Theatrical scenery

Theatrical scenery is that which is used as a setting for a theatrical production. Scenery may be
just about anything, from a single chair to an elaborately re-created street, no matter how large
or how small, whether the item was custom-made or is the genuine item, appropriated for
theatrical use.

History[edit]
The history of theatrical scenery is as old as the theatre itself, and just as obtuse and tradition
bound. What we tend to think of as 'traditional scenery', i.e. two-dimensional canvas-covered
'flats' painted to resemble a three-dimensional surface or vista, is a relatively recent innovation
and a significant departure from the more ancient forms of theatrical expression, which tended to
rely less on the actual representation of space senerial and more on the conveyance of action
and mood. By the Shakespearean era, the occasional painted backdrop or theatrical prop was in
evidence, but the show itself was written so as not to rely on such items to convey itself to
the audience. However, this means that today's set designers must be that much more careful,
so as to convey the setting without taking away from the actors.

Contemporary scenery[edit]
Our more modern notion of scenery, which dates back to the 19th century, finds its origins in the
dramatic spectacle of opera buffa, from which the modern opera is descended. Its elaborate
settings were appropriated by the 'straight', or dramatic, theatre, through their use in comic
operettas, burlesques, pantomimes and the like. As time progressed, stage settings grew more
realistic, reaching their peak in the Belasco realism of the 1910-'20s, in which complete diners,
with working soda fountains and freshly made food, were recreatedonstage. Perhaps as a
reaction to such excess and in parallel with trends in the arts and architecture, scenery began a
trend towards abstraction, although realistic settings remained in evidence, and are still used
today. At the same time, the musical theatre was evolving its own set of scenic traditions,

borrowing heavily from theburlesque and vaudeville style, with occasional nods to the trends of
the 'straight' theatre. Everything came together in the 1980s and 1990s and, continuing to today,
until there is no established style of scenic production and pretty much anything goes.
Modern stagecraft has grown so complex as to require the highly specialized skills of hundreds
of artists and craftspeople to mount a single production.

Types of scenery[edit]
The construction of theatrical scenery is frequently one of the most time-consuming tasks when
preparing for a show. As a result, many theatres have a place for storing scenery (such as a loft)
so that it can be used for multiple shows. Since future shows typically are not known far in
advance, theatres will often construct stock scenery that can be easily adapted to fit a variety of
shows. Common stock scenery types include:

Curtains

Flats

Platforms

Scenery wagons

Theater drapes and stage curtains

Theater drapes and stage curtains are large pieces of cloth that are designed to
maskbackstage areas of a theater from spectators. They are designed for a variety of specific
purposes and come in several types; many are made from black or other dark colored, light-

absorbing material, and heavyweight velour is the current industry standard for these.[1]Theater
drapes represent a portion of any production's soft goods, a category which includes any clothbased element of the stage or scenery (though not including cloth theater costumes or
wardrobe).[2]
Proscenium stages use a greater variety of drapes than arena or thrust stages. In proscenium
theaters, drapes are typically suspended from battens that are controlled by a fly system (i.e.,
they are "flown", in theater terminology). When a drape is flown, the task of adjusting its height
for best masking effect is simplified and, in the case of a drape that must be moved during a
performance, this enables the drape to be quickly raised above the proscenium archthus
positioning it out of view of spectatorsor lowered to any arbitrary height above the stage, as
required

Types of drapes and curtains[edit]

Grand drapes[edit]
Main article: Front curtain

Austrian curtain.

The front curtain, which is variously called a grand drape, act curtain, house curtain, house
drape, main drape, main rag, or, in the UK, tabs, hangs downstage, just behind the proscenium
arch. It is typically opened and closed during performances to reveal or conceal the stage and
scenery from the audience.
There are several types of front curtains, which may consist of a single section or two sections, of
fabric that may be pleated or flat. Depending on the type, front curtains may travel horizontally or
vertically. In the case of front curtains that travel vertically, some types gather near the top of the
proscenium when opened, while others are raised into the fly space above the stage.

False proscenium[edit]
Hard teasers and tormentors are flat, horizontal and vertical (respectively) pieces that are located
just upstage of the grand drape. Together, one hard teaser and a pair of tormentors (one on each
side of the stage) are frequently used to form a reduced-size "false proscenium" within the frame
of the actual theater proscenium. Hard teasers and tormentors are typically covered with thin
plywood, which in turn is covered with dark colored, light-absorbing material. The teaser is
usually flown from a dedicated batten so that its height can be independently adjusted so as to
optimize its masking of the flies (the fly system and its loads).[1]
In some productions, a show portal is used in place of a false proscenium. This is a decorative
"frame" for the stage which also serves to mask backstage areas, just as a teaser and
tormentors would.[1]

Legs, borders, travelers, and tabs[edit]

Legs masking the theater wings

Legs are tall, narrow stage drapes that are used to mask the wings on either side of the
stage. Borders, are wide, short draperies that span the width of the stage; these are used to
mask lights and scenery that have been raised into the fly loft. Legs and borders are typically
made from a heavy, light-absorbing material similar to that of other stage drapes. Typically, a set
of two legs, one on each side of the stage, and one border, is used to form a complete masking
"frame" around the stage. Several such sets of legs and borders are typically employed at
varying distances upstage from the proscenium.
"Travelers" are curtains onstage which can open (typically to the same width as the legs) and
close (typically obscuring the entire Upstage, sometimes creating portals).
Tabs are drapes that hang at the sides of the stage perpendicular to the proscenium opening to
mask the wings, as shown in the drawing at the top of this page.

Scrims[edit]
A scrim, sometimes gauze, is a curtain made of an open-weave fabric that appears opaque
when lit from the front, but transparent when a person or object behind the curtain is lit.

Backdrops[edit]
A backdrop (or cloth[citation needed]) is a painted curtain that hangs in the back of the stage to indicate
scenery. Before the advent of motion pictures, theaters would have 6-8 stock painted backdrops
on canvas for use in their live theatrical performances[citation needed]. Often these would include an
urban scene, a nature or garden scene, and a domestic interior[citation needed].
Drops may be hung by various means. Often made of muslin which has been sized and painted,
the top may be pressed between two pieces of lumber (a batten) and clamped to a pipe, with a
pipe or chain through a hem pocket at the bottom giving it weight to prevent flapping. Some may
be grommeted along the top and tied to the pipe with tie-line (usually drapery cord nowadays). A
time-honored method of hanging a drop is seen in the roll-drop, in which the bottom of the drop is
attached to a round batten onto which it is rolled up from the back, and is deployed by rope
rigged through blocks (pulleys) to be pulled from offstage to release the tension holding the
batten up, thus unrolling it (being sure to do it slowly!) until completely unfurled.
There is also a form of drop used in Vaudeville days, which may still be seen in some older
theaters, called an olio. "Olio" means conglomeration, and these drops were most often rolldrops covered with advertisements from various sponsors, for the audience to look at between
shows.

Cycloramas[edit]
Main article: Cyclorama (theater)
A cyclorama or cyc is a large white curtain, often concave, at the back of the stage that can be lit
to represent the sky or other backgrounds.
With projected scenery, cycs and scrims may be used as drops, by employing either front or rear
projection. This was done in a general sense in the 1910s and 1920s by means of painted glass
plates in front of lighting instruments, which made sculptured shadows on the cyc to indicate
such images as a cityscape or a scary dungeon. (Focus was generalized in the early days;
nowadays we have projectors with adjustable lenses.) Lighting instruments (generally
ellipsoidals) may also be used to project scenic effects on cycs and scrims, by using "gobos,"
also known as templates or patterns. With an ellipsoidal reflector, the light source is positioned at
one focal point of the three-dimensional ellipse, then the pattern - cut metal or glass or other
heat-resistant material - is positioned in reverse position so that the light escaping the instrument

passes through the pattern first, then through the other focal point and the lenses, and is
projected upon the cyc or scrim.

Flats (theatre)
Flats, short for Scenery Flats, are flat pieces of theatrical scenery which are painted and
positioned on stage so as to give the appearance of buildings or other background.

Flats can be soft or hard covered (covered with lauan). Soft-covered flats (covered with muslin)
have changed little from their origin in the Italian Renaissance. Hard-covered flats with a frame
that is perpendicular to the paint surface are referred to as studio, TV, or Hollywood flats. Flats
with a frame that places the width of the lumber parallel
Usually flats are built in standard sizes of 8, 10, or 12 feet tall (2.4 m, 3.0 m or 3.7 m) so that
walls or other scenery may easily be constructed, and so that flats may be stored and reused for
subsequent productions.
Often affixed to battens flown in from the fly tower or loft for the scenes in which they are used,
they may also be stored at the sides of the stage, called wings, and braced to the floor when in
use for an entire performance.
Some casts have a tradition of signing the back of flats used on their production.

Theatre platform
Construction[edit]
Platforms are composed of a frame, a lid, and legs.

Lids[edit]
Lids are typically made from a sheet of plywood, although oriented strand board is also
sometimes used. Sometimes another layer is added on top of the plywood.Hardboard is
sometimes used as an easily replaceable and sturdy cover. Homasote is sometimes used
because it is quiet and more comfortable to walk on. Occasionally, a layer of muslin is added on
top of these materials, as it takes paint better than other options.

Framing[edit]
Framing is most commonly made of nominally 2"x4" lumber or rectangular steel tubing, oriented
so that its longer dimension is vertical, perpendicular to the lid. Framing is usually arranged to be
at or near every edge of the lid. In addition, intermediate members (sometimes called toggles)
are added. Common rules of thumb dictate that the lid should not overhang the framing by more
than three inches, and that internal framing should be two feet or less apart.

Legs[edit]
Wooden framed platforms usually use 2x4 legs, which rest just inside of the framing, under the
lid, with a cleat which supports the framing. Steel framed platforms are often built with brackets to

affix legs made of steel pipe. When large numbers of platforms are being used together, a stud
wall is assembled to support seams between platforms, instead of using legs at all.

Other[edit]
Often, platforms that are kept in stock have coffin locks inset in their framing or lids, in order to
fasten them to adjacent platforms. The legs or stud walls that support the platform typically
require diagonal cross bracing, often made of very thin lumber.

Scenery wagon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A scenery wagon, used to carry the Save A Soul Mission set piece in a production of Guys and Dolls.

A scenery wagon, also known as a stage wagon, is a mobile platform that is used to support
and transport movable, three-dimensional theatrical scenery on a theater stage. In most cases,
the scenery is constructed on top of the wagon such that the wagon, and the scenery it supports,
forms a single, integrated structure. Heavy duty casters are mounted to the underside of the
platform so that the entire assembly can be quickly moved onstage or offstage, so as to facilitate
rapid scenery changes during live productions. Scenery wagons are built in a wide range of
sizes, ranging from less than one square foot up to the size of the playing area of the stage. [1]
Scenery wagons comprise one of the four methods used to move scenery during the course of a
theatre performance, the other three being "flying" (suspending) scenery from a fly system,
elevating or lowering scenery on a stage lift, or "running" (manually carrying) the scenery.[2]