December, 2006 - Limelight Productions recently completed phase one of a project to inspect and repair, or replace, stage curtains across an entire school district. While the district has approximately 50 schools, the contract for this phase addressed the needs of the eleven public schools where the condition of the curtains was deemed to need the most urgent attention. The contract required the cleaning, repairing and flame retarding of stage curtains. In several cases, where curtains were un-salvageable, Limelight provided replacements.
The first part - and most critical part - of the process was the onsite inspections by Limelight's stage curtain specialists. The inspection/evaluation process was mandated because - like most school districts, the district in question and the city department responsible for maintenance - while having a great deal of experience and expertise with the maintenance of educational facilities and athletic facilities - had no in-house expertise with stage equipment or operation . Limelight's specialists were brought in to provide an evaluation of which curtains were appropriate for restoration and to offer a professional prognosis as to the outcome of restoration process (ie were they worth saving). For any curtains determined to be un-salvageable, Limelight developed specifications for replacements.
As was expected, the majority of the curtains suffered from years of neglect and the kind of wear-and-tear typical of school facilities. In most cases the curtains were determined to be worthy of the restoration process and, as a result of professional off-site cleaning, cosmetic repairs and re-treating with flame retardant, should provide several more years of service. In a few unfortunate cases - most notably where vandalism had taken a serious toll - replacement curtains were required. In these cases, replacement curtains were custom fabricated by Limelight to match the specifications of each circumstance.
In this phase one, Limelight provided onsite inspection and evaluation, removal and transport of curtains to be restored, repairs (or new fabrication as required), dry cleaning, flame retardant treatment and certification and reinstallation including minor repairs and modification to riggings systems as required for the eleven schools. The draperies on stages in these schools are now significantly enhanced and should handsomely and safely serve the students and communities. The curtains at additional schools in the district will addressed in subsequent phases.
About Curtain Restoration
Most stage curtains are manufactured with fabrics that are treated with a flame retardant and require periodic testing and re-treating as specified by the manufacturer and/or local ordinances. Typically the intervals for re-treating are 5 years at maximum. At this time curtains are dry cleaned in a specialized facility in order to remove any foreign materials (dust, adhesives, liquid residue) which might adversely affect the flame retardant application, as well as to enhance the appearance of the fabric. Due to their large size and weight as well as their unique installation methods, stage curtains provide a unique challenge for the cleaning and restoration process.
find us on facebook 
