A wide curved white cyclorama wrapping a projection studio, lit edge to edge with a projected colour grid

The biggest cloth in the building

Stage and studio cycloramas, one cloth, the whole sky

A cyclorama is the wide, smooth cloth at the back of a stage or studio that takes light and projection. We cut and sew cycloramas to measure in our Melbourne workshop, in filled cloth or PolyCyc, with the specs on this page.

Request a quote →

A curved cyc carrying a projected grid

The Drape Selector

Spec your drape
before you call.

Answer five quick questions. The Drape Selector matches fabric, fullness and opening style to your space, then turns it into a spec ready to send to the makers.

Start the Drape Selector →
  • Five questions
  • No email gate
  • Quote-ready spec
The Drape Selector running on a laptop and a phone
Drape Selector
01What is the job?
House curtain
Masking legs
Cyclorama
02Which fabric?
VelvetIFR
Wool sergeIFR
MoltonNDFR
03How full should it hang?
Flat
75%
100%
04How does it open?
Traveller
Guillotine
Tableau
05What size?
FabricWool serge
FR classIFR
Size12.0 x 7.0 m
SpecReady →
Step 1 of 5 · The job

The wash

The cloth disappears. The colour stays.

Light a cyc evenly and the audience stops seeing fabric. They see sky, dusk or deep water. That is why the face has to be smooth and the seams few.

A bare white curved cyclorama wrapping an empty studio with a timber floor, lighting rig overhead
A bare cyc in a studio build. The colour is added on screen to show the idea; the photo is the cloth as hung.

Specs at a glance

Cyclorama fabric specs, published inline

~250gsm

Filled cloth

9.2m

Filled cloth width, the widest unbroken run

~200gsm

PolyCyc

6.2m

PolyCyc width

FabricFire retardancyWeightWidthColoursBest for
Filled clothNDFR. Flame retarded to AS 1530 standards~250 gsm9.2 mWhiteCycs, projection, smooth upstage cover
PolyCycIFR. No treatment required~200 gsm6.2 mWhiteCycs, projection, lighting effects
Green screen canvasNDFR or IFR~175 gsm3.2 to 10 mGreen or blueChromakey for film, TV and hybrid theatre

Cloths

Which cyc cloth for which room

White cyclorama cloth gathered in soft folds, photographed in true colour

Filled cloth

  • ~250 gsm
  • 9.2 m wide
  • NDFR

A soft matte white that gives the widest unbroken run. Its flame retardancy is a surface treatment, so it is re-treated every 2 to 3 years.

A long white cyclorama wall stretched along a dark venue under downlights

PolyCyc

  • ~200 gsm
  • 6.2 m wide
  • IFR

A crisper finish under lights. It is inherently flame retardant, so there is no treatment to keep up. Suits studios and permanent installs where the cloth works daily.

A large green screen cloth laid out across the workshop floor

Green screen canvas

  • ~175 gsm
  • 3.2 to 10 m
  • Green or blue

Chromakey for film, television and hybrid digital theatre, in the same family as the cyc. NDFR or IFR, depending on the canvas.

Made to measure

Every cyc is cut to its room

Send the width, the drop and how it will hang. We sew the cloth flat and finish the edges for the hang.

A machinist working along white cloth spread on the long workshop table
White cloth on the long table.
Hands at an eyelet press on the edge of a drape
Eyelets for lacing.

  1. Brief

    Width, drop and how it hangs. A photo of the space helps.

  2. Edges

    Eyelets and webbing for lacing. Pipe or chain pocket to weight the bottom.

  3. Sewing floor

    Cut and sewn flat, with seams kept to a minimum.

  4. Treatment

    Filled cloth is treated, with its certificate. PolyCyc needs none.

  5. Ship or install

    Bagged and shipped Australia wide, or hung and tensioned by our installers.

In use

Museums, studios and stages

  • Visitors seated inside a deep blue immersive projection carried on curved cyclorama walls at Melbourne Museum
    Reveal cyclorama walls carrying a room-scale projectionTyama, Melbourne Museum
  • A full-room projection of native flora playing across cyclorama walls and ceiling at Melbourne Museum
    Projection across walls and ceilingTyama, Melbourne Museum
  • An underwater scene projected across a cyclorama wall, a sea creature in the foreground
    An underwater projection on cyc walls
  • Two installers on lifts tensioning a long white cyclorama panel across a venue wall
    Tensioning a long cyc wall
  • White curved cyclorama in a film studio washed in pink light, a camera rig on track in front
    A cyc wall on a film stage
  • A white cyclorama rigged to box truss in a black studio, an installer checking the hang from the floor
    Checking the hang on a truss-rigged cyc
  • White cyclorama walls with an arched cut-through and a layered sheer cylinder during a gallery build
    Cyc walls and an arched cut-through, mid build

Questions

Asked before every cyc order

What is a cyclorama in theatre?

A cyclorama, or cyc, is a large smooth cloth hung across the back of a stage or studio and lit as sky, daylight or depth. Lit evenly, the cloth itself disappears and the audience sees only the colour.

What fabric is a cyclorama made from?

Two cloths cover most work. Filled cloth is a soft matte white at about 250 gsm and 9.2 m wide. PolyCyc is inherently flame retardant, about 200 gsm and 6.2 m wide, with a crisp finish under lights.

Can you project onto a cyclorama?

Yes. The same smooth face takes a colour wash or a projected image, from a single colour to a room-scale immersive show. For a cloth the audience can see through, use a sharkstooth scrim instead.

Are cycloramas flame retardant?

Filled cloth is NDFR: flame retarded to AS 1530 standards, with a treatment certificate, and re-treated every 2 to 3 years by our fire treatment service. PolyCyc is IFR and needs no treatment.

How is a cyclorama hung?

Flown or fixed, or walkalong on track where the room needs it to move. The edges are finished for the hang: eyelets for lacing, and pipe or chain pockets to weight the bottom. Cycloramas are also in our hire stock.