Stagecraft

Stage equipment refers to the equipment of stages with technical equipment and devices ( see also stage machinery ). As a stage technique (or stage technicians ) also referred to the professional group of people on stage not artistically active.

• 3.1 elevating platforms
• 3.2 stage wagon
• 3.3 turntable and turntable 3.3.1 hub
• 3.3.2 revolving stage
• 3.3.3 Artistic importance

Generally

The stage equipment is subject to specific safety requirements and regulations as well as extensive statutory audit requirements. Part of the stage technology also provides the so-called spotlight dar. A distinction on stages between the upper machinery, the lower machinery and the stage floor.

The upper machinery referred to, for example, bridges, trains for brochure or lighting poles and the ceiling or rotary relay races.

The proscenium arch can be movable in order to reduce the largest curtain opening from case to case. The movable portal side panels may be formed as a walk- lighting towers. In this case, they are connected by a mutually automatically extendable and adjustable in height architrave, in the first alley light is installed. About the portal one over the whole width of the stage continuous lighting bridge should be located, run along to the perpendicular two lighting bridges halfway stage building height on the side walls, so that the playing field head-on and can be coated with headlights from both sides. The bridge lights are now mounted on roller arms and can be moved on rails easily move in the respective desired position or motorized with a remote control. Possibly work galleries and devices to pull double-sided guided counterweight high- trains for the operation of the light streets or to the shackling or hoisting of decorations along the side of the stage walls.

The stage prospectus is the rear boundary of the stage area. A cyclorama furnished to " Italian style ", consists of three parts: a background on both sides bent and two straight side connections. This may, as required, be set up as a solid or as part of the horizon and the horizon used. With arranged on the rear wall panoramic trains Seitenschänkel the circular horizon can be hung and pulled as necessary. In a non- curved background is called a stage prospectus. This is increasingly being used as a screen for insertions.

The stage floor is the display area. In its strictest sense, these are the boards that mean the world (to be). This ground may consist of mobile elements or be permanently installed. Here black pine wood is usually used with a thickness of 40 mm and a corresponding impact sound muffled underground. In the baroque theater of this soil increased to enhance the perspective effects to the rear. This stage bevel, also called stage case, had a slope of about 1.5 cm to 4 cm to one meter. Shakespeare often played with this " floor ", reproduced by him on stage again in small a game in the game.

The lower machinery is located under the stage floor, and may include, for example, lifting devices or hubs.

Additional divisions and subdivisions are possibly the proscenium as a flexible part of the stage floor, the orchestra pit, the side stage and backstage. The new sound techniques, a development is away from the orchestra pit.

To stage equipment includes the main curtain. The main curtain at theaters is most elaborately worked and decorative. There are different opening options, such as the German, Italian or Greek opening and various technical systems. Front of the main curtain of the Iron Curtain, the stage house and auditorium runs and disconnects after the performance. In case of fire, he is immediately lowered to fire and smoke retardant to separate the stage area from the spectator area. There are different types of motion of the Iron Curtain. The rule is the vertical travel from top to bottom. Another method is the movement from bottom to top, or coming in two parts from top and bottom. In some houses, the Iron Curtain is also retracted laterally.

The safety regulations for Stage Technology in Germany can be found next to the regional editions in the Assembly Ordinance and in the BG rule C1. On platforms also safety in the construction industry, leading to overlaps apply. So one has eg a hoist rope after stage standard be tested for twelve times the load capacity, while the suspension as a component of the roof of the building standard with much less stringent provisions. All textiles and films must be tested for reaction to fire, smoke behavior and plastics produced from dripping behavior and generally ' non-flammable ' or ' flame retardant ' or ' self-extinguishing '. These guidelines also apply to all surface coatings such as paints, coatings and Firnise.

Upper machinery

Bühnentechnische facilities that are located above the stage floor, is called upper machinery.

Theater trains

To switch quickly from one stage decorations house ( stage tower ) usually twice as high as the apparent height of the stage area. This allows the pulling of entire scenery parts, curtains, festoon or brochures upwards in the direction of the rigging loft. These are the flies traction devices, called trains, mounted. The most common fly bars are to be found in which the parts are to stage so-called tie rods that occupy almost the entire width of the stage, suspended. The ropes are guided over rollers in the rigging loft in the ceiling structure of the stage area to the side and either countered with a counterweight and manually ( Handkonterzug ) moves or by engines, today also often controlled by computers, driven.

Special Trains:

• Point hoists consist of only a single cable and are designed to move smaller parts. In combination, it is needed to move parts that need hangers in different stage depths.
• Skylights are extended tie rods, involving many lights and lamps are permanently mounted, which contribute to the background light of the stage much.
• Scenic trains are trains that carry a U-shaped tie rod spanning the entire stage, wearing a background ( panorama).

Portal

The Portal ( Proszeniumsöffnung ) is optically the front end of a stage towards the audience.

From the perspective of the viewer, it essentially consists of a black frame that limits the view of the stage and the top stage sides. Technically, the portal from the Portal Bridge and the portal towers. Bridge and towers contain concealed hanging options for lights, speakers and curtains. The technical design differs from theater to theater, depending on its size, but are consistently following features:

• Height adjustment of the gantry bridge
• Lateral adjustment of the portal towers
• A walk-in gallery lighting concealed behind the bridge, which is in part also designed multi-storey
• Walk-in platforms for adjusting headlights in the portal towers

Lower machinery

Even under the stage floor in larger theaters, a considerable space available in which facilities can be accommodated to allow occur backdrop parts or performer from below. This space is called the lower machinery.

Lifting platforms

Many of the larger theater with large stage lifts, which can appear and disappear all the stage sets. The podium usually extend over the entire width of the stage area. Their depth may vary, but the stages are usually much wider than deep, so that each one stripe of the stage can be moved up and down. If several of these stages are arranged one behind the other, can be achieved by starting from different height levels easily and quickly a grading of the stage area. Even so, multi-storey, moving stage sets are possible.

Some of the newer theaters have the option of whole stage space to the side and move down simultaneously, making it possible to move up to eight whole stage images (such as the Opéra Bastille in Paris).

A sinking is attached underneath a flap lift mechanism that allows the sudden emergence of smaller stage or parts of people.

Stage wagon

For a fast an entire stage set used in many theaters built- platform cars, which often occupy the entire area of ​​the main stage. They can be used a complete set back or move away to the side.

Turntable and turntable

The revolving stage or turntable is a circular, rotating stage surface whose rotation also enables fast, often visually attractive change.

The differences between the terms turntable and turntable are in the height.

Turntable

A turntable has a relatively flat design. They may be incorporated into a stage wagon, so that it is possible to drive the rotary disc from the stage when it is not needed. There are also mobile forms of rotary discs, can be placed on an existing surface of the stage.

Revolving stage

Unlike a hub, a revolving stage extends into the depth of the stage. Due to this high design can also accommodate a rotating stage lifting platforms or penetrating directions which are then rotated with. The designs differ in the amount and in the number of penetrating directions contained strong, they are dependent, among other things, of the architectural environment of the respective theater.

Good example for a rotating stage with built-in lifting platforms is the revolving stage at the Vienna Burgtheater.

A special form is the turntable with two discs of the core and the annular disc which can rotate independently. Often the core cylinder can be driven as a lifting platform out. One example is the rotation stage of the Vienna Volksoper.

Artistic meaning

In modern productions is sometimes deliberately played within the scene with a rotation stage so that the actors run counter to the direction of rotation of the stage, while in the background may find the three-dimensional built scenes and other stakeholders. The irritation of the eye is this desirable side effect, which is used eg in fair scenes (such as La Bohème ). With slower rotational speed, the possibility for the appearance of a wandering opens (eg Fiddler on the Roof, orig. Fiddler on the roof ).

Responsibility

For the control and the technical process of events the stage manager is responsible. Also responsible is the stage manager and technical director and technical director of a theater.