A glossary of Stage Terms for students exploring design for Stage and Screen

Stage Weight

Stage Weight is a heavy weight used to secure the bottom of a Stage Brace or French Brace when fixed to and supporting a flat or piece of scenery on the stage

Stock Scenery

Stock Scenery is scenery or scenic elements which can be used time and time again for different productions, items such as backcloths, stock flats, stock rostrums, stock windows, fire places, etc

Stage Left

Stage Left or SL, the left hand side of the stage as viewed by the performer facing the audience also termed Prompt Side.

Stage Door

Stage Door is the door to the theatre through which the cast and crew enter and exit the theatre. Not for public use

Stage Brace

Stage Brace is a portable telescopic metal tube devise with a hook on the top end that hooks into a screw eye on the back of a flat, while the angled metal foot is fixed to the stage floor with a Stage Screw or held in place with stage weights

Tab Track

Tab Track, a heavy duty (industrial) curtain track which overlaps at the centre on which horizontal running Tabs are suspended from

Sightlines

Sightlines are the lines of vision indicating the limits to what the audience can see of the stage from different positions in the auditorium.

Truss

Truss, this is a long narrow open metal (aluminium) frame of one, three or four sides (Flat, Triangular or Box section) used to hang lamps from. It comes in lengths or sections that can be fixed together to produce long pieces for flying, freestanding goalpost pieces or a whole suspended or supported roof over the […]

Treads

Treads refers to steps or stairs used on stage usually as part of the set, they are named after the horizontal part of the stairs or steps on which you tread.

Upstage

Upstage (US), is that part of the stage furthest away from the audience, the high end of a raked stage