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How to Build Theatrical Broadway Style Flats

Being involved in theater means more than just knowing a single part. Stagecraft is an important realm of a theatrical production, and without it a play would have no set. A theater flat is one of the most vital aspects of a set because it portrays the place and setting for the whole play. Building a Broadway-style flat properly will make it last a number of productions and save future set crews the trouble of building another flat.

Things You'll Need

  • Saw (optional)
  • 2 lumber stock rail pieces, 1 inch by 4 inches by 8 feet 11 inches
  • 2 lumber stock stile pieces, 1 inch by 4 inches by 4 feet
  • Framing square
  • Four 1/4-inch plywood corner cuts
  • Nails or drywall screws
  • Hammer, screwdriver or screw gun
  • 2 lumber stock toggle pieces, 1 inch by 4 inches by 3 feet 5 inches
  • Measuring tape
  • 4 plywood cuts, 1/4 by 3 by 9 inches
  • Lauan facing, 5-by-9-foot sheet
  • Scissors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure all lumber stock and plywood to ensure each piece is the correct length. If a piece is not the appropriate size, saw it to the correct size.

    • 2

      Lay the end of one 8-foot-11-inch long rail perpendicular to the end of one 4-foot long stile. Use a framing square for precision. Place one 1/4-inch plywood corner cut where the pieces of wood meet, and attach the lumber pieces together using nails and a hammer or drywall screws and a screwdriver or screw gun.

    • 3

      Repeat Step 2 with the other rail and stile. Connect them to the first rail and stile to form a rectangle. The rectangular form is the frame.

    • 4

      Place two 3-foot-5-inch long lumber toggle pieces within the frame so they are 1 foot 6 inches from the bottom rail and 4 feet from the top rail.

    • 5

      Apply one 1/4-by-3-by-9-inch plywood cut where one toggle piece meets a stile, and attach those pieces together.

    • 6

      Cover the frame with lauan facing so that the facing's more pristine side faces outward. Fold lauan facing over the edge of the frame, and tuck it at corners. Make the lauan facing flush to the thin side edge. Attach the lauan facing to the frame so that the nails or screws are invisible from the audience's view.

    • 7

      Trim excess lauan facing from the frame.

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