Keystones and Corner Blocks, Teasers and Tormentors

Keystones and Corner Blocks, Teasers and Tormentors

Break a leg.

Keystones and corner blocks.

In theatre certain dialog is used to explain the different parts of the scenery.

A heavy canvas or muslin or scrim (open weave fabric) stretched over a frame is called a "flat." Flats can also be solid.

The uprights of a flat are called "styles."

The top and bottom cross pieces of a flat are called "rails."

A mid brace that goes between two styles is called a "toggle."

The triangular brackets that hold the four corners of a flat together are called "corner-blocks."

The wedge shaped bracket that hold a toggle between two styles are called "keystones."

Teasers (Boarders) and Tormentors (legs)

Borders and legs along with main drapes, cycloramers (a flat or curved white curtain stretched tight that can be lit to produced the effect of a day or night time scene), scrims (open weave material that can be painted or dyed and lit from either the front or rear to produce special visual effects), travelers (teasers that fly), false prosceniums (hard legs and border flats that cover the opening space of a stage to create a smaller opening), all make up the drapery that hide and reveal stage scenery from the audience.

Legs, some drapes and scrims can be flown.

Flown scenery, or flying (it) refers to scenery that can be lifted up and away from the stage, using either a counter weighted system or a series of hand pulled ropes.

Flown scenery requires a tower above the stage that receives the scenery being flown. A tower has a series of pipes that scenery attached to cables is lifted with. Lighting can also be flown this way. Some lighting is fixed and does not fly.

If space is limited in the tower, then scenery can be designed to fly part way, and folded out of view.

Flown scenery is controlled or flown from either the deck (stage) or a fly rail (Platform above the stage on either stage left or stage right.

Stage Left - This is performers left, facing the audience.

Stage Right - This is performers right, facing the audience.

Up Stage refers to an area away from the audience. 

Down Stage refers to an area of the stage closer to the audience.

So "upstage right" is an area looking at the audience that is on the right side of the stage and away from the audience.

"Downstage right" is an area of the stage looking at the audience that is to the right and also towards the audience. 

These terms are used by both performers and technical people running a show.

Break a Leg 

There are a couple of very different meanings for the term "Break a Leg."

One is that you wish the very worst for a stage production or the members of that production to indicate the very best. It's like wishing someone the worst when you really meant the best. But wishing someone the best could mean bad luck.

Another and very different meaning for the term "break a leg." has to do with luck again, but this time when scenery is flown in from a high tower above. The LEG coming in (down) fast, hits the stage (deck) hard and the material is said to break.

But keeping it simple, you will need very little of these parts to a stage.... 

You will certainly need someone to say to you "Break a Leg."