Technical Components
Creative drapery • Appliqué • Digital Print • Drape Retraction Unit • Show automation • Arenas
Summary
Andy Sutton, owner of Kirby AFX, contacted J&C Joel in relation to an ambitious new show he was working on at the FantaSea Cultural Theme Park in Phuket, Thailand.
To accommodate the show, a new theatre space was being built with a proscenium opening measuring 73m wide x 20m drop, making it one of the world’s largest.
The brief came in two parts. First, a front of house Austrian curtain and second, a pair of kabuki drapes and a drape retraction unit (DRU).
The front of house curtain measured a colossal 72.60m wide x 21.00m drop and consisted of 33no panels, each measuring 2.20m wide. As the drape was an Austrian, it was made as a single drape.
To ensure we could make this panel width work, we used our 3m chenille velour. This was custom-dyed to hit the customer’s required colour.
To add a further complication to the drape, the customer required gold appliqued elements.
To ensure this appliqué read properly, the design had to be expanded on its width to accommodate the panel ‘smile’ and on its drop to accommodate the fullness in the drape. We carried out several tests to ensure this would work on the full-sized curtain. The applique was produced from our Double Sided Regal Satin in Fawn.
Once produced, the drape was shipped to the site in a custom crate. The drape weighed in excess of one tonne.
In terms of the second element, the kabuki drapes were produced from our white Trevira Silk, with the bottom 3m being made from our printed Gloss Satin. The pattern was designed to read with the appliqued element of the front of house drape.
To add an extra element of magic to the kabuki drapes, we also supplied a DRU which pulls the kabuki drapes into their housing in a matter of seconds, creating an extraordinary reveal.
In addition to the above, we also provided onsite installation support for all drapery elements as well as support for the programming and use of the DRU.
