Course: THEA 272 Stagecraft
Scenery Handling and Shifting
Arthur Dirks
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Lecture outline. Page references are to:
Gillette, J. M., Theatrical Design and Production (3rd ed) Mayfield.

Assembly

Flat walls may be created by combining flats using:
  1. Cleating (keystones)
  2. Battens and stiffeners
  3. Joining styles (Hollywoods)
Corner and angled wall meetings may be joined by:
  1. Lashing
  2. Hinging
  3. Joining styles

Note: special construction needed for hard covered flats for outside corner assemblies. The cover of one flat must overlap the style of the joining flat.

If scenery must be disassembled and reassembled:
  1. Doors and windows may be made removable if specified in construction.
  2. Trim may be made detachable if specified in construction.
  3. Units may be constructed for folding.
  4. Units may be assembled in place.
-Loose pin hinging is a common method for securing removable components.

Units may be stabilized in relation to each other by:
  1. Stiffeners, attached permanently (with brackets) or temporarily (with hinges).
  2. Battens: loose battens in batten hooks, turn-battens.
Units may be supported by:
  1. Adjacent units that meet at angles
  2. Braces
  3. Jacks
  4. Rigging

Shifting scenery:

Types of shifts:

Avista – in full view of audience Masked or hidden shift: Blackout shift: Curtained shift:

Methods:

  1. Running
  2. Flying and rigging
  3. Wagons and rolling
  4. Elevators and traps

Rigging and flying: (pp. 52-57)

Wagons: (pp. 232-238)

  1. Jack knife
  2. Slip stage
  3. Free roaming
  4. Revolve

Castering:

Locking methods:

Off-Caster methods (pp. 238-239):

Vocabulary:

Jackknife stage
Slipstage
Revolve
Trap
Elevator
Running
Gripping
Stiffener
Brace
Jack
Batten
Tumbler
Bridling
Breasting
Tripping
Rope line system
Counterweight system
Gridiron
Sheaves
Line set
Spot line
Hand line
Arbor
Lock rail
Trim

All original content protected by copyright © Arthur L. Dirks, Taunton, MA., 2005.