Illustrated Theatre Production Guide, 2nd Edition

58 Illustrated Theatre Production Guide 2 ed

After the supplies are gathered, lay the drop out on the

floor face-up and as straight and square as possible.

Perhaps the top can be lined up with a long, straight

joint on the stage floor. Take several very straight 1×4s

and lay them out even with the top of the goods. These

boards should go all the way from side to side. Gather

a number of stagehands to hold the boards and to

rotate them, rolling the fabric onto the boards. It is

important to roll together, and to keep everything nice

and neat.

Continue to roll until the desired height is reached.

Pick up the rolled top and secure it to the batten

with the opera clamps. Attach the clamps by rotating

the flat part, and make use of the U-shaped part by

hanging one end on the pipe and using the other to hold

onto the rolled part of the drop. Rotate the flat part to

seal in the pipe and drop, and then tighten the wing nut

to secure it. If the drop does not hang straight, try again

and be more precise. It may be possible to straighten

the drop by adjusting the batten trim chains, if there

are any.

STORING DROPS AND CURTAINS

Folding curtains and drops is one of the oldest

stagehand skills. You can just imagine how early

stagehands may have equated drop folding with sail

folding.

A few basic concepts govern the folding of any type

of hanging goods. One of these is to remember to leave

the webbing and ties in an accessible position. This

makes it possible to see whatever markings are written

on the webbing and also makes it easier to see how to

lay the goods out for retying to a batten. Proper folding

will also reduce the amount of wrinkling that occurs,

and generally keep the goods in better condition. It is

not really possible to clean or iron most drops and cur-

tains. Because they are quite expensive, great care is

taken to ensure that they are well kept.

Begin any type of folding with the goods laying flat

on the floor with the “pretty” side up. It is customary

that the back side be touching the floor to save the front

from damage. Put a stagehand at each of the four corners

to pull the goods out and stretch them. Try to get the

goods as flat and smooth as possible. Flopping the

corners up and down while pulling makes the job easier,

because a small amount of air underneath allows the

fabric to float around with less drag.

The stagehands on the bottom two corners should

lift up, pull against one another to keep tension on the

drop, and then quickly move up to the top two corners.

The two stagehands at the top of the drop grab the

corners and match them with their own. Again, a bit of

air captured in the curtain makes it easier to float the

bottom to the top. Too much will cause you to over-

shoot. The same two stagehands who carried the bottom

to the top the first time return to the middle of the drop,

which has now become the bottom by virtue of the

folding. Straighten everything out, let the air escape

from the inside, and repeat the procedure as many times

as necessary until a 2- or 3-foot-wide strip has been

created.

Bring both ends to the center. Leave a space about

1 foot wide so that there will be enough slack for the

final fold. Repeat bringing the ends to the middle until

a 2- or 3-foot bundle is left on either side. Fold one side

over the other, and folding is completed.

A word of advice here: a large number of stagehands

are on hand at most load-outs, and the natural inclina-

tion is for everyone to want to help. That doesn’t usually

work out well when drop folding, unless the material is

really heavy and doesn’t want to float. It is best to find

something else for the other hands to do to keep them

busy and out of the way. If you are folding a light-

colored drop, or perhaps a cyclorama, it is a good idea

to have the stagehands wash their hands before doing

so—especially if it happens at the end of a long and

dirty load-out.

Soft goods are traditionally stored in large laundry

hampers. If you have carefully folded an expensive drop,

it just makes sense that you should exercise the same

amount of care when easing it into the hamper. Lift it

by the four corners and gently place it down into the

container. On occasion, you may encounter a piece that

is so large and heavy that it is impractical to consider

lifting it up and into the hamper. When this happens

it is best to roll the drop into it. Once the bottom of

the drop has been folded to the top and the sides are

to the middle one time, begin rolling the drop from

one end to the other. Place a hamper on its side at the

far end and simply roll the goods into the hamper

like a huge snowball. Because this is a technique for

very large pieces, the one curtain will most likely fill it

completely.