Steven Hall with Northland Church in Longwood, Florida brings us this cool look.
From Steven: For Easter 2014 we looked back to a set we did a few years back at Northland. Easter 2012? Our concept was to have a huge powerful opener that was a driven narrative from video on 3 large 10′ wide, 20′ tall screens.
We used DL-3s to project onto fabric that we dropped with Kabuki Solenoids at the end of the opening video segment. We used Solenoids from Chabuki, which worked phenomenally. They are cool devices that open to allow fabric to drop. The fabric we used was White Poly Silk. We bought a roll from Rose brand and cut it to our height. One challenge we had was that our services typically have a 15 minute turnover which made rigging the fabric between services a bit of a rush.
We used a single man genie lift with 5 people rushing it from drape to drape in order to hang each drape between services. Each of the drapes hung from 5 kabuki solenoids that were clamped to 10′ pipes which we hung in our ceiling.
For projection we used 4 DL-3s that were hung about 60′ from our fabric pieces. We hung them so that we could also use them to project on our side walls which are about 20′ tall x 70′ long.
We ran into some issues with the DL-3s we rented. We ended up having to open up 4 of the media servers during setup to reset and re-seat the connections. As you can see, Dorian wanted to help with the DL-3s too.
Once our kabukis had dropped, we used the DL-3s to project onto the walls in our room.
We also had some custom steel structures welded that housed our 4 bar blinders. We also had holes drilled that allowed us to hang 101s on them. The best part of these scenic/ lighting pieces is that they were on motors. During the service we changed their bottom trim to get a great array of looks. It was awesome. One song we created a roof like canopy of lights and the next was almost a flat wall!
All of the blinders used mirror lamps and were wired individually. Each lamp was wired to a 16 channel Christmas light dimmer. This was awesome as we could do wipes and really cool dimmer fades and chases across the whole rig.
Here is an image of the dimmers we used. They were very finicky so we made sure to run them into a Opto splitter to make sure to isolate them from everything else. We also ensured all dimmers were on the same leg of power to minimize weird things like flickers and ghosting of the lamps. We did also try to use a laptop to make changes remotely to make changes to the dimmers and ended up frying the network card. So don’t plug your computer into these :)
We also made some really cool towers out of our Colorblast TRXs, that we used as back lights. The vertical rectangles of light made for a nice touch on the livestream to keep everyone from sinking in the dock.
Understanding Kabuki Drop Systems for Church Stage Design
Kabuki solenoid systems represent one of the most dramatic technologies available to church stage designers, enabling instant transformations that captivate audiences and create powerful narrative moments. The system used at Northland Church demonstrates how these professional theatrical devices can be adapted for worship environments to create memorable Easter experiences that leave lasting impressions on congregations.
The fundamental principle behind Kabuki drops is elegantly simple yet technically sophisticated. Solenoid mechanisms hold fabric in place until an electrical signal triggers their release, allowing the material to fall instantly and reveal what lies behind. This creates a theatrical reveal effect that would be impossible to achieve smoothly with manual operation. For Easter services, this technology enabled Northland to transition from a video-driven opening narrative to a transformed worship space in mere seconds.
The choice of White Poly Silk from Rose Brand demonstrates professional material selection. Rose Brand has supplied the theatrical industry for decades, and their Poly Silk offers the ideal combination of light weight for reliable dropping, translucency for projection visibility, and durability for repeated use. The fabric’s ability to accept projection while maintaining enough opacity to hide what lies behind until the drop makes it perfect for reveal applications.
The 15-minute turnover challenge mentioned highlights a common reality in church production environments. Unlike theatrical performances with days between shows, churches often need to reset complex technical elements between multiple weekend services. Northland’s solution of using a single man genie lift with a five-person team demonstrates efficient workflow planning. The genie lift provides safe access to overhead rigging points while the team coordinates fabric attachment to the five solenoids per drape.
The projection setup using four DL-3s positioned 60 feet from the fabric shows careful planning for both image quality and versatility. DL-3s are professional media servers with integrated projectors, capable of playing back high-resolution content without requiring external media players. Positioning them to cover both the fabric drops and the side walls maximized the equipment investment while creating cohesive environmental projection that extended beyond the main stage.
Related Designs
Looking for more inspiration with dramatic reveals, projection mapping, or creative lighting techniques? Check out these related stage designs:
- Multi-Purpose Squares – SALT Nashville created versatile LED-lined squares that work as projection surfaces, pixel-mapped displays, and symbolic stage elements that can be reconfigured for different service moments.
- Dancing Diamonds – Willow Creek North Shore used hanging diamond shapes and professional lighting fixtures to create dynamic visual interest with suspended geometric forms.
- Hexagon String Art – Village Baptist Church built hexagon and hourglass shapes with RGBW LED lighting and creative string art patterns for a unique geometric stage design.
- Shorty Got Low, Low, Low – Lighthouse Church overcame low ceiling challenges using mirror-topped boxes and LED uplighting to create height and dimension in compact spaces.
- Dotted Half Moons – Willow Creek Huntley used styrofoam cups arranged on foam boards to create textured half-moon shapes that catch light beautifully and add dimensional interest.
Pro Tips for Using Kabuki Drops and Projection
Plan Your Rigging Points Carefully: Kabuki solenoids require secure overhead attachment points rated for dynamic loads. The sudden release of fabric creates shock loads that static weight calculations don’t capture. Work with qualified theatrical riggers to ensure your support structure can handle these forces safely. Consider using rated clamps on theatrical pipe rather than permanent installations for flexibility.
Test Your Fabric Drop Before Service: Fabric behavior can be unpredictable depending on humidity, static electricity, and folding patterns. Always conduct multiple test drops during rehearsal to ensure clean, complete falls. Have backup plans for partial drops, including stagehands with poles to assist if needed. The 15-minute turnaround at Northland required efficient testing protocols to ensure reliability across multiple services.
Calculate Projection Brightness for Your Surface: Projecting onto fabric differs significantly from projecting onto screens. The translucency of Poly Silk means some light passes through rather than reflecting back to the audience. Position projectors closer or use higher brightness units than you would for opaque surfaces. The 60-foot throw distance at Northland required powerful DL-3 units to achieve adequate image brightness on the 20-foot tall fabric surfaces.
Isolate Dimmer Systems Properly: The Christmas light dimmer system described demonstrates creative problem-solving, but also highlights electrical safety concerns. Cheap dimmers can introduce noise into audio systems and create ground loop issues. The opto-splitter isolation mentioned was crucial for preventing equipment damage—note the fried network card from an earlier attempt. Always use proper electrical isolation when integrating consumer-grade equipment with professional systems.
Related: Pixel Perfect – Discover how Grand Avenue Baptist Church created a stunning pixelated stage design using cardboard boxes and LED lighting for their youth event.
Awesome BIG look.