Picture this. The audience has filed into the theatre or arena, excitedly waiting for the show to start. They look at the stage and see only a backdrop. Their curiosity builds – what is behind that backdrop? Suddenly, the lights dim, the music builds and BAM! The backdrop suddenly disappears to reveal the band behind.
What is this piece of stage magic? It’s a Kabuki – a combination of an easy-to-install kabuki solenoid system and a kabuki backdrop. Solenoid heads are attached to a truss, connected together with cables, and then connected to a controller. The backdrop is then hung from the solenoid heads via removable D-rings attached to the top of the backdrop with Velcro. When it is time to reveal the band, the solenoids are “fired,” which releases the D-rings so that the backdrop quickly drops to the stage floor.
The sky’s the limit for the backdrop – perhaps a custom digitally printed scenic backdrop, or a simple black rental backdrop, or even a white poly silk backdrop that tantalizes the audience with a shadow effect (as shown above) – and with the availability of rental solenoid systems, a kabuki is a gag that works for nearly any tour design.