ELEMENTARY STAGECRAFT

MODULE 5 09/17/2015
From Elevations to the actual design, Construction Drawings are the next
step into scenic design.
I.
II.

III.

IV.
V.

VI.

VII.

Graphic Conventions for Drafting

a. Different lines are used for different pieces such as staircases,
soft goods (items that are less than three feet tall), tread lines,
gathered pieces of fabric (such as a traveler that opens)
b. Usually have the sides (left, front, right, back, and plan view)orthographic projections.
Construction Basics
a. Measuring
i. Ruler
ii. Tape Measure
1. Steel
2. Nylon
3. Surve Wheel
4. Laser/Sonar
b. Marking
c. Cutting
d. Joining
Moving Scenery
a. Turntables, Black Box, ect. (Module 4)
Flat Components ###Will be on the test###
a. Rails, Toggles, Stiles (Sides of the flat)
b. Cornerblock, Keystones, Straps, Half-Straps (Pieces to connect a
flat)
Flat Construction
a. One-by flat- connected by corner block by laying a one piece
b. Studio Flat-connected on the edges, less costly and inherently
bracey
c. Hardware
i. D-Rings (rigging for flying), etc.
Flats
a. Doors
i. Structural integrity for moving and support
b. Wall
c. Soft Goods
i. Curtains, travelers, splitting centers, tabbed curtain
ii. Legs, borders, backdrops
d. Drops and Cut Crops
i. Positive and negative cutaways

ii. Webbing and gromets

1. At the top of a fabric, you reinforce the fabric with
webbing and on top of the webbing there are
gromets.
iii. Keep tension
e. Counterweighted Fly System
f. Lumber Sizes
i. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber

CHAPTER NINE:
SCENIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
I.
II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

Technical Production
Broadway Theatre
a. Personnel hired for single production
b. Designs are constructed and finished by professionals
c. When the scenery is finished from studio to stage
Technical Director
a. Plans production
i. Elevations, designs, calendar, estimations of cost, time
allocation, etc.
Woodworking
a. Extensive scenic construction
i. Butt, Lap, Battened Butt, Milter, Dado, Halved, Notched,
Scarf, Moritse and Tenon (Open= Exposed;
Closed=Unexposed), Doweled joints
Welding
a. Metal is melted so that it fuses
b. Oxyacetylene Welding
i. Oxygen & Acetylene: hot and open flame
c. Welds
i. Butt, Flange, Lap , Fillet
Two Dimensional Scenery
a. Hard Skin
b. Soft Skin