Curtain rises again on a grand old drape
Deseret News, 12 May 2004
Article Summary:
A Chicago opera house donated a red velvet drape to the SCERA Showhouse when it opened in 1941. The drape, nicknamed "The Grand," was used in the SCERA's Playhouse One Theater until a new movie screen was installed in the early 1960s. The remodel left no room for the curtains, so they were left hanging dormant in the curtain well.
The Grand was used again after another remodel in 1981, but by the mid-1990s it had fallen into disuse because of a lack of a pulley system.
The curtain was eventually taken down, folded up, and stored on the stage behind the movie screen.
More than a month ago, the curtain was moved to Playhouse Two, which has a new pulley system. Because the curtain was too long, three feet were cut from the bottom of the 27-foot-tall drape and used as a tease for the top of the curtain.
The Grand was used again after another remodel in 1981, but by the mid-1990s it had fallen into disuse because of a lack of a pulley system.
The curtain was eventually taken down, folded up, and stored on the stage behind the movie screen.
More than a month ago, the curtain was moved to Playhouse Two, which has a new pulley system. Because the curtain was too long, three feet were cut from the bottom of the 27-foot-tall drape and used as a tease for the top of the curtain.