| At the turn of the century, many of the country's cities | | | | was the asbestos curtain. |
| built magnificent theaters to attract the top Vaudeville | | | | Asbestos curtains were, literally, curtains made of |
| troupes and plays to their stages. These theaters | | | | asbestos. Asbestos has been used in its cloth-like |
| were the home of extremely hot lights that were | | | | state since the Greeks starting using it for table cloths |
| capable of melting make up off a person's face to the | | | | that could be tossed in a fire to be cleaned. The |
| point that special make ups were developed for the | | | | curtains also used asbestos in its cloth state. In the |
| stage. Because these lights were so hot, the chance | | | | event of a fire on stage, the asbestos curtain could be |
| of a fire was not something that was outside of the | | | | dropped by one of the stage hands. This would seal |
| realm of possibility. | | | | off the stage from the audience and was supposed to |
| To combat these fires, theaters tried a number of | | | | prevent the fire from spreading to the audience. |
| ways to prevent any fire that broke out from reaching | | | | By confining the fire to the stage, it could be contained |
| the audience or completely destroying the building. The | | | | and fought more easily since it had less of an area to |
| theaters that were built were filled with marble and a | | | | occupy. Unfortunately, the asbestos curtains could |
| large amount of luxury fabrics and exquisite art on the | | | | snag on a piece of scenery or a prop and tear. The |
| walls. No one, particularly the owners of the theater, | | | | theater could also snag on a stagehand or actor and |
| wanted to see the theaters, these temples of beauty | | | | tear. There are a variety of ways to tear a curtain, all |
| and art, go up in smoke due to a small fire that started | | | | of which effectively release asbestos fibers into the |
| in the scenery and advanced quickly from there. | | | | air of the theater. |
| As a result of the threat of fire, asbestos and a wide | | | | While the majority of theater-goers are ok and |
| variety of other retardants were employed to insulate | | | | probably do not need to be worried about asbestos |
| parts of the theater and to fire proof other parts. One | | | | exposure, individuals who worked in the demolition of |
| of the biggest pieces of protection for a theater and | | | | old theaters or worked backstage of a specific old |
| the audience that was employed by many theaters | | | | theater may have reason to be concerned. |