Quick Release Backdrop Design

[Chrisgen3721]

Hey all,

I'm designing a set for a low budget college show, and I would love to hear your thoughts on my current problem.

We're in a blackbox theater (with no curtain tracks) and we are building a set upstage, and hanging a painted backdrop just downstage of it. We would like to start the show with this drop as the background, and then at the end of the first scene, *get rid of it* to reveal the full set. At this point, my thoughts were to have some sort of quick release mechanism where the drop would be suspended by the two top corners, and these could be held by something that would release them, allowing the drop to fall to the ground where a stellar run crew could run in and carry it off/drag it off to the 'wings'/offstage.

Is the 'dropping of the drop' my best option, or can someone recommend something else? And does anyone have any ideas for the quick release?

I also considered a mechanism to hoist the drop up to the grid, but I feel like this will look sloppy and be too slow for the effect we want (based on our budget.)

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

-Chris

 

[dmx]

How heavy is the drop? We used clothespins nailed to 2x4s. Just give the drop a tug from the bottom and pull it away.

 

[DuckJordan]

one word, kabuki.

 

[MPowers]

Allowing the drop to fall is called a Kabuki drop. A stage technique hundreds of years old. It works best with light weight, soft material such as silk or silk like polyester, scrim, and similar. If you want to have a painted drop it should be painted in dye or in a "water color" technique that remains soft and pliable. Household latex or acrylic paint will build up a thickness on the fabric and tend to stiffen it. The can be hung by any number of points along the top and easily released by a pull string, pneumatics or electric solenoid. Use the search function to look for Kabuki here on CB, there about 10 pages of connected threads.

One simple and cheap method would be to drive 8p finish nails into a 2x4 board. leaving about 1" or 1 1/2" exposed. Make sure the nails are driven at the same angle into the board and spaced to match the grommets of the drop. hinge the 2x4 to another board and hang that board from you grid or ceiling. Attach a small rope or line to the board with the nails so it can be raised or lowered. hook the drop grommets over the nails. When you release the line, the board hinges down and the drop slips off. Cheap, Simple, done. Many variations on this one.

Cheap simple #2. start with a long board, length of the drop. Every 12" (or whatever the grommet spacing is) install two 3/16x1" screw eyes in to the board, as close together as possible, with the open sides facing each other. Half way between each pair install another screw eye about 1" higher than the pairs. Now run a light weight lint through the single screw eyes with enough at one end to reach a conveniently places small pulley and down to the ground for the operator. At each set of double eyes, tie a 6"length of line to the main line with an 16d nail on the end. make a small loop of line at each grommet, place it between the pair of eyes. Run the nail through an eye, the loop and the second eye. when the line is pulled the nail slips out of the eyes, releasing the loop and allowing the drop to fall. Oh yeah, tie off the dead end of the line so it stops the line after the needed amount of pull and prevents the line and nails from pulling through or falling. again there are many different takes on this method.

In either case the action can be manual or triggered with a solenoid, air cylinder etc.

Of course there are many commercial versions available if your budget can deal with it.

 

[Chrisgen3721]

Awesome, thank you guys! I'll keep researching Kabuki Drops (sometimes the right name is all you need!) and take your suggestions into account!

Chris

 

[derekleffew]

one word, kabuki.

Actually one needs two words: Kabuki Drop.

Kabuki (歌舞伎 kabuki?) is a classical Japanese dance-drama.

From Kabuki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .