5 Top Theatres With The Biggest Curtains

Curtains are obviously one of the most important components in a theatre. We’ve decided to have a look at some of the best theatres (and their curtains!) around the world.

Joliet’s Rialto Square Theatre – Chicago, IL USA

There’s nothing like a haunting tale to inspire mystery and even magic. Chicago’s Joliet Rialto Square Theatre is said to have a ghost, a woman who supposedly committed suicide at the turn of the century by leaping from the theatre’s sixth floor onto the sidewalk. The curtains are said to represent the veil between life and death as her spirit encourages other actresses to follow suit and end their lives as well. This, of course, is what she does when she’s not in seat 113 watching all of the goings-on.

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Parsi Theatre – India

Ravi Varma, an incredibly gifted painter, brought the theatre curtains of the Parsi alive with his creative designs for the magnificent cycloramas that beautifully framed the stage. These creations on fabric gave a sense of perspective to the audience as they watched actors work their graceful magic. It’s been said they become a part of the stories told within the plays. As a witness to masterful theatre, one was never quite sure if the curtains were falling in front of or behind the actors due to the seemingly translucent fabrics.

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Slowacki City Theatre – Krakow

Built in 1893, the Slowacki City Theatre is a more scaled down version of the spectacular Paris Opera House. It’s known for unique dressing rooms, spectacular chandeliers and of course, the hand painted curtains – courtesy of Hanryk Siemiradzki. Its architecture brings spectators from around the world.

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The Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA USA

Perhaps one of the left coast’s most beloved landmarks, The Moore Theatre, built in 1907, and named after its eccentric owner, James Moore, many of Seattle’s oldest architectural designs can be credited to this structure. With Italian terracotta adorning the outside and mosaic floors and stained glass on the inside, nothing short of a spectacular curtain design could do it justice.

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The Influential Italian Theatre

For centuries, Italian theatre has shaped the way the world views art as a whole. Larger than life stages, oversized ornaments and fixtures – both on and off the stage combine with breathtaking stories of tragedy and redemption. The curtain in the Italian theatre plays as much a role as those on the stage. Customarily deep reds and gold accents, the Italian curtains, as their drawn each night, are indeed a classical dance in and of themselves.

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