Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

Ann Johnson

A Safe and Sag-Free Cable Curtain Track

 

Structures that appear to defy the basic laws of physics and gravity are part of the magic of theatre. One such structure is the apparently sag-free catenary cable curtain track that stretches across the entire expanse of a stage and disappears into the wings left and right. For no matter how tightly a cable is stretched through mid-air, it can never be entirely sag-free, whether it supports any other object or not.

The most common way to provide a sag-free cable curtain track is to apply as much tension as possible with a come-along or turnbuckle. Tremendous forces are generated in such systems, and to protect the actors in a Yale Repertory Theatre production I felt it was important to ...