A weblog about theatrical drapery and stage curtains for Production Managers, Set Designers, Custom Drapery Resellers, and local/school/church Productions
Recently Rent What? was able to add a gorgeous, shiny, beautifully created drape to its Rock ‘n Red and Timeless and Traditional Series. It is an unbelievable 30′ high by 60′ wide Red Satin Austrian Drape, with close to 50% horizontal and 25% vertical fullness in its beautifully sculpted folds.
Our client needed something spectacular for a special edition of an internationally famous play here at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Utilizing our fabulous and easy to assemble rental Drapery Lift System (more on the different types of drapery automation to come in a future blog), this refined yet exotic Austrian Drape was able to be lifted and dropped with complete control from our client.
With the help of our sister company Sew What? and the brilliance of their representative Gwen Winter, we were able to have them make this luscious drape merely from an simple idea in our client’s vision, and actually create it completely from scratch.
With the incredibly hard work of an amazing sewing staff, she was instrumental in helping organize its development and creation in just two days– unheard of in the drapery design industry. A drape of this size takes more than 240 yards of material to construct, which is more than 720 feet, or 8640 inches, or 22,000 centimeters of material! And each panel is painstakingly sewn one at a time, with the lift line sewn right through the back of the seams. The seamstress has to gather all of this material on the vertical seams in order to create the iconic “smiles”, or soft swags, that an Austrian drape is known for. The greater the horizonal fullness, the longer and deeper these swags will become. Because it’s being lifted and lowered by a lift mechanism and not human hands, the lift lines have to be stragetically and evenly placed exactly right. The drape’s extremely elaborate construction takes a HUGE amount of man hours to sew and create, so that when the lift mechanism is activated, this beautiful drape will ride up and down smoothly and flawlessly so the audience will be completely blown away.
You can see now why it is so impressive that our sewing masters were able to cut, sew, and design this gorgeous 30×60 foot Red Satin Austrian drape in just two days!
Now that we have added this amazingly versatile and gorgeous drape to our Rent What? collection, we know it will be a huge hit for all sorts of events– from holiday parties, rock concerts, stage productions, television shows, and everything in between. We can’t wait to see what else our clients will come up with next for us to help design for them!
We’re so very excited to be in the midst of our fourth year of business here at Rent What?, and are even MORE excited at how great the company is doing! Getting to provide drape rentals for major tours and concerts, and helping our clients conceive their visions for these events, is something we have always enjoyed. But lately, we are providing a LOT more than “just drapes” for many different types of events. We are able to help create the overall feel of almost any event that crosses our path. We aren’t just all about Rock and Roll anymore!
Rent What? has expanded our inventory to not just include, but to now also specialize in, everything from our wide variety of Flame Retardant Drapery, Kabuki Drops/Solenoid Systems, Traveller Track, Drapery Lift Systems, Pop-Up Portable Dressing Rooms, Pipe and Drape, and Shadowboxes. This incredible diversity has grabbed the attention of those outside the rock and roll touring industry that has been our “bread and butter” so far. With our expanding inventory, our clientele has also expanded, to include churches, schools (high school and universities), conventions, casinos, trade shows, community theatre, major television shows, and everything in between.
What I think sets us apart from our competition is having such a close relationship with our sister company Sew What?, who can help create any custom-made draping that our clients might have envisioned. With the combination of our ever-growing rental inventory, along with the custom-made soft goods that Sew What? can also create, our clients are able to get exactly what they dreamed for their event, at very competitive pricing.
This is an incredibly exciting time to be a part of the Rent What? team, and we know that with our continued “Extreme Service”, we will always continue to expand and grow to fit our growing clientele’s needs, too.
With the end of summer coming fast upon us, it’s a great time to start thinking about the holidays that are quickly approaching, and ways to make your special event even more memorable. I recently came across some incredible photos of the amazing LED Stardrop Drape rentals that Rent What? has.
We offer these gorgeous drapes for every type of occasion you might want to add a “little sparkle” to! With a rich black background, you can choose from either beautiful and inspiring white twinkly lights, or really breathtaking “chameleon” changing-colored lights. For these drapes you also have a dmx controller so you can decide how fast you want the lights to blink, in what succession, what colors it changes through, etc. Rent What also offers a very unique Low Tech LED drape, which is a sheer white voile with the beautiful static white lights running through it!
We’ve had some very happy customers use these drapes for their special events. Everyone from Mary J Blige to the Jonas Brothers, ballet and church performances, trade shows, bridal fairs, unforgettable stage productions, and everything in between! These drapes are so versatile, and can help create some really amazing showcases. With some colorful lighting, you can literally create the most dramatic vision on your stage imaginable. Try layering them with other drapes (especially our Silver Satin Series) to create some very spectacular scenes that will not soon be forgotten!
Take a look at our LED Stardrop Rental Drapes on our website, and get ready to be completely wow’ed like I was!
I have posted about the wide variety of specialty drapery collections that Rent What? has available for rent, from “Rockin’ Red” to “Industrial Textures” to “Delightfully White” and beyond. At Rent What? we have tried to think “outside the box” to continually re-imagine soft goods and stage decor to create interesting and beautiful new drapery options for our clients.
Today, I want to give you a sneak preview of our newest specialty collection, the “Swanky Collection.” We have just added the first piece in the collection, and it is definitely something different. Rather than a traditional custom stage curtain made of fabric, instead this piece is actually a series of individual linear pieces composed of mirrored plates suspended on invisible threads.
Each thread of mirrored plates is separate and distinct – different heights, different placement of mirrored plates – allowing a completely customizable dazzling linear mobile. By attaching each thread to a different location on the stage truss, you can create a unique mobile “drape” for every show.
I am so excited about this new piece. I hope you like it as much as I do. Stand by as we add more “Swanky” pieces to the collection – I’ll keep you posted.
Recently, Rent What? had the honor to be selected by Dell Computers to be featured in an online video on America’s Favorite Small Business. It was a great opportunity for Megan and Marce and all the folks at Rent What? to discuss the committment that the company has to provide high quality, innovative custom stage curtains and hardware for rental.
I think the folks at Dell did a great job in capturing what it is like to run a small business, ensuring that your business is well run and your customers are provided the highest quality product along with the best customer service possible. As the Rent What? motto goes, “Ultimate Rentals. Extreme Service.”
I have posted in the past about the various stage curtains that Sew What? and Rent What? have provided to Glee, both the television show and the touring show. It is such a fun and innovative show (recently nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy® Awards, including “Outstanding Comedy Series”) that it is exciting to be selected to provide custom stage curtains to the franchise.
Recently, Rent What? provided a gorgeous 30′ h x 60′ w Gold Satin Austrian Curtain to the show, which was used as a backdrop to numerous musical numbers in the show’s Season Two finale. This beautiful drape, along with a portable lift system (also provided by Rent What?) then “went on the road” with the Glee Live tour. Also on the tour were several other rental drapes, including a Red Contour Drape and a White Silk Austrian.
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:
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.
I’ve posted recently about the various drapery collections available through Rent What?, from the “Delightfully White” collection to the “Industrial Textures.” Last (but certainly not least), I thought I’d tell you about our “Starlight LED” collection, which is great on its own or combined with drapery components from any of our other collections.
LED Stardrops come with DMX compatible controllers.
15h x 30w / 30h x 15w LED Stardrops with Realistic Blue/White Lights
15h x 30w / 30h x 15w LED Stardrops with Chameleon Color Changing Lights
Low-Tech LED Drapes are 110v plug and play.
24h x 9w Low-Tech LED Drapes with Static White Lights
Why we love it:
Our components combine to cover the space you need. Run them horizontally or vertically, then join them seamlessly for a continuous starfield.
Famous Friends:
Our stars shone for 3 Mo’ Divas….almost as brightly as they did.
Most Compatible With:
Our Rockin’ Red Drapery series will complete your Starlight scenes with ShowLED backdrops and LED Stardrops, while our Silver Satin Series legs and borders create a sophisticated stage.
Accolades:
Monster Trucks recently rallied beneath our stars. Meanwhile we stole title “Star of the Show”.
Ambition:
To bring the Southern Cross to the Northern Hemisphere.
So far, I’ve told you about several of the drapery collections available at Rent What? These include “Rockin’ Red,” “Timeless and Traditional,” “Silver Satin,” and “Delightfully White.” Today I thought I’d tell you about what may be our most edgy – the “Industrial Textures” drapery collection.
Performance that Rocks! Here are just a few reasons why you will want to consider Rent What? Inc for your next concert backdrop drapery rental.
At Rent What?, we’ve got the curtains and masking drapes for just about any kind of show, massive or minor. But just as important, we’ve got the creds. Our team has performed for many of the biggest names in entertainment, so we know the realities of dressing up a major venue and dancing around all the surprises that can pop up at the last second. It’s not just about having the right products, but having the experience and putting in the blood and sweat our customers remember when it comes to booking each new tour.
Really Big Drapes for a Really Big Show.
Masking drapes, Kabukis and backdrops – we’ve got them in heights up to 60 feet! With our extensive selection of quality, IFR drapery in various dimensions, the choices are endless. Travel hampers are always provided FREE when you rent your drapes with us.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.
Flame certificates – check! Burn samples – check! 24 hour service – check! Our well maintained inventory is ready for your show, from LA to New York and Boston.
Simple, Competitive Pricing & No Bill Backs.
Square foot pricing makes budgeting a breeze. And our optional damage waiver insurance offers coverage for road wear and tear, and means you don’t get billed back for damages.
An Inventory on Your Screen.
With our newly redesigned website, it’s never been easier to find exactly the drapes and answers you’re looking for. Our rental drape details and sizes are all viewable at the click of your mouse
