Safety Curtains
Known as a Fire Curtain in the USA.
A mechanical device which is built in to large theatres, to separate the auditorium & public areas from the stage & rear-of-house areas. The safety curtain (also sometimes known as the 'Iron') is fireproof and stops fire and smoke/fumes travelling between the stage and auditorium.
Although it is sometimes known as an asbestos curtain, the modern safety curtain is not made from these highly dangerous fibres. Modern equivalents such as fibreglass or silica webbing is used. The curtain often runs in smoke pockets at the edges - this is metal channel running down the upstage edge of the proscenium arch to ensure a fireproof seal at the edge.
It is a requirement of licencing regulations to ensure the safety curtain is working correctly regularly. Many West End theatres bring the safety curtain in during the interval of each performance to demonstrate it works correctly to each audience. The frequency of testing & maintenance should be established in consultation with your local fire officer or safety team.
Many West-End theatre safety curtains are decorated, and some used to have printed adverts posted or painted on them, or white projection areas on them for slides to be projected on them during intervals. Below are some examples of safety curtains and mechanisms.
Fire Curtain Control
Fire Curtain Control at Liverpool Royal Court Theatre (June 2021)
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Safety Curtain Control
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Other fire protection systems are also used, which are common in all public buildings and residences, such as fire doors which must be kept closed and can prevent the spread of fire and smoke on stairwells and circulation areas and smoke detectors, although care should be taken to ensure that these are not affected by stage smoke effects.
Many theatres with fly towers also have smoke vents built into the top of the fly tower - these open in the event of fire, and ensure that smoke is drawn upwards away from the auditorium, ensuring the audience can exit safely. Some also have water drenchers around the proscenium which keep the safety curtain effective and can also extinguish any flames crossing the proscenium arch if the safety curtain does not operate.
The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
This unique venue adjacent to Shakespeare's Globe is lit entirely by candlelight, and is a perfect demonstration of modern health and safety practices. Great care is taken to ensure that the venue is fully fire resistant, despite being lit by over one hundred beeswax candles. Audience capacity is kept to a suitable level to ensure everyone can leave quickly and safelly. Heavy fire-resistant green oak timber is used in the construction. The theatre has a ventilation system which maintains clean air, and avoids draughts blowing across the flames, along with a heavy duty (huge) fan to extract smoke (and reduce oxygen availability) if the worst was to happen. The whole project was designed by architects Allies and Morrison.