Major Technical Systems
Especially in the modern theatre, there is a large and ever growing list of technology. As a non-technical person, you are not expected to learn every piece of technology in the theatre, what it does, and how to work with it. However, there are components to these tech systems that are essential for you to know as a theatre artist of any kind (and especially if you ever would like to direct to run your own theatre company).
These pieces and system components are defined below and will also be addressed in greater detail in future modules.
The Rigging System
The Rigging System or Fly System is a system of rope lines, pulleys (called blocks), counterweights, and related devices within a theatre that enable the crew to fly (hoist objects above the stage) equipment such as scenery, curtains, lighting, and (occasionally) people, quickly, quietly, and safely.
Important Components
- Battens - the pipes
- Dead-hung - battens that are hung in one spot and are not rigged to fly
- Fly Loft or Fly Tower - large area above the stage into with the battens are flown; allows a full-height curtain or set piece to fly completely out of view of the audience
- Grid - the structure of metal I-beams located at the top of the fly loft that supports the entire fly system
- Purchase line - the rope line that is pulled to operate the fly system
- Arbor - the sled-like cage that holds the metal weights used to counterweight the fly line
The Lighting System
The Lighting System is made up of the cabling, lights, power, data, lighting control, and other equipment needed to make things light up on-stage.
Important Components
- Electrics - any batten that has lighting power run to it
- Circuit - where you plug in the lights
- Dimmer - piece of equipment that causes the light to dim or brighten
- Lighting Console (or Light Board) - the computer used to record and playback lighting cues
The Sound System
The Sound System is made up of the cabling, speakers, power, sound control, and other equipment needed to create sounds or amplify things on-stage.
Important Components
- Mixer (or Sound Board) - the faders, buttons, and knobs used to control the volume or routing of sound devices
- Microphones - either wired or wireless devices that amplify actors, musical instruments, and other live sounds onstage.
- Speakers - the devices that output processed sounds for the audience to hear.
- Headset - the phone-like communication system used by the crew to talk to each other during technical rehearsals and performances
Masking
The curtains or hard flats used to keep the audience seeing backstage or into the grid.
Important Components
- Borders or Teasers - horizontal masking above the stage to hide the lighting and any flown scenery not in use for that particular scene
- Legs or Tormentors - vertical masking parallel to the proscenium and at the edges of the playing space that hide the wings
- Tabs - vertical masking that runs perpendicular to the proscenium and is often just off-stage of the legs, used to hide extreme sightlines to the wings
- Pipe and Drape - temporary and portable curtain system created with aluminum or steel bases, vertical uprights, horizontal drape rods, and fabric drapes / curtains.
- Traveler - stage-wide masking that is on a track, splits at center-stage, and the two sides are pulled into the wings.
- Portal - hard masking, often mimicking a proscenium, that is designed specifically for a particular show.
Soft Goods
A cloth scenic element.
- Grand Drape or Main Act Curtain - ornate curtain just upstage of the proscenium that is often opened to start the show and closed at the end of the show.
- Drop - painted curtain that hangs onstage to indicate scenery.
- Scrim - a piece of gauze-like cloth that appears opaque when lit from the front, and transparent when lit from behind. Often paired with a cyc.
- Cyclorama (or Cyc for short) - full stage, white curtain used to represent the sky