LEGEND


A--Auditorium.

AA--Acting areas.

AL--Acting area lights. The six general positions noted on the
plan include the acting area lights numbered according to the
area which they cover; e.g.,   1L, acting area light from the
left; 1R, acting area light from the right. Alternate positions
for areas 1L, 4L, 3R and 6R are indicated behind the tormentor
(TR or TL) flipper, mounted on a vertical pipe batten. These
alternate Positions are useful when space is allowed between the
tormentor and the down-stage (DS) end of the set on each side of
the stage.

AN--Apron. The front of the stage.

B--Beams. Ceiling coves used to mask the instruments mounted
above the ceiling. (See plan and section.)

BF--Balcony front. A box built into or hung on the front of the
balcony, used to mask the instruments mounted at this position.
Valuable for curtain lighting and most often found in
presentation houses. Used to light the curtain and the front
acting areas.
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28 LEGEND

C--Cyclorama. A large cloth backdrop hung around
 three sides of the stage, generally so that it can be
 raised and lowered.

CL--Cyclorama lights. A bank of high-powered flood
 lights, or special strips used to illuminate the cyclo-
 rama in various colors (Red, Green, and Blue pre-
 ferred) from the most advantageous position: some
 distance from the cyclorama. The use of the instru-
 ments in this position requires a clear fly space (FS).

CN--Curtain. Act curtain, ace drop, or main curtain.
 Indicated in the "draw" position.

CS--Company switch. Located at stage right. A large
 capacity switch used to supply current to the portable
 switchboards usually carried as part of the equipment
 of travelling companies. In this case, only the house
 lights, occasionally the footlights (FL) and first bor-
 der (XR), are controlled by the house switchboard
 (SW). The portable switchboard is specifically de-
 signed for each particular production and is operated
 by the company electrician or operator who travels
 with the production.

FL--Footlights. Divided in this plan into five sections
 and mounted in a pit at the front of the apron (AN).
 Equipped with a hood to prevent light spilling into
 the auditorium. (See Chapter III.)

DS--Down-stage. The direction toward the footlights.

LEGEND 29

FP--Floor pocket. Outlet boxes distributed about the
 stage (each having 2 to 4 outlets). A small pit sunk in
the floor, equipped with a self-closing slotted cover.
Floor instruments are connected to the switchboard
through these pockets.

FS--Fly space. (See section.) All the space above the
 acting area to the "grid" into which scenery can be
 raised for storage or to await its use in a particular
 scene.

GR--Ground row. A narrow piece of scenery set on
 the floor at the rear of the stage to represent the dis-
 tant landscape. It masks the horizon lights (S).

IS--Instrument storage. Storage space for instruments
 and lighting equipment.

LS--Left stage. A general direction toward the left,
 determined from the point of view of the actor as he
 faces the audience.

MB--Masking border. (See section.) A cloth border
 hung over the stage and used to mask the cyclorama
 lights (CL), particularly where a high proscenium
 opening is used.

O--Orchestra pit. A pit sunk in the floor of the audi-
 torium at the front of the stage to accommodate the
 musicians. This can be covered over as indicated in the

30 LEGEND

section, with a portable platform, and raised to the
auditorium floor level for additional seating area, or
raised to the stage level to make an extended apron.

P-Proscenium. An open arch framing the stage at
 the stage side of the auditorium.

PS-Property storage. The room allowed by the slant-
 ing walls of the auditorium is often used as property
 storage or as a quick change dressing room, on account
 of its close proximity to the stage.

RS-Right stage. General direction to the right, deter-
 mined from the point of view of the actors as they
 face the audience.

S-Horizon strips or Cyc foots. Several sections of
 high-powered concentrating reflector striplights in sev-
 eral colors (generally Red, Green, and Blue, some-
 times Amber), either sunk in the floor in the horizon
 pit, which is equipped with covers, or mounted on
 movable trucks near the base of a cyclorama.

SE--Stage entrance. Any access to the back-stage space,
 either for scenery or actors.

SM--Stage manager. Often called the prompt position.
 The stage manager's desk where cue signals, dressing
 room signals, curtain signals, a house telephone and
 the act call bell are located. Always located near to
 the proscenium, particularly at the point where the
 act curtain is pulled.

SW--Switchboard. The house switchboard, built in as
 part of the equipment of the theatre. Generally lo-
 cated on a line with the proscenium, at either side of

              LEGEND 31

the stage, either on the stage floor or on a balcony
built above it. This switchboard controls the house
lights and all the stage lights, and invariably includes
dimmers which can vary the intensity of the instru-
ments connected to the outlets distributed about the
stage.

T-Traps. The removable sections of the floor of the
 acting area.

TB-Tormentor batten or boomerang. Vertical pipe
 batten used for mounting tormentor lights.

TE-Teaser. The overhead masking line of the pro-
 scenium.

TL-Tormentor-ladder. Access to tormentor lights and
 bridge.

TR--Tormentor. The adjustable curtain or wing used
 on each side of the stage to determine the widths of
 the proscenium opening.

TT--Teaser thickness. A box teaser, generally used
 in conjunction with tormentor flipper to make an
 inner proscenium. Usually adjustable as to height and
 particularly valuable for masking the teaser instru-
 ments-X-Rays (XR) and acting area lights (AL).

US--Up-stage. The general direction toward the rear
 of the stage.

XR--X-Rays. X-Ray border. Border strips.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6--Sections of the acting area lighted
 separately,



Figure 4: ACTING AREAS
An isometric drawing of the stage viewed from the rear right
corner showing the pools of light created by the acting areas.
The elliptical pools indicated here as lines are generally soft-
edged so that they blend into one another. Thus to the eye there
should be no separate pools but apparently an even illumination
over the whole acting area. However, the two shadows of the actor
are always present and the lights should be so focused that the
actor can move in any portion of the numbered areas and be sure
that his face and the balance of his body will be lighted. Note
that 1L, 3R, 4L and 6R instruments are mounted so that their
outside rays are parallel with the side extremities of the whole
acting area.
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