Everything Needed For Curtains For Theatres And Large Windows

Cameo Curtains should be your first port of call when you are looking for stage curtains, as we are a leading manufacturer and installer in the UK. We produce every type of stage curtains that you will ever need, and also large curtains for many other venues such as large office entrance halls, schools, church halls, colleges, universities, and more.

We can manufacture your curtains from any type of fabric that you wish and it is always flame-retardant.

Many buildings other than theatres and cinemas require large curtains and we can produce them to any size needed. For instance, village halls often have large windows and may have to keep fit classes and wish to have curtains that will prevent passers-by from stopping to take a look. The same thing applies to many church halls.

Equally, church halls and others may have committee meetings in the evening in the winter and again need curtains for privacy. You may also want to block out sunlight for some purposes, and a tight cotton weave will do this very well. Another choice for large windows is velvet. This is a heavy material and because of its’ thickness blocks out light and can also help to absorb extraneous sound.

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A Brief History Of Theatre Equipment

Theatre equipment has been around for at least 2,500 years when in the 5^th century BC we know that the Greeks produced deus ex machina by which an actor could be lowered on to the stage. They later began to use movable scenery which was mounted on wheels. The Romans added traps which meant that actors or objects could spring out of the stage floor, and they also had pumping systems for outdoor theatres which could flood them for aquatic scenes.

Late in the 14^th century in Italy, engineers designed similar machinery for use in churches so that with a system of pulleys and ropes a whole cloud of angels singing could descend from heaven through the clouds. Further developments were made on the periaktoi devised by the Greeks which enabled scenery to be changed on movable prisms. In fact, stage equipment in Italy eventually became so complex that they had to invent the very decorative proscenium arch in order to keep it all out of sight.

Early Italian operas had sea scenes with waves made using spiral columns that were painted and turned slowly. Complex systems of wires and pulleys enabled gods and angels to fly across the sky, while monsters were operated by teams of men inside them. In the late 17^th century, Inigo Jones and Italian engineer Torelli produced a system for moving the wings so that scenery could be changed instantly. All of this became increasingly complicated and also expensive.

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The Purpose Of Blackout Curtains In A Theatre

When producing any sort of performance on stage in a theatre, directing the sound and light is critical. In order to make a dramatic impact as possible, the image must be framed in the right way.

Blackout curtains are used at the sides and rear of the stage outside the performance space in order to hide the offstage areas and equipment from the view of the audience. Known as borders and legs, these curtains are made from fabrics such as black wool serge which will prevent light from reaching the stage and in effect form the edges and rear of a black box. In addition, these curtains will also minimise any reflection from the light on the stage, and at the same time double as a sound barrier to deaden offstage sounds.

Black wool serge, in particular, is not only a light and sound suppressant, but is also inherently flame retardant, so it won’t need any form of chemical treatment as do many other materials. In addition, black wool serge is available in different weights, ranging from 300 grams per square metre (GSM) up to 1kg, although the curtain industry average is 500 GSM. Obviously, the heavier and thicker the material is, the better job it will do at suppressing light and sound.

Additionally, black wool serge curtains can be manufactured with a range of different pleats. A heavy and thick pleat will also help to dim or black out light completely, even if the fabric is unlined,

Large Curtains Of All Descriptions From Cameo Curtains

At Cameo Curtains our speciality is in making large curtains of all descriptions. Quite obviously, we manufacture and supply a lot of different types of theatre curtains, but there are many other buildings that have large windows that also need curtains, such as school halls, village halls, major office buildings with very large entrance halls, church halls, libraries, town halls, and so on. All of these are buildings to which the public has access and which from time to time require privacy, especially during the dark afternoons in winter when the lights are on inside.

At Cameo Curtains, we have the equipment necessary to handle these huge pieces of cloth and also a team of skilled machinists and seamstresses who know how to use it. Furthermore, when you are handling heavy velour’s they can be just that – heavy.

However, it is no problem for the team at Cameo Curtains. Whether you need village hall curtains for the front of the stage, Black Wool Serge Curtains, church stage backdrops, curtains for the windows of your school hall, or any other large curtains, Cameo has got you covered.

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What You Need To Know About Black Wool Serge Curtains

Wool serge fabric is made from sheep’s wool which has been woven to create a fabric that is very thick and dense, and very durable which makes it deal for stage curtains, especially for acoustic purposes.

Wool serge fabric is available in varying widths from 120cm up to 180cm and comes in varying weights as well. These are measured in grams per square metre (gsm) and can range from 300 gsm to 1kgsm. 

The industry average is 500 gsm. Wool serge also comes in a variety of colours, but the most common coloured curtains for stage work are black wool serge curtains.

Wool serge is a natural material and is inherently flame retardant without the need for use of any flame-retardant chemicals. It reaches the standard of BS5867 Part2B. This is fine for use as stage curtains, but if you want to use it for upholstery purposes then it has to be back-coated so that it complies with BS5852. If you are buying the fabric direct from a supplier, you should always ask if it is certified to the British Standard. If it is not, your insurance could be null and void in the event of a fire.

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Why Red Theatre Curtains?

As you sit in the auditorium of the theater waiting for the play to begin, have you ever wondered why the curtain between you and the stage is so often red? When you stop to think about it, there are so many red theatre curtains that it sometimes seems that theatre managements are completely unaware that there are actually other colours available.

The fact that there is a large curtain between the audience and the stage is that it provides a barrier between them and allows the audience to sit in awe wondering what the set will look like when the curtain goes up or opens. You have probably been to a play or show when there is a gasp of amazement from the audience when the curtain opens and displays a stunning set. It does what the title of a book should do and that is draw the readers in and keep them reading on.

Of course, the lowering of the curtain at the end of the scene simply shows that it is the end of that scene, and in the case of the last one the end of the play.

But why is the curtain so often red? There is actually an answer to it, and it is that the colour red in years gone by showed fire retardants the least. Today, of course, we have many different clear fire retardants, so it really doesn’t matter what colour the curtain fabric is, but it is the case that a red curtain has simply become traditional.

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Some Of The Options For Theatre Curtain Cleaning

It is a fact that theatre curtains do get dirty, especially if they are closed manually by a walkalong. However, even if they are closed electrically, they are still subject to dust and dirt from the auditorium, from scene-shifting, and from all the other activities that take place on a stage.

Both natural fabrics and synthetics will attract dust, but synthetics the more so because synthetics carry a sight electromagnetic charge – static – which is a dust magnet. Dust is not flame retardant.

The best option for curtain cleaning for curtains, cycs, legs, and so on, that are made of natural fibres – cotton, polycotton, linen, silk, jute – is dry cleaning. Natural fabric curtains have been treated with a fire retardant which is water soluble, so if you wash them, they will need to be retreated with flame retardant chemical spray again. Even dry cleaning will somewhat reduce the flame retardancy and some fabrics will need to be retreated after as little as three dry cleanings, while others may last for a dozen or more. It is necessary to test the fabric for flame retardancy after each cleaning.

Since flame retardant chemicals are affected by water, high changes in the humidity of the venue can also affect the flame resistance. For this reason, it is necessary to check the flame retardance periodically.

Synthetic drapery cleaning should be carried out at least once a year, and the best method is vacuuming. If you don’t want to clean curtains yourself, you can find a curtain cleaning service who will come and do it for you.