Ask A Pro - Featured Pro

1. We run a drama program in a grade school with a limited budget, and use a stage at one end of our gym.  We would like to start to build a "wardrobe" of basic curtains. Right now, we just have a black scrim that allows us to block off the back of the stage for quick scene changes, and a blue rain curtain for high impact musical numbers. What should the next "basic" purchase be that would get the most use?

Given school  budget constraints, we would suggest a split traveler blackout drop as your next purchase. This will serve much the same purpose as you are currently filling with your scrim, but will be more opaque, more versatile, and less susceptible to damage. I would recommend getting two panels, each to cover half of the stage. If you have, or can afford a traveler track, this will allow you to open and close the traveler, to reveal scenes behind it, or to set a new scene while the program continues in front of the traveler. 

In an ideal world with less budget limitations, you would also have a front traveler—a Main Curtain—at the extreme downstage point of your stage. You would use this closed to mask the entire stage and open to reveal scenes, etc. Next we would add either a mid-stage or an up-stage split traveler. After that, you might consider legs and borders.

(Side note: we worked with one school that wanted to have the ability to ‘flex’ their split traveler curtain between a mid-stage position and an upstage position. However, they couldn’t afford two tracks i.e., neither the time nor personnel to move the curtain from one position on the stage to another. To solve this, we installed four sections of track channel running up/down stage, each about ten feet long and parallel with one another. We then put a traveling device, known as a Rotodraper, into each section of track (although a modified scenery carrier would have worked as well). Then we suspended a split traveler track from these devices. Now that school has a full-stage split traveler curtain that can play mid-stage, upstage, or at any point in between. The traveler track simply rolls along the track channel that runs up/down stage to the spot where they want it to play.)

2. I sometimes find myself working in venues without strong beams that can support the hanging of scrims or cycs.  These places require temporary fixtures for any theatrical productions because they are used for other purposes such as cultural centers or multi-purpose rooms.  Do you have any suggestions on portable equipment I can use to hang scrims, or backdrops?

Ground support structures are best for these types of venues.  Pipe and base can provide a ground supported structure that can be as high as 22’-0”. This type of structure will have multiple vertical support poles, so if you need a clear span instead, then you may need to consider a floor supported truss structure. Truss will take up more room, take more time to put together, and cost more than the pipe and base system.

3. What really is the difference between scrims and cycs?  Are they made of different fabrics?  When would you use each?

The real difference between a cyc and a scrim? Think backdrop vs. bleedthrough. A cyc is used as a backdrop. It may be painted with a scene, but more likely is a blank, neutral background primarily used to mask the rear of the theatre, and to reflect light. Sometimes it can also double as a projection surface. It is usually a neutral (natural) color, although many are either bleached white or sky blue, depending on the primary needs of the user.  If it is only front-lit, it can be seamed. If it is to be back-lit, most users prefer to order a seamless drop. The cyc is then lit to suggest time of day, or has patterns suggesting a local or a theme projected onto it. 

A sharkstooth scrim, on the other hand, provides one of the most magical moments in theatre. When properly used and lit, a scrim appears totally opaque, masking whatever is behind it. Then, by shifting the lighting, the scene behind the scrim ‘bleeds through’ the scrim, and the scrim disappears. If the scrim has a painted scene on it and is properly lit, it will seem as solid as any other painted scenery on the stage. However, with one lighting cue, the painted scene disappears, and the stage behind it is revealed. 

Perhaps the most classic example is the opening of the Nutcracker Ballet. In many productions, the stage opens to a painting of the outside of the house where all of the ballet will take place. The arriving guests parade in front of this painted scrim. As the last of them reaches the far side of the stage, the lights behind the scrim are brought up and we see the guests arriving inside the house, dropping off their gifts, etc. 

It sounds pedantic when described, but is truly a magical moment when seen. One further nicety -- when a black scrim and a cyc are used in tandem and the cyc lighting is upstage of the scrim, the entire stage can appear black i.e., floor (if so painted,) legs, borders, and scrim at the rear. Yet when the cyc lights are brought up, the scrim disappears and you see a wall of color at the rear of the stage. Again, a magical theatre moment.

4. Hello, I am producing Chitty and am trying to figure out the best scrim/cyc to use to display lighting when Chitty is floating and when she is flying.  I need to hang it either via a counterbalance system or on a track that my students run on and off and then secure to be taught.  I would also be interested in the best lights to bounce off of the scrim/cyc.  We have the ability to add moving lights.  Thanks for any tips.  Our scrim/cyc would be midway back.  17 hi x 40' wide.

The Sharkstooth Scrim or the 6 point/3 thread scrim are both good choices for a scrim. The Sharkstooth is the US industry scrim standard, while the 6 point/3thread scrim is used more in Europe. Both will provide the “bleed through” effect, but the 6 point/3 thread provides a more substantial surface for light.

When lighting the scrim, angle is the most important consideration if you are trying to conceal what is behind the scrim. Any choice of light fixture depends on the effect you are attempting to create. Lighting the Chitty car as it floats may be achieved with a moving light, but the car and light movement will need to be skillfully choreographed. A more flexible way to achieve the car lighting may be with controlled area lighting upstage of the scrim. Lighting through the scrim with a follow spot is an excellent way to provide flexible choreography and provide a good front light on the car.

5. How would you suggest making columns? And what technique is best to do a marbling paint technique? 

Two common ways of making columns for stage scenery would be rigid Sonotubes or muslin fabric drops that are hung from suspended circular rings. If you use Sonotubes (an economical, cylindrical cardboard form), you’ll need to use joint compound to cover the rings and then sand them down to create a smooth finish. Afterwards, prime and paint the Sonotubes per your rendering or design. If muslin drops are used, you would order a drop with either a pocket or ties on the top, which would be suspended from a ring after you paint the pieces.

Generally, painting a scenic marble effect is accomplished through the use of translucent layers of scenic paint. Commonly used tools to achieve the effect are brushes, sponges and feathers, which help to create natural looking marble.

6. I teach at a performing arts elementary school with very little budget. We have a small tear beginning in our muslin cyc. What is the easiest & cheapest way to repair it?

Having dealt with this type of repair many times, we’ve found that the use of a fusible interlining or a readily available product called “Stitch Witchery” is the best solution. First, you must have a piece of fabric similar in character to the muslin----a scrap is perfect. Then, depending on the size of the hole to be repaired, you’ll want to cut a patch slightly bigger than the hole (a circular or oblong shape is best). 

Then you cut a piece of the fusible that’s slightly smaller than the patch. Using a steam iron, you sandwich the fusible between the torn drop and the patch. It’s best to work from the face of the drop so you can see what the front will look like. Using a press cloth (you don’t want to burn or singe the drop since that will require a very different type of repair), you place the steam iron over the “hole” and count to 10 before moving the iron. If you move the iron too soon the patch can wrinkle or crimp causing a bubble on the face of the drop. If more strength is required, you can then stitch over the patch neatly with light thread. However, if the fusible does its work, no stitching is required.

7. How does a star drop work? What additional equipment do you need in addition to the drop itself?

Rose Brand sells two main types of Star Drops and they work in different ways. We sell the ShowLED brand of LED drop and we sell fiber optic drapes. The advantages of the LED drops vs. fiber optic are cost, weight, maintenance, viewing angle,and readability on film or video. The LED drape has fewer, but much brighter points of light than a fiber optic. The advantage of the fiber optic is the greater density of fibers which allows a more subtle effect. This is especially useful in very small venues such as museum displays. Fiber is also very directional, which can be useful in some circumstances. Lastly, fiber optic has a distinct look and some designers prefer that look in some situations.

LED drops work by running strings of LED’s inside the drape. With the ShowLED brand those strings can be up to 32 LED’s long and attach to the drape with Velcro^TM grommets. Only the LED protrudes from the front of the drape. The ShowLED controller controls 8 circuits of LED’s. The twinkle effect is a result of some strings being turned on while others are off—in other words, an 8 circuit chase. Typically 3, 4 or 5 circuits are on at the same time. Because the LED’s are laid out in a random pattern, your eye does not see it as a chase. If for example the LED’s were laid out in rows the chase pattern would be clear. The controllers have other parameters that allow for the adjustment of chase speed; hard/soft chase; minimum light intensity; maximum light intensity; dmx/master-slave/standalone control; and in some products, color.

The fiber optic drape is a completely different setup. On a fiber drape, strands of fiber optic poke through drape and are glued in place. Typical fiber width is 0.75mm, there are however, many different sizes. Those fibers are gathered into bundles and the bundle terminates at the top or bottom center of the drape. The termination can be in another position such as a corner, but since that requires longer lengths of fiber, it will cost more.

Each “star” on a fiber optic drape is made of 1, 2 or 3 fibers. The fibers terminate in a ferrule—an aluminum or steel casing that allows the fibers to be lit when attached to an illuminator. Typically about 900 fibers can fit into a ferrule. At a standard density of 3.125 fibers per square foot, that means about 280 square feet can be controlled with one illuminator.

Most drapes have 2-3 illuminators. Large drapes will be divided into zones to keep the fiber runs reasonably sized. For example, there might be a 2 circuit/3 zone drape, which would actually require 6 illuminators. The ferrule at the end of each fiber bundle inserts into an illuminator. Illuminators are a variation on a typical theatrical light source and come in many different types and sizes. The illuminator simply shines a light into the polished ends of the fiber bundle and the light travels the length of the fiber to the face of the drape. Effects are controlled by wheels in the illuminators. A “twinkle wheel” spins in front of the light and either blocks or lets light pass—very much like a gobo in a rotator. The result is that some fibers are lit and others are not, causing a twinkling star effect. The same thing can be accomplished with a color wheel to change colors.

We typically sell or rent complete packages with our star drop curtains. It includes a controller which can work in stand-alone mode or hooked into a DMX as well. The only other items you’ll need is something from which to hang the drape (pipe & base, truss, etc.), an electric outlet and possibly an extension cord.