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Quiz about Its Curtains I Tell Ya Curtains
Quiz about Its Curtains I Tell Ya Curtains

It's Curtains, I Tell Ya! Curtains! Quiz

I recently sang in a concert, with over 300 singers and orchestra onstage. This required that the fire marshall test a particular curtain. It occurred to me that there are actually several curtains involved in live theatre. How many do you know?

A multiple-choice quiz by babsr. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
babsr
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
374,197
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
526
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Question 1 of 10
1. What is the name of the curtain separating the performers on stage from the audience in the event of a fire?

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Question 2 of 10
2. What is the curtain the audience sees before a performance or movie begins?

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Question 3 of 10
3. If a theater does not use a Grand Drape, what would you expect to see in its place?

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Question 4 of 10
4. True or False - a Tormentor curtain is the same as a Leg.


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Question 5 of 10
5. Live theatre requires backstage areas from which people or props can be moved into the view of the audiences. These are called the "wings", and what curtains are likely to be found there?
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Question 6 of 10
6. Upstage of the Grand drape or Traveler (toward the back of the stage) is the painted curtain often seen in vaudeville or burlesque revues. Which curtain fits this description?

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Question 7 of 10
7. This curtain hides lighting, rigging and scenery from the view of the audience. Hint


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Question 8 of 10
8. True or False - a Masking curtain is one displaying the Comedy/Tragedy masks.


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Question 9 of 10
9. Although it sounds like a James Bond movie, this curtain is a flat smooth curtain at the back of the stage, which can be used for projection. It is usually a light blue hue. Hint


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Question 10 of 10
10. This last curtain type is often used for a special effect - with proper lighting, it can be opaque, translucent, or transparent. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is the name of the curtain separating the performers on stage from the audience in the event of a fire?

Answer: The Fire Curtain

 The fire curtain is motorized, so nobody has to hang around to make sure it drops into place. It is usually set to stop momentarily at about 4 feet, so any person needing to get to the other side has the opportunity to do so. However, once in place, it seals the space, until the emergency is over and it is raised.
2. What is the curtain the audience sees before a performance or movie begins?

Answer: Grand Drape

 The Grand Drape is raised and lowered as the performance demands. Not all theaters have one, but it is likely to be found in a space with a stage height of at least fifty feet.
3. If a theater does not use a Grand Drape, what would you expect to see in its place?

Answer: Traveler

 A Traveler usually is on tracks, which means it will open like your house curtains, either in the middle or from either side. Theaters with a limited height backstage will likely use these.
4. True or False - a Tormentor curtain is the same as a Leg.

Answer: True

The frontmost side curtain got its name from burlesque shows, in which a shapely leg would be seen protruding, but not the full body, thus tormenting the audience.
5. Live theatre requires backstage areas from which people or props can be moved into the view of the audiences. These are called the "wings", and what curtains are likely to be found there?

Answer: Legs

 Legs are just needed to cover small areas, so are quite narrow.
6. Upstage of the Grand drape or Traveler (toward the back of the stage) is the painted curtain often seen in vaudeville or burlesque revues. Which curtain fits this description?

Answer: Olio

 Being midstage, this curtain gives room for the old-style song and dance routines descended from vaudeville. It is usually painted canvas, and is raised and lowered on a long rigid tube. It is also referred to as Speaker setting, which may be in place to allow a speaker adequate room at a podium without placing him/her too close to the edge of the stage. In this case, it may not be canvas, and may not be painted.
7. This curtain hides lighting, rigging and scenery from the view of the audience.

Answer: Valance

 Also called the Border curtain, this short overhead curtain hides areas which would be distracting to the audiences.
8. True or False - a Masking curtain is one displaying the Comedy/Tragedy masks.

Answer: False

It masks areas from the view of the audience. Borders, Legs, and Valances are types of masking curtains.
9. Although it sounds like a James Bond movie, this curtain is a flat smooth curtain at the back of the stage, which can be used for projection. It is usually a light blue hue.

Answer: Skydrop

 Technically, the Skydrop is a Backdrop curtain. The primary difference is that a Backdrop may or may not be painted as part of the setting, and is usually a neutral color if not painted. The Skydrop can be used to signify a sky setting, and may or may not have additional settings painted onto it.
10. This last curtain type is often used for a special effect - with proper lighting, it can be opaque, translucent, or transparent.

Answer: Scrim

 The Scrim is another type of backdrop, but it is an open weave fabric, so it can be used for different effects. As a backdrop, it can be opaque, and no movement of people or sets can be seen, just as with a Skydrop or Backdrop curtain. It can also be used for translucent effects, which means it may be hung in front of a backdrop, and with the right lighting it can give the look of a foggy background, for instance.

It can go a step beyond, and the stage lighting can make it seem to disappear. An example might be a play with a ghost who comes back to life: the lighting can make it translucent, as a ghostly figure comes forward.

The lighting can then change to make the scrim transparent and the ghost would appear as though returned to life.
Source: Author babsr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Referenced Topics
Movies   People   Humanities   Theatre   Colors   Names   True or False   Borders   Ghosts   Blue   Theatres  

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