Flashcards: Rigging System
About these flashcards
Created by:
mher031 on December 6, 2010
Subjects:
theatre, theatre 121, theatre arts, theatre terms
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.All 16 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Counterweight Rigging System | A mechanical system for flying scenery. In this arrangement, lines from a rigging batten run up to the loft blocks (pulleys) above a grid, and then across the top of the stage house to a side wall. The lines are then gathered at a head block and directed down the side wall to the counterweight arbor. |
| Line - Synthetic Rope (Replaced Hemp - Why?) | Manila line pulled by a stagehand operating a counterweight rigging system. Pulling the line, which is tied to a counterweight arbor, moves the attached rigging batten and its load of scenery or other equipment. |
| Batten | An overhead length of steel pipe to which scenery, drapery or lighting equipment is attached. Part of the rigging system, the battens run across the stage parallel to the proscenium and are suspended from the grid. |
| Grid | The openwork steel floor and associated structure placed above the stage to support the stage rigging and to provide access to it. Also known as the Gridiron. |
| Arbor | Adding and removing counterweights at the locking rail. |
| Locking Rail | Located on the stage deck or on a backstage catwalk, oriented perpendicular to the proscenium arch and extending from the proscenium to the back wall. It has a lever-operated rope lock, which clamps the rope so as to prevent a balanced load from drifting, and a safety lock for each line set. |
| Loading Rail | Adding and removing counterweights at the locking rail. |
| T-track | A counterweight rigging system employing T- shaped steel tracks. The tracks guide the counterweight arbors as they slide up and down the stage house wall. |
| Head Block | A multi-grooved drum, or sandwich of independent pulleys, at which two or more lines of a stage rigging set are gathered; the lines are directed downwards to a counterweight carriage or pin rail where they can be manipulated as a group. |
| Loft Block | Stage rigging device, consisting of a single grooved wheel or multi-grooved drum attached to the roof steel or grid floor, which transfers one of the lines supporting a rigging batten to the head block. |
| Curtain | Masking curtains hung vertically and parallel to the sides of the proscenium. Also known as legs, the sides of the performing are and hide offstage areas from the view of the audience. |
| Bricks or Iron - (Steel Weight) | The counterweight of the object that is flying. |
| Turnbuckles or Trim Chain | A metal sleeve with opposite internal threads at each rod for the threaded ends of two rods or for ringbolts, forming a coupling that can be turned to tighten or loosed the rods or wires attached to the ringbolts. |
| Hemp Advantage | Hemp systems are generally cheaper and easier to install in a theater. They can be more easily configured for spot rigging, where the lift lines have to be reconfigured frequently. Some argue that they are safer to use in theaters because it is much more difficult to get the line set out of balance, causing dangerous runaway. Sand bags are not able to rust and have no sharp edges. |
| Hemp Disadvantage | Disadvantages Hemps system can be more difficult to operate, requiring stronger and more massive fly workers. Some also argue that they are less safe than their counterweight counterparts because it is easier for a misguided technician to disassemble an important part of the system. Sand bags can occasionally fail and spill sand over the stage. |
| Counterweight Hazard | Counterweight fly system can be very dangerous if not operate by a competent and trained technician. Runaway situations can occur when the weight on the arbor is not equal to the weight of the batten and its load, especially since it is not uncommon to unbalance the bar to facilitate quick flying in one direction. |