Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Traditional Drapery
Traditional Theatre
Ryburn Trevira Velvet, Wool Serge 565
J&C Joel was proud to provide their stage engineering and drapery services for Africa Hall, Sharjah.
Sharjah’s newly built Africa Hall serves as a venue for conferences, lectures, film screenings and stage plays related to activities of the ‘Africa Institute’, as well as, providing a meeting place for the larger community of Sharjah and the UAE.
J&C Joel began by installing three motorised UniBeam tracks. These included Front of House, mid-stage traveler and rear stage traveler tracks. Additionally, all three tracks connected to a control panel located stage right. As a result, the team could operate the drapes more quickly, smoothly and efficiently.
As part of the project, J&C Joel Middle East worked with the Sharjah Arts foundation. The team attended several meetings and worked through multiple approvals with the client.
A key focus was selecting the right Front of House fabric. After extensive discussions, the team chose red Ryburn Trevira Velvet. The velvet created a traditional and luxurious appearance suited to the prestigious venue. Each drape measured 8m wide by 6m high.
Furthermore, the drapes featured 50% fullness, creating a fuller, pleated appearance. This construction helped improve their acoustic absorption properties.
A key challenge of this project was the special gold fringe for the Front of House drapes. Working closely with the client, J&C Joel was able to successfully produce bespoke 30cm fringes, as well as, a 2cm and 24cm open braid which complimented the prestigious look of the drapes.
To accompany this, J&C Joel produced a Front of House fixed valance also made from red Ryburn Trevira Velvet. It matched the main drapery and measured a width of 18m by a drop of 1m, also with 50% fullness.
Furthermore, J&C Joel produced four flat fixed stage borders manufactured from their black Wool Serge 565 (WS090).
Each border measured 14m wide by 1.5m high. Wool Serge 565 was an ideal fabric for the venue due to its excellent acoustic properties and suited the venue’s technical requirements.
Similarly, J&C Joel produced eight stage legs made from black Wool Serge 565 (WS090), measuring a width of 2m by a drop of 6m, these were attached to swivel clamps so the drapes could be moved to the desired angle.
Finally, J&C Joel produced black Wool Serge 565 (WS090) mid-stage and rear-stage drapes. These measured 15m wide by 6m high.
