A star cloth gives you a night sky without a single lantern pointed at it. This one is a 6m by 4m black drape threaded with optical fibres, each ending in a pin-point of light on the face of the cloth, all fed by a separate light source hidden behind it. Plug the light source into an ordinary 13A socket and the whole cloth becomes stars, with a gentle twinkle; switch it off and it reads as plain black drape. It hires at £30 per day with the light source included, dry hire or with a technician.
A fibre-optic star cloth is a black stage drape with optical fibres run through the fabric, each one finishing flush with the front face. The light source, which comes with the hire, sits behind the cloth and feeds light down every fibre at once, so the face of the drape fills with pin-points of light. The source varies the feed to the fibres, which is what makes the stars twinkle gently rather than sit fixed. The fibres carry light, not electricity, so there is no current, no lamps and no heat anywhere in the cloth itself; the only mains item is the light source at the back.
On stage it does two jobs and switches between them on cue. With the light source off it is an ordinary black drape: masking, a plain backdrop, blacks behind a set. Bring the light source up and the same cloth becomes a night sky, at the moment the panto walks into the forest, the nativity reaches Bethlehem, or the last number of a dance show needs somewhere magical to happen. Because the change is just power to the light source, it needs no blackout, no scene change and nobody walking on to do it.
Rigging is straightforward. The cloth hangs by its top edge from a lighting bar, a length of truss or a free-standing frame, anything straight, level and strong enough for a large drape across the 6m width. The light source stands behind it, joined by the fibre tail, and runs from any ordinary 13A socket, so there is nothing an electrician needs to touch. The cloth travels rolled rather than folded to protect the fibres, and it goes home on the roll the same way.
Be clear about what it is: a backdrop, not room lighting. The stars are pin-points, easily read from the back of a hall but throwing no useful light forwards, so your performers still need lighting exactly as they would in front of any black drape. Coverage is the 6m by 4m of the cloth itself, and the effect is strongest when the cloth is kept out of your stage wash; light spilling onto the drape greys the black and swallows the stars. If your opening is wider than 6m, plain black drapes either side will carry the line of the sky out to the edges, and we can supply those too.
Hire is by the day and the light source is always part of it, because the cloth is no use without it. Tell us what you are hanging from when you book, and where the nearest socket is, and it will arrive ready to go.
What you get
The 6m x 4m black fibre-optic star cloth, supplied rolled to protect the fibres
The light source that makes the stars, with a mains lead for a standard 13A socket
Fixings to hang the cloth: tell us whether it is going on a bar, a truss or a frame and we will confirm what comes in the case
Not included as standard: the bar, truss or frame itself. If your venue has nothing to hang from, we can add a free-standing frame
Not included: stage lighting. The cloth makes stars; it does not light your performers
Someone to rig and cue it for you, if you would rather we did
Good for
Pantomimes and nativity plays: a night sky the moment the story needs one
Dance show finales and curtain calls, when the last number wants somewhere magical to happen
School proms and awards evenings, as the backdrop behind the stage or the photographs
Weddings: plain blacks behind the top table by day, stars behind the first dance by night, the same cloth doing both
Church carol services and Christmas concerts
Am-dram night scenes that would otherwise take a set build to suggest
What you need to know
What it does
Turns a black drape into a night sky: pin-points of light across the whole face of the cloth, with a gentle twinkle from the light source. Source off, it is a plain black backdrop.
Size
6m wide by 4m drop. The stars cover the face of the cloth, so that is the size of your sky.
Power
The light source plugs into an ordinary 13A socket. The cloth itself carries no electricity: the fibres carry light, not current, so there is no heat in the drape.
Control
At its simplest, power on means stars on, so a switched socket gives you stars on cue. Ask when you book if you want it run another way.
Where it goes
Hangs by its top edge from a lighting bar, a truss or a frame. The light source stands behind the cloth and needs a socket within reach.
Check availability
See whether this is free for your dates. This is an indication from our current bookings, not a reservation.
Alternatives
Wireless uplighters — the other instant transformation — colour on the walls to go with stars behind the stage.
Full technical specification (6)
Item
Fibre-optic star cloth, with the light source included in the hire
Cloth size
6000 mm wide x 4000 mm drop
Cloth colour
Black
Effect
Pin-points of light across the full face of the cloth, with a twinkle effect from the light source
Power
Light source runs from a standard UK 13A socket, 230V; the cloth itself carries no electricity
Rigging
Hangs by its top edge from a lighting bar, truss or frame
Common questions
No, and it is worth planning for. The stars are pin-points: clearly visible from the back of a hall, but they throw no useful light forwards. Your performers need lighting exactly as they would in front of any black drape. The two work best kept separate. Light the people, keep the wash off the cloth, and the sky stays deep black behind them.
The light source does both jobs. Power it up and every point on the cloth lights at once, and the source varies the feed to the fibres so the stars twinkle gently rather than sit fixed. At its simplest, stars on cue means switching the socket the light source is plugged into, which any hall can manage. If you want it tied into a lighting desk or run another way, tell us when you book and we will confirm the control options on the unit we send.
A lighting bar, a length of truss or a free-standing frame: anything straight, level and strong enough for a large drape across the 6m width. The cloth hangs by its top edge, the light source stands behind it joined by the fibre tail, and the only service it needs is a 13A socket within reach. Two people with a set of steps will normally have it hung and lit well within an hour. It travels rolled rather than folded to protect the fibres, and goes home the same way.
The cloth itself carries light, not electricity. There is no current, no lamps and no heat anywhere in the drape, so a nativity cast crowding up against it is fine. The only powered item is the light source behind the cloth, which sits out of everyone's way. If your venue asks for fire-safety paperwork for drapes, ask when you book and we will send over what applies to the cloth we hold.
A marquee is fine, and star cloths are a staple of marquee weddings for exactly this reason: it is under cover and out of the weather. Open air is different. Neither the cloth nor the light source is weatherproof, so outdoor use means a dry, covered stage with the light source protected. If in doubt, describe the site and we will say honestly whether it will work.
