtain. A large round tube is attached to the bottom, with ropes at either side of the tube that pull it up and roll it at the same time. The drop rolls up on the tube as it rotates. A full stage version requires a very large diameter bottom tube for two reasons. First because of the distance the tube must span without sagging, and also because the large diameter of the tube makes it possible for the drop to roll easily, even if it is relatively stiff from being painted several times.

Cut Drop

A scenic drop which is cut away more or less to allow the scenery behind it to be seen through the opening. Hangs where the legs or portals would typically be placed on stage, and typically is used to resemble foliage or trees within a forest setting.

Scenic Netting

Used to fill large cutouts and gaps in theatrical drops.

Folding Drops

Fold hot dog (lengthwise) bottom to top usually three times, then fold the ends to the middle three times, leaving a gap.

West Coasting

Quicker way of storing fabric (short-term), fabric is piled up in stage hands' arms and then put in a hamper.

Hamper

Stores and protects drapes, canvases, etc.

Traveler Track

The most popular type of low overhead curtain moving device. It consists of a metal channel, and the rollers that fit into it. The curtain is tied to chains and extended downward from the rollers. A pull rope is used to drag the rollers, and thus, the curtain from side to side.

Master Carrier

This is what the onstage leading edge of the curtain is attached to, it has four wheels, rather than two and is substantially larger than the single ___________. It has a clamp on the side, so that the operating line can be securely connected to it. When the operating line moves the apparatus, it pulls everything else along with it. Also known as a rope that works together with the carriers to make the backdrop move/travel.

Carrier(s)/"Trucks"

Used to hang curtains, 1 per ft. of curtain. a wheeled assembly that is supported by and rolls along the inside of a horizontal metal channel or track. Also known as a rope that works together with the master carrier to make the backdrop move/travel.

Live-End Pulley

The active or load carrying end. The front side of the track in which the curtain hangs. It has two sheaves on it, one to change the direction of the rope when it goes down to the floor, and another to do the same when it passes back up to the track.

Dead-End Pulley

The back side of the track in which the curtain hangs. When the operating line passes back over the second sheave in the live-end pulley, it shoots straight down to this. At the opposite end of the track not touching any of the carriers. Here the line reverses direction back to the master carrier, where it is held fast by the clamp.

Floor Pulley

Pulley mounted at the floor to hold a rope or cable in position and to reverse its direction.

End Stop

This is used to keep the carriers from running off the end of the track, it is also a handy place to secure the offstage end of the curtain.

Eye Bolt

A bolt with a loop at one end used to firmly attach securing eye to a structure.

Bi-Parting Curtain

Also known as "Travelers" these types of curtains are the most common moving curtains found on a stage. These curtains are also known as "draw curtains." They are constructed in two halves that split at the center and open by each half traveling horizontally off stage. These may operate manually, or they may feature motorized operation. Regardless of the operating system, they are relatively inexpensive.