Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

M. Craig McKenzie

Laying Out Odd-Shaped Raked Decks

 

In planning the layout for any deck, the technical director seeks to minimize costs by using as many stock platforms as possible and to minimize build and load-in time by devising the simplest possible legging system. If the deck is to be level, the technical director can simply draw the layout on an overlay of the set designer’s plan. But laying out a raked deck is a more difficult problem since the designer’s plan does not represent the true size and shape of the deck.

This article outlines a solution to laying out a deck that is raked and also oddly shaped. The method, which requires a copy of the designer’s deck plan and a clean piece of vellum, has three major components: determining ...