Rising Curtain
Fri, 5 Oct 2001, 10:55 amDon Allen6 posts in thread
Rising Curtain
Fri, 5 Oct 2001, 10:55 amFred Petersen has finally got his rising curatin installed at the Garrick Theatre in Guildford in time for his next production of Let's Kill Agatha Christy which opens next week. Fred says this is the first amateur theatre in Perth to have a rising curtain fitted so come along and have a look.
RE: Rising Curtain
Sun, 7 Oct 2001, 01:47 am I presume he is talking about the ‘House - Curtain’.
If so - I am Sorry Fred! It was used many years ago and I have done it since, for a number of amateur productions.- The old ‘Theatre Guild’, which was at the top end of Hay Street -just over Milligan Street, in the sixties - had a rising curtain, as you termed it {the Guild was an amateur theatre}, as flying was not possible with the gable roof space they had. The curtain could also be used as a contoured type that could be lifted in different shapes, either manually or motorised - It was very effective yet rather primitive in construction by today’s standards. It was built by Don Ellement (if my memory serves me - Coralie's brother I think?) It was drawn up via 16 separate wires weighted at the tail through fair-leads attached to the curtain, drawn through pulleys that were fixed at the top of the house curtain’s head batten. These were then pulled by another batten which was suspended in the gable ceiling void, above the audience, then winched towards the rear of the auditorium. The motor was upstage OP side (to reduce noise) and a cable was routed through to the back of the auditorium with pre-set ‘deads’, which were adjustable, to give auto shut off to the motor. It was also possible to adjust each line to give different shaping to the curtain for particular shows. Much the same effect as the ‘Halls -Contoured Curtains’ found in Britain. We did devise a method, via a small modification, it could be also drawn as in a tabulating curtain effect, if the script required it.
I have used a similar method for raising ‘dead - hung’ leg drops, cloths and even a swing where ‘flying’ is impossible because of no loft space and/or being restricted by the roof.
Good on ya’ Fred, for doing something which is not the ‘norm’ - but as for the first time???? - Sorry - might be just the first time at your theatre.
Joe McCabe
If so - I am Sorry Fred! It was used many years ago and I have done it since, for a number of amateur productions.- The old ‘Theatre Guild’, which was at the top end of Hay Street -just over Milligan Street, in the sixties - had a rising curtain, as you termed it {the Guild was an amateur theatre}, as flying was not possible with the gable roof space they had. The curtain could also be used as a contoured type that could be lifted in different shapes, either manually or motorised - It was very effective yet rather primitive in construction by today’s standards. It was built by Don Ellement (if my memory serves me - Coralie's brother I think?) It was drawn up via 16 separate wires weighted at the tail through fair-leads attached to the curtain, drawn through pulleys that were fixed at the top of the house curtain’s head batten. These were then pulled by another batten which was suspended in the gable ceiling void, above the audience, then winched towards the rear of the auditorium. The motor was upstage OP side (to reduce noise) and a cable was routed through to the back of the auditorium with pre-set ‘deads’, which were adjustable, to give auto shut off to the motor. It was also possible to adjust each line to give different shaping to the curtain for particular shows. Much the same effect as the ‘Halls -Contoured Curtains’ found in Britain. We did devise a method, via a small modification, it could be also drawn as in a tabulating curtain effect, if the script required it.
I have used a similar method for raising ‘dead - hung’ leg drops, cloths and even a swing where ‘flying’ is impossible because of no loft space and/or being restricted by the roof.
Good on ya’ Fred, for doing something which is not the ‘norm’ - but as for the first time???? - Sorry - might be just the first time at your theatre.
Joe McCabe
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