New Photos on Flickr

If you haven’t gone to our Flickr page recently, you are missing out!  There are a ton of new photos there, from a variety of stage drapes and custom backdrops to theatrical equipment such as traveler track and kabuki systems.  I am sure you will see something that will inspire or educate you!  Here is just a small sampling:

Satin Austrian Curtain

I have posted many times on how beautiful Austrian curtains are, and this photo really highlights that beauty!

Traveler Track

There are some great photos in this set that show exactly what each component is and help with the installation process.

Kabuki Systems

I have discussed Kabuki Systems and Solenoids in the past, but I know that sometimes it is hard to visualize from a written post.  Hopefully these photos will help.

Kabuki Solenoid Systems

I’ll told you a little bit about the different drapery collections that we have available for rental at Rent What?  But did you know that we also rent a variety of hardware systems to be used in conjunction with either our rental drapes or your own drapes?  From curtain track to pipe and base, we’ve got a wide selection to choose from.  Today I’ll focus on our solenoid systems.

Rental Hardware Profile – Kabuki Solenoid Systems

Rental System specifics:

• 1 Solenoid Holds over 500 Lbs
• Proven Release Locking System
• Single Or Double Hand Controller
• Operates on Standard 110v Outlet

A La Carte or Turn-key Rental System

• Solenoid Head
• Single Controller
• Double Controller
• 5 way loom
• AC Cable
• Travel Case

Why We Love Kabuki Systems:

There is nothing quite like the rush of excitement as the music builds, the lights illuminate the band and then the drape drops.

Just watch while the audience goes wild! This easy to assemble and easy to use Kabuki Solenoid System allows you to “reveal, drop and roll” just about any drapery element or backdrop.

Famous Friends:

Alice in Chains decomposed their stage scene with our Solenoid System while Brooks and Dunn illuminated their drapes with a mouth dropping Kabuki reveal. Even Jay-Z and Maxwell have rocked out from behind our magical Kabuki reveals!

The Art of the Kabuki

The Drape-Dropping Art of Kabuki

Kabuki. To the non-roadie, it brings up images of exaggerated dance steps, white face paint and notes sung so shrill they can shatter glass – if not the audience’s nerves.

But if you are on the road or work behind the curtains, you know just what I am talking about: making a drape magically (at the flip of a switch or pull of a cord) drop from the top and land gracefully (we hope) on the stage floor, if at all possible without any injury to the band or the band gear.

So let’s talk about the art of kabuki, what works and what doesn’t – and why sometimes a little Velcro and a piece of string may be all that’s needed to dramatically drop the drape.

Solenoid System – Just Push the Button

It takes but one finger to pull off this magic act. This system comes pre-wired with the solenoids attached to cheeseboroughs (pipe clamps) ready for installation right onto the truss. When the cue comes, you just fire the solenoid at will and viola! Several soft good suppliers now offer solenoid system rentals that are ready to go. The best bet is to get it from the same vendor as the draperies so you will know that the solenoid system is compatible with the fabric that you plan to use with it. If you are touring, be sure to have this system maintained regularly and checked before each show. Of course most kabuki drapes should be made with a built in “manual break-away” in the event of a misfire. Make sure that your sewing shop has experience and is able to help manufacture for a successful drape drop no matter what.

“Po-band” Manual Kabuki – Tug Here

Every band can afford to have a kabuki drape. With a pre-made webbing header that ties to the truss, you can use a variety of interchangeable drapes that will tear away when manually pulled via tie-lines or ropes. Of course there’s a trade-off: this requires more than one person, as you will want to pull from both ends, if not also from the center. Some coordination is required too if you don’t want it to look like a primary school production of a Christmas Carol.

Double Kabuki – Double the Fun

It’s twice the drama. Use a double-fire solenoid system or a combination of solenoid and manual to achieve a “double drop” from the truss. The drape will rest in a “diaper” that runs the full width of the drape (or stage). At first fire/release, one side of the diaper will drop, allowing the drape to fall into its hanging position. Upon second fire/release the drape will drop to the floor. Perfect for mid show set or band changes. Drop it in after the first act so your set change is in privacy, and then drop the drape to the floor to reveal the second act.

Fabric Choices

The perfect kabuki fabric will be lightweight, durable and inherently flame retardant. Our recommended fabrics are IFR (inherently flame retardant) polyesters that can be sewn with minimal seams and are durable and ready for some rough and tumble treatment. Aside from the obvious color choice of “black,” a wide range of color choices are available and these fabrics take airbrushed designs well, so go ahead and personalize it!

Better yet, why not consider a digitally printed kabuki? Get all the benefits of a flame retardant fabric with your giant graphic (artistic or photographic) digitally printed right onto it. With the ability to present picture perfect images on a grand scale you can’t help but want to consider this option. Choose a supplier who does quality work and understands the needs of a tour. Stay away from outdoor signage manufacturers and keep clear of vinyl unless you are having an outdoor gig.

Flame Certification for Certain

Last but not least… Let’s all repeat together: a flame cert is a must, or leave it in the truck.

No matter how you try to argue it, the liability does, at least in part, rest with you when it comes to providing the fire marshal with a valid and current flame certificate for your touring draperies. So know your soft goods, know your soft goods provider, and carry valid flame certificates with you at all times. Without valid certification the local fire marshal could demand that all the fabrics on set be removed – and I am not referring to after the show. The best bet is to choose a soft goods supplier who offers digital storage of your flame certificates and can deliver them to you day, night or weekend if you get caught on the road without them.

So come to think of it, drop-drape kabuki, like Japanese Kabuki, is kind of a dance too, between choosing the right technology, the right fabric, the right certification and the right provider. But done right, it’s a lot easier to orchestrate!

Alice in Chains Video

You may remember that I posted last week about the Alice in Chains project.  Although I included linkes to several videos in that post, I just found out about another great video from their current tour, so I thought I’d post a brief update.  The video is a great compilation of scenes from the show.

And while I’m at it, here is another great photo!

Design: Mike Baldassari @ Mike-O-Matic Industries www.mike-o-matic.com;  Photo By: “Iron” Mike – SavoiaPhotography.com

Alice in Chains Project

In late January, we worked on an interesting project for the 2010 tour of Alice in Chains.  The primary pieces that we made were a series of Single and Double Kabukis. 

The Double Kabuki, at 25′ h x 45′ w, was made out of Silver Poly Silk, and then the 5 Upstage Single Kabukis (all at 22′ h and ranging in width from 10′ w to 44′ w) were of a silver textured satin.  We also made a number of pieces for the stage (drum riser, amp panels and floor light coverlets) out of Black 16oz Commando Cloth lined with Aluminum Mesh, as well as some black masking drapes. 

Design: Mike Baldassari @ Mike-O-Matic Industries www.mike-o-matic.com;  Photo By: “Iron” Mike – SavoiaPhotography.com

Rent What? also provided some pieces, including a Classic Theatre Header (Red) from their Timeless and Traditional Series, along with a number of Borders in Black 15oz Encore, and furnished the 44 piece Solenoid System with controllers (used with the Kabuki Drapes).  Check out the Classic Theatre Header in this photo:

Design: Mike Baldassari @ Mike-O-Matic Industries www.mike-o-matic.com;  Photo By: “Iron” Mike – SavoiaPhotography.com

We were all really proud of how the pieces turned out, but you never know how the client will react.  Well, I am happy to report that the client loved them!  Yesterday, Megan received a thank you letter from Mike Baldassari, Production Designer for Alice in Chains, and it is such a great letter that I have to share a little bit of it: 

Dear Megan,

I’m writing to again say thank you for all of your help, hard work, expertise and most especially your “do whatever it takes” attitude in support of Alice in Chains’ current tour…. I was also impressed with the quality, workmanship and organization of the delivery of the goods that Sew What built.  You have my sincere gratitude for a job very well done, and I look forward to working with you and Sew What on other projects as well in the near future.

Best Regards,

Mike Baldassari

It is so rewarding to get such positive feedback from our clients, and to be able to share it with our employees, especially those who worked so hard on this project.

By the way, if you’d like to see Alice in Chains in action, with some of our drapery providing the backdrop, I found several videos on YouTube.  I think this one highlights (yet again) how perfect silver / gray fabric is for projection, whereas this one shows the drapery in its actual silver color at the start of the video and then shows how it can become almost any color with the proper lighting (you can also see some of the mesh pieces on stage in this video).

Note: Want to see a Kabuki Drape in action?  Check out this video.

Focus On: Poor Man’s Kabuki

Previously, I told you about the Single Kabuki and the Double Kabuki.  Now, as promised, here is the scoop on what is commonly called the Poor Man’s Kabuki.

Also called a Tearaway, a Poor Man’s Kabuki has two parts – the kabuki-style drape and the header.  The drape is sewn with loop velcro at the top in back.  Then, to make the header, a piece of webbing (usually 3″ wide) and a piece of hook velcro (usually 2″ wide) are cut to the same size as the width of the drape (for example, if the drape is 50 feet wide, a 50 foot piece of webbing and a 50 foot piece of velcro would be used). 

The velcro is then sewn onto the webbing, leaving room at the top of the webbing to add grommets and ties (which are usually spaced every 12″, aka 12″ on center). 

The header is attached to the top of the kabuki-style drape via the velcro and then the drape is hung on truss above the stage.  When it is time to “drop” (remove) the drape, someone from the crew pulls the drape – because the drape is attached to the header by velcro only, the drape releases from the header and falls to the ground.  The crew quickly bundles up the drape and takes it offstage.  At the end of the show, the webbing header is untied from the truss and stuck back onto the drape in preparation for the next show.

When would a Poor Man’s Kabuki be used rather than a traditional single or double kabuki?  Generally when the purpose of the drape is to hide a second band’s equipment while the first band is onstage in front of the drape.  Once the first band has left the stage and their equipment has been cleared, the crew member quickly pulls down the drape to reveal the second band behind it.

Yes, this could be done with a Single Kabuki – however, a traditional kabuki system is more expensive and more complicated to set up, since it uses a solenoid system – and so a solenoid-based kabuki system is generally overkill in a simple “hide the second band” situation.  The Poor Man’s Kabuki isn’t meant to be used for dramatic reveals, but more as a masking piece.

Focus On: Single Kabuki Drapes

Picture this.  You are at a concert.  The opening act has just finished playing, and the crew has removed all of the band’s instruments and equipment, leaving only the drape that the band played in front of.  The music starts, signalling that the main act is about to appear.  Suddenly, the headlining band appears on stage, as if from nowhere.  What just happenned?  Another piece of stage magic, called the Kabuki. 

There are two types of Kabukis, the Single Kabuki and the Double Kabuki, but they both work on the same principle – the use of electrically-powered magnetic systems called solenoids.  A solenoid resembles a small box with a pin sticking out.  A series of small solenoid boxes are attached in a daisy-chain row on a truss.  At one end, this chain of solenoids is plugged into electricity and attached to a controller switch.

For a Single Kabuki, the drape is sewn with loop velcro on the top, on both front and back.  D-Ring Velcro attachments are then made by taking a single piece of hook velcro, looping it through the flat edge of the D-Ring (with the hook side facing in), and then sewing the Velcro together tight to the edge.  This leaves a D-Ring with an upside-down V-shaped piece of Velcro attached.

The D-Rings are then attached to the top of the Kabuki Drape by sandwiching the top of the drape, with its loop velcro on both front and back, with the hook velcro on the D-Ring.  (Think of the Velcro on the D-rings as the bread and the top of the drape as the filling).  The result is a drape with adjustable D-Rings across the top.  Adjustability is key as solenoid placement on the truss can vary, and it is essential that the drapery D-Rings line up to the solenoid.  This is why this velcro system is generally used, rather than sewing the D-rings directly to the top of the Kabuki.  The best thing about using a Velcro D-ring is that the drop can be manually pulled down if a solenoid fails to release.

The Single Kabuki is then hung on the solenoid pins, appearing to the audience just the same as any other drape.  However, when the time comes to reveal to the audience what is behind the drape, the crew pushes a switch.  The switch causes the pins to retract and, as a result, the pins release the D-rings and the Kabuki drops to the ground.  And the band appears as if from nowhere.

So that’s a Single Kabuki.  I’ll tell about two other similar pieces, the Double Kabuki and the Poor Man’s Kabuki (also called a Tear-Away) in a future post.