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Apply a general knowledge of staging to work activities

Key Terms and Concepts

Flats	Flat pieces of theatrical scenery which are often wooden frame covered with canvas, muslin or plywood, and painted with a picture of a scene.
Floor lay up	The process of preparing a stage floor. This often involves covering the existing floor with vinyl, carpet or masonite.
Hazards	Anything that has the potential to cause injury or illness or damage.
Knots	A variety of knots can be used in theatre for a variety of purposes such as hanging drapes and general rigging work. These include: bowline round turn and two half hitches clove hitch half-hitch reef knot rolling hitch truckies hitch overhand knot figure of eight knot single double whippings.
Manual handling	Using human force to move or support a load, including moving, lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling or carrying.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)	Procedures designed to keep employees, visitors and customers safe and accident free, healthy and secure while at a work place
Production personnel	Production personnel are the people directly involved with the staging of an event and may include: directors designers technical specialists stage managers production managers venue managers
Props	An abbreviation of the word ‘property’. These include items or articles used by performers or actors other than scenery and costumes. For example, a cigarette lighter carried in the actor’s pocket is a prop.
Set assembly	The process of putting together the set as required in the stage plan and mark up. This is also known as ‘dressing the stage’.
Set pieces	Set pieces may include: framed scenery such as flats, profiles, doors and windows weight bearing scenery such as rostra, ramps and steps non-weight bearing scenery, eg columns, trees, flats soft scenery such as canvas, legs, borders, cloths, gauzes, cycloramas furniture, set props and stage machinery.
Stage area	The part of the stage the actors perform on that can be seen by the audience.
Stage geography	The stage is divided into a number of sections, allowing the director to indicate where actors should position themselves or scenery be placed. They are: up stage and down stage stage left (prompt side) stage right (opposite prompt) centre stage.
Stage machinery	Stage machinery includes fly systems (either electric or counter weight), trucks, revolves, traps, elevators and safety curtains.
Stage mark out	This is the process of physically marking on the stage floor where scenery and props will be positioned. This is usually done with ‘mark up tape’.
Stage plan	The stage plan is a diagram showing the layout of the stage including lighting bars, the proscenium arch, orchestra pit, stage wings and other fixtures. This plan is used as a template by the designers to plan individual productions.
Stage types	There are a number of different types of stages. These include: proscenium arch thrust in the round end on created found spaces.
Staging personnel	Staging personnel are the people directly working with the stage. They may include: production manager technical manager stage manager set designer set builder prop builder scenic artist stage crew.

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