Copyright © 20201 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 2002, I was hired by the Brown Grand Theatre to restore three backdrops: a Garden Scene, Woods Scene and Rocky Pass. Each backdrop was a victim of severe water damage. At the time, the venue still had its original hemp system and paint bridge. There were no counterweights of any kind; no sandbags to ease a stagehand’s burden, just three ropes. I remember trying to lift one of the scenes and just dangling, but I was a lot lighter then so it could have been just me. The Brown Grand Theatre project was one of many during the summer of 2002. I was also restoring historic scenery collections at Scottish Rite theaters in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. That summer, I was overwhelmed with projects, and completed the Brown restoration on my way home from Santa Fe. The Brown Grand stage house was absolutely captivating, but I did not have any time to adequately document the paint bridge, rigging, or many other intriguing details.
I returned to the Brown Grand Theatre in 2009. This time, my project was to remove and minimize the staining from tar drips; collateral damage during a roof repair. It was a quick job, completed after another large restoration project, this one at the Scottish Rite in McAlester, Oklahoma. Again, my stay at the theater was very brief within no time to document any other stage artifacts, the rigging or paint bridge. I will always regret not stopping to snap a few images.
Last year, I was again contacted by the Brown Grand about some damage to their scenery. The general manager explained that the front curtain was in desperate need of repair. This really surprised me, as it was a painted replica from 1979. In the 1970s, the original drop curtain was replaced after it was deemed irreparable. I was extremely familiar with the replica, as well as the original and couldn’t image what caused the rapid deterioration.
The project was granted-based work, so we waited for approval. The timeline remained fluid, as I was unwilling to schedule prior to the vaccine roll out. We decided tentatively for the fall of 2021 – late September. I really wanted to be fully vaccinated before I started planning restoration projects again and coming in close contact with people that I didn’t know. All this time, I was basing the project timeline on a few current pictures and memory. I added that until I saw it in person it had to remain a “guesstimate,” so in July I swung by the theatre. I was on my way home from Colorado with Michael Powers after meeting the New York Times reporter in Leadville.
I was not prepared for the transformation that had occurred to the Brown Grand stagehouse since my last visit.
All of the details that I never had time to photograph were gone. An entirely new rigging system, fly floor and paint bridge had been installed. I was devastated, woefully disappointed with the new version; it also worked less well than the old system. Regardless of my disappointment, I assessed the damaged drop. The majority of the damage was caused by good intentions and amateur repairs. We could not fully lower the drop to the floor, as the paint was quite thick, and we would need multiple hands on deck. However, I got a good sense of the condition. I also suggested that they lower the grand border for my return, so that I could address some of the damage to that too.
At some point an enthusiastic individual came up with a solution to prevent light spill through the thin areas of fabric on the drop curtain. Instead of placing a curtain behind it to block the light spill, dozens of patches were glued to the back. It had been patched while hanging too, with a substantial amount of glue. The actual application of the patches not only cracked the paint, but also left some staining throughout.
As I discussed options, we decided to leave the patches on, since removing them would likely cause more damage than just touching up the front. The “plan” was for me to arrive on a Monday and depart on a Saturday. The project was to conceal areas of paint loss and staining, as well as patch new damage (rips and punctures). There was also another tar drop to deal with – same place. Prior to my arrival, they would lower the drop and then raise it after my departure. Both top and bottom battens would remain on during the repairs. I would arrive on a Sunday, work Monday through Friday, and depart on Saturday morning. On my first day, however, I would verify the work for a week and do a zoom presentation to the Board of Directors. This would be an opportunity to immediately address any surprises. Before my departure at the end of the week, I would make another presentation to the Board about my completed work. I reserved two additional days for unanticipated work, or damage that occurred when the curtain was initially lowered to the stage.
Upon my arrival yesterday, I was able to fully inspect the entire drop curtain and grand border. I was not prepared for the “improvements” made to the top and bottom sandwich battens since my last visit in 2009.
I’ll start with Surprise #1 today: The 4” top pine batten of the drop curtain was completely replaced with a 6” oak batten. It wasn’t just replaced; the drop was shortened when they place the new boards below older damage at the top. Therefore, the top 12” were wrapped around the batten, all the way to the backside. Prior to wrapping the drop around the oak, a piece of muslin was glued to the wood with a solvent-based product and assembled quickly. This glue seeped through the base layer of muslin to the surface. The glue then proceeded to off gas, causing the painted fabric to rapidly deteriorate. Like tissue paper, any pressure to remove it from the glued areas caused it to disintegrate. I was successful in removing some of the fabric, but not the majority of it. The top 1′-0″ of the drop is not usable and damaged beyond repair. It and will have to be removed, as it cannot support weight or be salvaged. Fortunately, the timing is lucky, as I doubt the drop would have lasted the season.
The bottom batten was only altered on the ends. Again, oak was added to the ends of the original sandwich batten. In both cases, the sharp edges of the oak damaged the nearby fabric.
These issues will be address next weekend. For now, I begin the process of cleaning, repairing and paint touch up.
To be continued…
