Blog
BellaTEX Rigging Inspections
“What is involved in a rigging inspection? I can’t even remember the last time our system was inspected.” This is a question we answer quite a bit. We all know that safety is the utmost concern in any performance space. Even so, stay in this industry long enough and you will have your own horror stories to tell about bad stage rigging you have seen. While this is great for conversation with other techies, bad rigging can prove disastrous in the worst case scenarios we all dread. It is really important to have rigging...
read moreBellaTEX Curtain Finishes
Many options exist when it comes to curtain finishes. Although BellaTEX can provide custom finishes to your specifications, these are the most common types of finishes that we provide with our curtains. TOP HEM The top hem is reinforced by a continuous piece of webbing and grommeted every 12” with a heavy duty #3 steel grommet. Grommets have a durable non-reflective matte black finish. For curtains to be attached to stationary battens a 30” piece of black tie line is provided in each grommet. The pictures below are an example of the...
read moreSan Jose Civic Auditorium
These curtains, installed by BellaTEX Stage Curtains at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, are a great example of custom house curtains.
read moreCyc Fabric Options
“I know that cycs come in all cotton and also a poly blend. Which do you suggest? How much would this cost? We are looking to replace our damaged cyc.” Here are your options, going from most expensive to least expensive: RP Screen: This is the best looking, most versatile, and also most expensive option. It is a vinyl material so it falls into the IFR (Inherently Flame Retardant) category. It also can work as a front/rear projection surface. The downside is that it is very expensive. And, with the RP screen option, you will...
read moreAcoustic Curtains
“Could you suggest a few acoustic curtain options?” Velour curtains can dramatically reduce high frequency echo and excessive reverb in a room. Velour curtains intended primarily for sound absorption need to be as heavy weight as possible with 75% – 100% fullness. Adding extra layers through double facing or lining will provide additional sound dampening. The velour will perform better if it is sewn “nap up”, (upside down), because the pile will lay open and stay fluffed out better. This does not look as nice...
read moreFabric Selection
Are you a theatrical dealer helping customers choose stage curtains? Or, are you just looking into purchasing new stage curtains for your theatre? This is a very helpful video which helps explain the differences between all the fabrics available, and helps you understand which fabrics you should use for different spaces. BellaTEX Dealer Training Fabric Selection Video
read moreCotton vs. Synthetic Fabric
“What is the difference between cotton and synthetic fabric?” All fabrics can be divided into two main categories: Cotton or Synthetic. Until about 15 years ago, stage curtains were all made of cotton. But when synthetic fabric came along, the possibilities for stage curtains were obvious and since then synthetics have been the preferred fabric for use in theatres. One primary difference between cotton and synthetics is flame retardancy. Cottons have been chemically treated to make them Flame Retardant (FR), while synthetics are...
read moreWoven vs. Knitted Fabric
“What’s the difference, and can you mix the two on one stage set?” It is quite common to mix fabrics within one set of curtains. Normally the front set (grand drape and valance) will be woven while the rear set (borders, mid-draw, rear-draw, legs) will be knitted. This makes sense when you consider that woven velours are more expensive than knitted velours, and you want the front set of curtains to look as nice as possible. Especially since rear setting curtains are typically black and are not as easily seen by the...
read moreStage Curtain fullness and pleating
“Can you explain the various types of fullness and/ or pleating styles?” We get this question quite a bit. The green drapes in the picture below are 75% fullness in Imperial (32 oz with a sheen). The black is Charisma (26 oz matte) sewn flat. The tall green curtain has a dust ruffle that was made very stiff: This causes the pleats to gradually change from lots of smaller pleats into fewer large pleats towards the bottom. This drape is 35′ tall so this can help you visualize the scale. BellaTEX Stage Curtains offers Box...
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