Why is the House Curtain Red?

The History Of The Red Curtain

Why Is There A Large Curtain?

This answer is quite simple: the big curtain (or grand drape) allows the audience to sit in anticipation and awe. Prior to the start of the show, the audience sits and waits, wondering what the opening set will look like. The curtain provides a simple barrier between those on stage and those in the audience. Moreover, the lowering of the curtain at the end of the show signals that it is finished.

Where Did The Curtain Come From?

It’s hard to find the history of the theatre curtain, but it appears to have been around for many moons. The curtain closing is a widely used metaphor for something coming to an end, but there are no significant stories of the history. 

Is It Always Red?

While red is one of the most popular colours for theatre curtains, it is not alone. Some curtains, especially today, are black or of many different colours. The red theatre curtain is typically remembered and used because it best allows a spotlight to show on stage. Different coloured curtains would absorb the light, making it difficult for the speaker to be shown. Moreover, in previous years, red fabric showed fire retardants the least. Today, there are many different clear applications of fire retardant chemicals to protect curtains of any colour, but red remains traditional.

There you have it, folks, a quick bout of red curtain history. Do you have any other good theatre stories to tell?