Show Curtains — Page 11

No, there aren't any pictures of the curtain in the Sweeney program. It was a very nice curtain. Maybe when the show goes on tour, someone can get a picture then.

What does the Apple Tree curtain look like?

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I'm seeing Movin' Out tomm. Is there a show curtain for it?

I found a picture of the Sweeney curtain:

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Updated On: 4/13/07 at 03:54 PM

Let's see I like
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Lestat
Spamalot
Wicked
The Secret Garden

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The old Beauty curtain was a traditional red theatre curtain. I believe they dumped it when they moved to the Lunt.

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Updated On: 1/20/07 at 06:58 PM

What was The Secret Garden curtain?

It was the picture of a Victoria garden with the logo in the middle. Like an old post card. I've only seen it on a video but that's what it was.

singtopher, that's also what they used when I did the show as Martha.

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ANyone have a Ragtime curtain pic?

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Safety curtains (or fire curtains, as they are known in North America) are required by law in the UK to be flown in during a suitable intermission to demonstrate to the audience that it is in working order.
Usually this is done 10 minutes into intermission when most patrons are out of the theatre.

If a fire breaks out onsatge (and remember, theatres used to use live flame lamps) the safety curtain falls into place (it can be tripped or it will be tripped when the heat causes the thermostatic release to trigger) and keeps the fire from entering the audience long enough for the patrons to flee the theatre (and, hopefully not be killed in a stampede.) The curtains used to be made of one-half-inch thick asbestos, which probably explained why so many actors used to die of lung cancer.

Do you know how they used to figure out the maximim number of seats in a theatre? They would make a scale model of the theatre house with seating in place and the exit door open. Then they would pour steel ball-bearings into the model - one for each patron - and shake the model. All the ball bearings had to clear the theatre in 120 seconds (and they could be added incrementally until the limit was reached). It was assumed this would measure the capacity seating.

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Yes that is pretty much the point. As long as *some* patrons see it then it seems to be alright.
Also some theatres have fire curtains painted to fit in with the décor of the house but it is usually just a beige colour. Some older theatres have fire curtains that actually say "Safety Curtain" on them in large lettering.

Updated On: 1/21/07 at 02:30 AM

The original London SWEENEY TODD (1979) program had a excellent photograph of the large cloth (not really a show curtain) which greeted you when you arrived in the theatre. It was of a sort of beehive shaped illustration of the British class system.