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Houston Ballet’s Venetian Contour Curtain, Winches, and Open Platform Automation System
When Curtains Become Choreography: Houston Ballet’s Raymonda
When Houston Ballet developed Stanton Welch’s world premiere of Raymonda, the scenic design called for a grand and elegant Venetian Contour curtain that required precise, repeatable control to achieve a highly choreographed effect. The design featured three individual curtains acting as layered portals progressing upstage, fabricated from platinum-colored Eclipse Satin. Each layer was independently controlled, with motion carefully timed to create a progressive reveal of the stage - a visual effect dependent on accuracy, synchronization, and consistency.
This wasn’t a curtain that simply opened and closed. It was part of the storytelling. Rose Brand manufactured custom curtains, winches and an open platform automation control system to achieve Houston Ballet's objectives as described below.
The Challenge
How do you create complex, coordinated motion across multiple curtain layers, on a tight load-in schedule, without sacrificing the flexibility needed to build and refine cues during rehearsal?
To achieve the intended effect, each curtain layer required:
- Independent control across multiple lift points
- Precise timing between layers to maintain the reveal sequence
- Repeatable, reliable performance from rehearsals through performance
The Solution
Rose Brand and ADC delivered a system built around 30 ConTour™ winches, a compact and reliable spotline winch integrated with Axis1 Open Platform Automation™. Each winch operated as an independent axis, allowing every lift line to be programmed individually. This made it possible to fine-tune the shape and movement of each curtain layer. The result was a system where the curtains do not just move, they performed and reinforced the choreography on stage.
Open Control That Adapts to Production Needs
From the outset, Houston Ballet underscored that control and programming flexibility would be critical. The system was initially configured using ADC’s Axis1 Open Platform Automation System Controllers as a bridge between the Ballet’s existing Creative Conners software environment and the ADC ConTour Winches.
During the build period, that system approach changed to gain greater flexibility and speed during technical rehearsals. The production team chose to program and control the curtain system directly from a GrandMA lighting console, utilizing Axis1 as the bridge between the lighting console and the ADC ConTour Winches. Since Axis1™ is built on an open architecture and can natively interface via Art-Net (the lighting console's communication protocol), it allowed the more flexible and speedy system to be adopted immediately without any:
- Hardware changes
- Additional integration effort
- Downtime
Built for Performance and Longevity
The full system, developed collaboratively across production, engineering, fabrication, and automation teams, was designed not just for a single production, but as a reusable platform for future work. By combining ConTour™ winches with the Axis1 open control platform, Houston Ballet achieved a system that delivered accuracy, flexibility, and repeatability without limiting how the production evolved.
See the System Test of These Gorgeous Venetian Contour Curtains, Winches & Open Platform Automation System:
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Transforming Open Space into a Stage at Park Avenue Armory
It’s no easy task to transform a wide open, cavernous space into a captivating, all engrossing theatrical environment. With a little help from Rose Brand, the magicians at Park Avenue Armory did it for the critically acclaimed production of “The Lehman Trilogy.” How do you build a theatre from scratch in the massive Wade Thompson Drill Hall? Start by creating a full proscenium with nearly an acre of masking curtains
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ADC T-Lift 2.0 is a "No-Brainer" for Touring
T-Lift 2.0 is the easiest, fastest automated curtain rigging system ever. Just ask Hootie & the Blowfish. They’re using the new ADC T-Lift 2.0 (patent pending) system on their 44-city tour. The T-Lift 2.0 system is “automatic.” Crews need minimal supervision because it’s “ready-to rig” in familiar modular truss sections. Its new self-aligning shaft means you just bolt the modules together and hang the drape. “Quick Connect” lift lines attach to the drums in seconds and allow you to leave the lines rigged into the curtain between tour stops. Aircraft cable has been replaced with flat, ½" nylon lines that are just as strong and safe, yet silent and snarl-free. Place lift lines and sheaves almost anywhere along the shaft with the newly designed open bottom "U" truss. Comes with servo motor and controller.
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New Drapes for a Landmark Theatre
Our friends at The Sandusky State Theatre, a 90-year-old landmark in Ohio, wanted to transform their main stage with new curtains. They wanted the design to both bring the stage to life and capture the theatre’s rich heritage. Inspired by photos of the theatre’s interior architecture, we designed a curtain that incorporated a prominent curvilinear architectural detail that appeared on the walls near the stage.
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Arched Frame and Lighting Surface for Concert Tour
Working on the design for the Dispatch Summer tour, lighting designer Marc Janowitz asked us to create a floating visual surface for the tour’s lighting design. Janowitz’s concept relied on several rings of triangular stretch shapes floating in an arc 30ft in diameter, onto which he would project colored and textured lighting. Since the tour locations were mostly outdoors, concerns for wind and the elements had to be taken into account, as well as the typical fast, easy, tool-free load-in required by music touring in general.
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Space Transformation from Single to Multi-Purpose
Our customer needed a quick and easy way to create a dual use space. They wanted to transform an everyday gymnasium into an elegant event space whenever desired. In a short amount of time they wanted a bare gymnasium to be lined with gorgeous white silk drapes and flowing ceiling swags. And of course, they needed to protect the delicate white soft goods during volleyball tournaments. This was a challenging request for which we developed a surprisingly simple solution: a unique application of curtain track and custom fabrication.
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ADC Tracks General Manager, Kevin O'Grady, Talks About Innovation & More.
Automatic Devices Company CEO Kevin O'Grady gives an interview to Lighting & Sound America magazine about new ADC products.
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The Coming Standards for Powered Curtain Machines
Powered Curtain Machines have been around for a century or more. They are used in exhibits, movie theatres, professional venues, and cafetoriums / gymnatoriums the world over! They have (mostly) worked fine for decades and require very little maintenance. Press a button and they run to their limits. Why do we need a standard for these workhorses?
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Creating a 60-ft Outdoor Backdrop
SpinCycle creates temporary environments and structures as a hub for hula-hoopers. Each year they host a hoop jam with top DJs and throughout the year they create structures for hooping events around the country. Their shade structure is one of the largest covered spaces at Burning Man and is reserved for hooping, spinning and dancing.
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