• Applique
    Ornamental work in which fabric is cut out and attached to the surface of another fabric to form pictures or patterns top
  • Apron
    Area of the stage downstage of the setting line.
    top
  • Austrian blind
    A decorative blind with columns of fabric which form swags/festoons when the blind is raised.
    top
  • Backcloth
    A painted cloth hung on stage as a main part of the scenery. top
  • Backdrop
    = backcloth top
  • Back projection (BP)
    The projection of a image from behind a translucent screen. top
  • Batten
    A long flat strip of squared timber or metal, especially used to hold something in place or as a fastening against a wall etc. top
  • Bespoke
    Made to order, not ready made. top
  • Blackout
    The darkening of a stage top
  • Blind
    A screen for a window (festoon, roman, roller, venetian, hard and soft fold) top
  • Bobbinet
    A honeycomb type of gauze top
  • Border
    A curtain hung to mask stage lighting or other hung flying pieces. top
  • Box pleat
    A flattened fold in cloth doubled upon itself. top
  • Calico
    A cotton fabric with a fine plain weave.
    top
  • Canopy
    A covering hung or held up, an overhanging shelter, a roof like projection top
  • Casement
    A heavy muslin style cotton fabric. top
  • Centres
    The length between identical elements. top
  • Corded track
    Curtain tracks operated by cord. top
  • Crease recovery
    How quickly a folded fabric loses it's creases. top
  • Curtain width
    Width of curtain before heading is applied. top
  • Cyclorama
    A cloth hung to the very back of the stage, plain or painted to provide a grand vista often curved in plan. top
  • Decorative
    Ornamental drapery.
    top
  • Dissolve
    To gradually fade out one scene and replace with another often further upstage. top
  • Downstage
    The front of the stage top
  • Drapery
    A curtain or hanging, often arranged in folds top
  • Drugget
    A coarse woven fabric used as a floor covering = Floorcloth top
  • Ecru
    Natural, the colour of unbleached linen top
  • Festoon
    A piece of fabric supported at the left & right and allowed to hang lower in the middle. top
  • Festoon blind
    A decorative blind with columns of swags/festoons top
  • Fibre optics
    The use of thin flexible fibres of glass or plastic to transmit light. top
  • Flat
    A flat section of scenery mounted on a frame top
  • Floorcloth
    A textile floor covering. top
  • Fog
    To make obscure top
  • Fringing
    Ornamental bordering applied to drapery. top
  • Front projection (FP)
    Image projection from the same direction as viewed by the audience. Screens used for reflecting projections. top
  • Fullness
    The curtain width divided by headed width minus 1 - expressed as a percentage. top
  • Gather
    The bringing together of folds of fabric to produce fullness. top
  • Gauze
    A semi transparent fabric. top
  • Goblet pleat
    A three dimensional fold in fabric with a waisted bulbous shape. top
  • Hard fold
    A fold formed in a Roman blind around rods or poles. top
  • Headed width
    The width at the top of a finished curtain. top
  • Heading
    Top finish applied to curtain. Eg. rufflette tape and hooks. top
  • House tab
    Decorative curtains hung downstage. Only viewed before performances or during scene changes. top
  • Inflatable
    Can be inflated top
  • Inverted box pleat
    A flattened fold in cloth doubled upon itself top
  • Kabuki drops
    A cloth dropped to the floor and/or revealed by dropping. top
  • Knife pleat
    A flattened fold in cloth doubled upon itself top
  • Lame
    A fabric with interwoven gold or silver threads top
  • Leg
    A narrow vertical masking curtain often hung in the wings. top
  • Lining
    An inside layer or surface etc. top
  • Masking
    Drapery utilized to hide other scenic elements. top
  • Orbit dome
    A prefabricated temporary performance space with domed roof. top
  • PA
    Public address [system] top
  • PA scrim
    Gauzes or other open weave fabric used to obscure PA systems without effecting the sound quality. top
  • Panel glides
    Vertical bands of stiffened fabric often used as window blinds or room dividers. top
  • Pea bulb
    A small illuminated lamp often used in star cloths top
  • Pelmet
    A narrow border of cloth, wood etc. above a window, concealing the curtain rail top
  • Pencil pleat
    A series of pencil size folds gathering fabric. top
  • Pitch
    The spacing between identical elements. top
  • Pit net
    A covering above the orchestra pit offering protection from wayward stage props or cast. top
  • Pleat
    A fold in cloth. top
  • Plush
    A cut long pile fabric often with a nap direction. top
  • Pocket
    Open ended hem. top
  • Prime
    To prepare a canvas for painting. top
  • Prop
    A moveable object used on a stage, in a film etc. top
  • PUFC
    A polyurethanefluorocarbon coated fabric.
    [Used in weather proofing etc]     top
  • PVC
    Polyvinyl chloride top
  • Roller blind
    A blind fitted on a roller top
  • Roman blind
    A blind which when raised forms large horizontal pleats either hard (with fitted rod) or Soft (no rods) top
  • Ruched
    Gathered, especially parallel edges.
    top
  • Scalloping
    An ornamental edging cut in material in imitation of the edge of a scallop shell or the unintentional forming of ruched blinds. top
  • Scenery
    Representation of the place of events enacted by the cast. top
  • Screen
    A blank often white or silver surface on which a image is projected. top
  • Scrim
    An open weave fabric used to cover polystyrene. top
  • Selvedge
    The side edge of fabric, with various types. top
  • Set model
    A scaled representation of scenes often in white card. top
  • Setting line
    A downstage transverse reference line often coincident with the Safety Curtain position. top
  • Shadow cloth
    A translucent cloth with lamp/s upstage forming shadow images of actors or puppets further downstage. top
  • Sharkstooth
    A very popular gauze. top
  • Sheeting
    A thin plain woven fabric. top
  • Size primer
    A gelatinous solution used in glazing, priming textiles. top
  • Slash curtain
    A curtain made from thin vertical strips, often metallic foil. top
  • Soft fold
    A fold formed in a Roman blind without rods or poles top
  • Square
    A type of gauze. top
  • Stack back
    The minimum width of curtain when taken offstage. top
  • Stage left
    On the left side of the stage, when facing the audience top
  • Stage right
    On the right side of the stage, when facing the audience top
  • Skirt
    An element of a cloth that hangs below the pocket to aid masking at stage floor level. top
  • Star cloth
    A cloth with either painted stars or illuminated sources to render a starry vista. top
  • Stylised
    A subject painted or drawn in a conventional style. top
  • Swag
    An ornamental festoon of drapery. top
  • Tab
    A stage curtain either full width or half width/tab top
  • Tail
    A decorative element of drapery at the side of other drapery (often swags). top
  • Tie back
    A decorative strip of fabric or cord for holding a curtain back from the window or opening. top
  • Track
    Complete Silent Gliss range top
  • Tracked (on stage)
    To bring into view with the use of gliders/runners/bobbins/carriers suspended from a rail. top
  • Transformations
    Transforming the stage appearance often with the use of gauzes. top
  • Trevira
    A polyester yarn top
  • Trevira CS
    A flame-retardant yarn, fabrics made from this fabric.
    top
  • Truck
    Scenery on castors. top
  • Up stage
    Nearer the back of a stage. top
  • Velour
    Velvet or Plush pile, sometimes a type of felt. top
  • Velvet
    A cut short pile fabric often with a nap direction. top
  • Venetian Blind
    A window blind of adjustable horizontal slats top
  • Vertical blind
    A window blind of adjustable vertical slats top
  • Warp
    Threads that run down the length of the fabric. top
  • Weave
    Form fabric by interlacing warp and weft threads. top
  • Weft
    Threads that run across the width of the fabric. top