Determine the appropriate style, color and type of stage curtain for your theater or auditorium space. If you are making a new curtain, begin by selecting a fabric that compliments and enhances the decor in the performance space. request fabric samples from your local stage curtain distributor, and select your style and texture. (One common choice is 25 oz. 100 percent cotton “Majestic” velour.) Make sure the color matches the proscenium arch, truss masking and valance.
Prepare the hanging unit for rigging your stage curtain. If your theater uses a counterweight fly system, slowly bring in the batten or traveler unit with the pulley mechanism in the stage left wing. If you have an older auditorium and intend to "dead hang" the curtain (or install it permanently), set up at least two ladders of sufficient height beneath the batten. Place one ladder one at the far end of the stage and one in the center. Carefully unfold the stage curtain, and rest its two halves immediately downstage of the hanging position, so that it rests upon the apron of the stage. Locate the grommets sewed into the top portion of the curtain.
Raise the far stage left corner of the fabric as you ascend the ladder at the far end of the theater, and have an assistant raise the other end of the curtain at center stage. Locate the track units hanging from the batten and connect each unit to a separate grommet by inserting a two-inch S-hook. Continue this process until all grommets are connected to the track units, and repeat the process for the stage right traveler unit. If you are using a counterweight system, carefully add weights to the middle rail to compensate for the weight of your stage curtain.
Test your stage curtain by opening and closing it using the offstage pulley connected to the traveler unit. Make sure that your curtain moves smoothly as you test it, and that none of the S-hooks are snagging or getting caught. In older theaters, you might need to apply some spray lubricant to the main pulley connected to the traveler unit to ensure that the curtain operates smoothly.