J&C Joel is one of the world's leading specialist theatrical drape manufacturers.

With a massive range and stock of flame retardant fabrics including their own specifications developed from over 50 years of specialist fabric manufacture. J&C Joel's fabrics, drapes and installation teams work across all areas of the leisure and entertainment industry - amateur and professional theatre, TV studios, sports and leisure arenas, cinemas, schools, nightclubs and civic halls.

J&C Joel's busy Projects department also designs, supplies and installs curtain tracking systems, stage equipment and lifting and flying systems.

At ABTT the company will highlight its work and a selection of associated products in all areas of theatre and performance - from the simplest draping requirement to the largest and most sophisticated flying system.

J&C Joel is also the principal distributor for Triple E's innovative range of tracking products, an assortment of which will be on the stand.

Recent project examples include :

J&C Joel at the Yehudi Menuhin School

Earlier this year, J&C Joel supplied the acclaimed Yehudi Menuhin School for gifted young string and piano players, with 14 special acoustic drapes for two levels of their brand new 315 seat Menuhin Concert Hall. The School's acoustician Bob Essert of Sound Space Design recommended J&C Joel to provide the necessary drape elements, knowing the Halifax based company from previously working on The Sage, Gateshead, where Joel's supplied the drapes. The acoustic requirement was for the drapes to reduce the reverberation and loudness over the widest possible frequency ranges. 

J&C Joel at Leeds Carriage Works Theatre

At the brand new new Leeds Carriage Works Theatre, J&C Joel designed and installed a 27 way manual purchase counterweight system for the main auditorium. Incorporating the historic structure of an early Victorian carriage works and old Electric Press Building, the new venue is part of a £12 million commercial development of bars, cafés and restaurants grouped around a historic glass-roofed and heated courtyard. Replacing the existing Leeds Civic Theatre, The Carriage Works offers two performance spaces - the 350 seat main auditorium and a Studio Theatre - in addition rehearsal and conference/meeting facilities. The theatre required a fully flexible rigging and performance solution, so  J&C Joel manufactured and installed a full stage depth counterweight wall frame to accommodate up to 37 counterweight sets.  Initially 21 five line manual single purchased counterweight sets went in, each with the added benefit of operation from the fly or stage levels. To further increase the stage flying flexibility, the system also features two side masking counterweights (one each side). In addition, because of the theatre's height restrictions, the front 5 counterweights are double purchased to allow the suspension bars to pass through a grid opening - effectively allowing the convenience of the pros borders and house curtains to be fully flown out.

This unique flexible approach allows the theatre to have a quick and practical conversion process from a traditional proscenium set up with coloured front  header and proscenium curtains to a more contemporary ‘black box' set up if required.