Chapter 11 - Scenic Production Techniques (Stagecraft)

tumbler

a 1 x 3 piece of stock used as a spacer when three or more flats are going to be booked

jog

a flat less than two feet wide

mortise and tenon joint

a square hole, the mortise, can be chiseled into one of the pieces to be joined. the other piece of wood has the edges cut back to make the tenon both opened and closed joints are used in furniture construction -opened joint: tenon exposed (see Figure 11.3 A on page 242) -closed joint: looks just like a butt joint (see Figure 11.3 B on page 242)

two-handed welding

a technique in which the torch or welding handle is held in one hand and the filler rod is in the other

chemically neutral flame

achieved through a proper mix of oxygen and acetylene gas produced when white cone of oxygen is short and slightly rounded

construction adhesive (panel adhesive)

adhesive contained in a caulking tube, dispensed with a caulking gun available in a number of formulations for use in gluing wall panels to studs (wood to wood), styrofoam to wood, wood to metal, and so forth

panel adhesive

adhesive product, such as liquid nails, packaged in a caulking tube and intended to be dispensed with a caulking gun

technical production

all organizational and procedural aspects of the construction, painting, and operation of scenery and properties

arc

an electric current that leaps the gap between two closely placed electrodes

oxidizing flame

burns molten metal produced when more oxygen is added to a neutral flame

doweled joint

butt joint that is reinforced with small pieces of hardwood dowel -opened joint: end of dowel exposed (see Figure 11.3 C on page 242) -closed joint: no outside evidence of existence of dowel (see Figure 11.3 D on page 242)

tip jack

can be used when a large wall unit cannot be conveniently shifted in another manner two large, interconnected hacks that are fitted with swivel casters (see Figure 11.64 on page 277)

oxidation

chemical reaction between the metal and air that forms a very thin, discolored "skin" over the metal this skin effectively prevents heat transfer and reduces the strength and conductivity of the joint

translucent drops

commonly made of heavyweight muslin painted with dyes or a combination of dyes and opaque paint and are lit from both the front and the back

opaque drops

commonly made of heavyweight muslin painted with opaque paints and lit from the front

decking

covering surface of a structure on which people will walk

notched joint

created when the edge or face of one board is inserted into a notch (size of notch is determined by the width and thickness of the piece that the notch will receive) cut in another used for shelving and similar applications (see Figure 11.2 D on page 241)

stage platforming

creates interesting blocking pictures

score

cut partially through

corner brace

diagonal internal framing member that helps keep a flat square

mortise drill bit

drill bit housed inside of a square hollow chisel used with a drill press to make square holes available in a variety of diameters

batten-clamp drops

drops attached to a counterweight batten

rigid wooden platform

easiest platform to build

tie-supported drops

easiest way of hanging a drop

flange weld

edges of materials being joined are bent up before the sheets are clamped into place made by melting upturned flanges necessary to apply flux to welding zone can be made without use of a filler rod (see Figure 11.6 B on page 246)

step motor

electric motor whose movement consists of discrete angular steps rather than continuous rotation precision movement is achieved by programming the motor to run, in either direction, for a specific number of steps

prime coat

first coat of paint looked to the flats to develop a relatively uniform color and surface to the wall units

dependent unit (stage window/door)

fixed to flat

irregular flat

flat having nonsquare corners

three-dimensional scenery

generally refers to the construction of platforms, stairs, and similar objects

drywall

gypsum board typically used to cover interior walls in home construction

muntin

horizontal crossbar in a window

tread

horizontal surface of a stair

wire brush, sanding, grinding, or cleaning with commercial chemical removers

how can you polish a welding zone?

toggle bar

interior horizontal framing member of a flat

revolves (turntables) *oh how the turns have tabled*

large, circular platforms that pivot on their central axis

drops

large, flat curtains that have no fulness

independent unit (stage window/door)

largely self-contained and can easily be attached to or removed from the flat

stiffening batten

length of 1 x 3 attached to a multi flat wall unit to keep it from wiggling

skid

low-profile, masterless substitutes for wagons

dado joint

made by cutting a slot (the slot is cut only halfway through the depth of the lumber) across the face of one piece of lumber to receive the edge of another can be cut with with several passes of a regular blade in a radial-arm saw or dado blade (see Figure 11.2 A on page 241)

halved joint (halved lap joint)

made by removing half of the thickness of each piece of lumber from the area to be joined so that the finished joint will be no greater than the stock from which it is made secured with glue and nails, screws, or staples and can be cut very easily with a dado blade used in making the muntins and mullions of windows and in similar applications (see Figure 11.2 B and C on page 241)

keystones

made from 1/4-inch plywood used to reinforce the butt joints made for any internal bracing on the flats

scrim drops

made from sharkstooth scrim or theatrical gauze unique ability to become transparent when the scene behind the drop is lit

fillet weld

made when the edge of one piece is joined to the face of another both sides of the angled piece should be welded to create the strongest possible weld

lap weld

made when two pieces are overlapped and both overlapped edges are welded (see Figure 11.6 C on page 246)

butt joint

made when two pieces of wood are cut square at the end and fitted together (see Figure 11.1 A-D on page 239)

honeycomb paper

manufactured paper product with a hexagonal structure similar to a honeycomb

solder

metal alloy of lead and tin

filler rod

metal piece, of the same composition as the material being welded, used to replace the metal lost during the welding process or to fill a hole or groove in the work

butt weld

most common and strongest types of weld edges of materials to be joined are clamped edge to edge with a narrow space between them (see Figure 11.6 A on page 246)

joists

parallel beams that supports flooring

carriage

part of stair unit that supports the tread and risers

spackling

paste used to fill small holes in walls

lift jack

platform-anchoring technique where casters are placed in contact with the floor when it is stationary normally equipped with swivel casters (see Figure 11.63 on page 277)

newel post

post at the bottom or top of a flight of stairs that terminates the handrail

laminating

process of gluing thin pieces of wood together to make a thicker piece

ply-metal

refers to TEK screws specifically designed to attach plywood to metal (the flathead of the screw is typically flush with, or slightly into, the plywood)

wagons

rigid platforms that rest on casters instead of legs (see Figure 11.5 on page 270)

welding rod

rod, usually covered with flux, that serves as the positive electrode in arc welding

shim

scrap wood or metal used to raise adjacent parts so that they are level or fit together as designed (see Figure 11.59 on page 274)

cutout drops

sections or pieces of the drop actually cut out of the material sense of depth can be created if multiple of these drops are layered

surface preparation

should be completed before welding can be done by polishing welding zone

lap joint

simplest of all joints two pieces of wood joined face-to-face and fastened together used when attaching legs to platforms (see Figure 11.1 E on page 239)

header

small flat that can be placed between two standard-sized flats to create a doorway or window

sill iron

strap of mild steel attached to the bottom of a door flat to brace it where the rail has been cut out

compound curves

surface that curves in more than one direction (like a ball) or changes the radius of its curve (like a playground slide)

single-hand welding

technique in which one hand hold the welding handle and the other hand is not used

load-in

the moving of scenery and associated equipment into the theatre and the positioning of them on the stage

handrail

the part of the stair railing that is grabbed by the hand supported by the banister and newel post

kit-cutting

to cut all the individual pieces needed to make something before assembly is started

book

to fold hinged flats together

rail

top or bottom framing member of a flat

hard flat

traditional wooden flat frames covered with a hard material such as plywood, masonite, or other hard covering material

gusset

triangular piece of material used to reinforce a corner joint

book ceiling

two large flats about the same width as the proscenium arch, stooped in a booked position in the flies opened and lowered onto the walls of the set if needed to make a ceiling

battened butt joint

two pieces of stock lumber are butted end-to-end, and an 18- to 24-inch piece of lumber if similar width is attached directly over the joint with glue and screws (see Figure 11.1 F on page 239)

specialized battened butt joint

two pieces of stock lumber are butted end-to-end, and an 18- to 24-inch piece of lumber if similar width is attached directly over the joint with glue and screws that are used in flat construction (see Figure 11.1 G and H on page 239)

miter joint

type of butt joint wood being joined together is cut on an angle instead of a square used when making irregular flats and picture frames

soft scenery

unframed fabric units such as drops and draperies which are usually suspended from the gris or a batten to support the downstage edge of the ceiling

show control

use of computer-controlled, motorized devices to shift scenery, almost always in view of the audience

steel tubing

used to fabricate rigid platforms

scarf joint

used to make one long board from two short ones with no increase in the thickness of the lumber angled surface of the joint should be at least 18 inches long can be cut using a band saw. plane or power sand should be used to smooth the surface of the cut so that the faces of the joint will be flush each face is coated with glue, and the unit is clamped together and fastened with screws or bolts and allowed to dry (see Figure 11.2 E on page 241)

flexible joining method

used when it is necessary to fold the wall

rigid joining method

used when wall unit doesn't have to be folded for shifting or storage

oxyacetylene welding

uses two-handed welding technique strength depends on a chemically neutral flame

arc welder

utilizes electricity to generate an arc that has a temperature of 13,000 degrees Fahrenheit almost instantaneously melts most common types of metals

mullion

vertical crossbar in a window

riser

vertical face of a stair

banister

vertical member that supports the handrail of a staircase railing

stile

vertical side member of a flat

-dependent -independent

what are the two basic types of stairs?

-ties -batten clamps

what are the two primary methods of attaching drops to their respective battens?

-rigid -flexible

what are the two primary methods of joining flats?

-dependent -independent

what are the two types of stage windows and doors?

trim

what enhances the realistic appearance of a door or window flat?

oil, grease, paint, and other contaminants

what needs to be cleaned off of the surface of the metal before welding?

sweep

wooden curvilinear form, generally used to outline an arch to irregular form in door- and window- flat openings

stressed skin platform

wooden support frame is covered on both the top and the bottom surfaces with plywood

soft flat

wooden-framed flats covered with some type of fabric designed to almost any size