You may not notice the black drapes hung over the stage in the REM Lee Theatre, especially when sitting in the audience for a show there.
However, they are very important and used so much, they only last for so long.
The old stage drapes were purchased in 2001, but because the REM Lee stage drapes are dead hung and always in place, over time the fabric became worn and very brittle.
“As we began to notice tears forming in all the pleats of the old drape, we realized it was time to make new drapes a priority,” said Nancy Stone-Archer.
Theatre Alive, celebrating its 30th year of fostering and promote the arts in the community and raising funds for theatre upgrades and enhancement, replaced the drapes at a cost of more than $9,000.
The new drapes are made of a flame retardant fabric, which means that the fabric will not have to be retreated as with the old drapes, says Stone-Archer.
Theatre Alive was created in 1985, 10 years after the theatre first opened. Then-theatre manager Tom Walker, already dealing with aging systems, foresaw the need for a non-profit agency through which funds could be raised to upgrade theatre systems.
To that end, and in the last 13 years alone, Theatre Alive has been the agency through which more than $210,000 in upgrades have been made to the theatre.