Comments on: Is there a specific term for the rotating sets used in some theaters?

Question: Is there a specific term for the rotating sets used in some theaters?

Niomi — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 16:21:27 -0800

I'm thinking of a rotating platform in the floor of the stage. The platform has many partitions to make rooms, with a different set in each room. When the setting of the play changes, the platform is rotated to reveal a different set. While the actors are using one setting during the play, the partitions facing backstage are re-arranged and prepared before they are used. Is there a term for this, or is it just referred to generically?

By: youcancallmeal

youcancallmeal — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 16:23:48 -0800

I've always called it/heard it called a 'revolve'. We used one when I was in high school...it worked surprisingly well.

By: bradlands

bradlands — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:05:54 -0800

The revolving platform is called a turntable.

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:07:43 -0800

Yes, it's "turntable".

By: schwap23

schwap23 — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:52:02 -0800

Either a revolve or a turntable; same thing, different names. You can conceivably put three sets on a single unit, but two is more normal. It's a common trick when your stage space is limited and your flyspace is even more so. The actual mechanism by which it revolves is the tricky bit...

By: StickyCarpet

StickyCarpet — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:12 -0800

If manually, not electrically, rotated its not super difficult to rig up. A flanged ball-bearing pivotplate, caster wheels around the edge. The whole stage needs to be raised around the turntable to compensate for the height of the wheels, and the floor must be even under the wheels.

By: eriko

eriko — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 07:32:47 -0800

To clear up the terminology, a revolve (short for "revolving set") is almost always built up on a turntable. The revolve is the set that turns, the turntable is the stage hardware that (usually) lets the revolve turn.

You can build a revolve on tracks, but that takes much more effort and equipment and is likely to annoy the house if you do too much damage to the stage deck anchoring the tracks. Big companies can do it -- they'll have the time, the money, the gear, and the crew to make sure the tracks are level, set, and aligned. Most community shops simply don't have the crew needed or the capital to do massive tracking (and often have problems with even linear tracks, unless they have that "one guy" who groks tracking and knows how to make it work.)

By: tbird

tbird — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:39:24 -0800

If you are going to build one, here are some things to keep in mind.

First, keep the floor impeccably clean. There are few things that strike terror into the heart of a stagehand than a moving set coming to a (literally) screeching halt as the castors hit a small piece of detritus, particularly if anyone is on it at the time.

Also, and this is important, use tapered castors. Most castors have a flat face that rides on the floor. Assuming the castors are placed at 15 feet from the center, and a wheel width of 1 inch, in one revolution, the outside edge of the castor will travel (2*pi*radius = 2*3.14*180") = 1130 and the inside edge will travel (2*3.14*179") = 1124. So there will be a 6-inch difference between the distance the two edges of the face of the castor will travel with flat wheels. Either the castors will shred, the floor will shred, or both.

Tapered casters have a round face and thus only one contact point on the floor.

A good rough estimate is to have a castor about every four feet. Make sure to estimate the overall load of both the platforms and any elements that will be on the turntable. Get castors that are rated for that load and leave a good margin for safety.

Having stagehands and/or actors manually move the turntable is slow, but reliable. Powered turntables are much more complicated and potentially dangerous. Get professional help if that's the way you want to go.