Theatre flats are made from 3" wide 1 x stock pine lumber laid on the face and butted end to edge. These pieces are joined with 1/4" plywood cleats (key stones and corner blocks) fastened with 3/4" staples. The plywood cleats are held back from the top, bottom and sides by 3/4" (called a 3/4" allowance).

The rails run the full width of the flat (rail length = flat width). The stiles run along the sides and inside the two rails (stile length = height less 2 rails). The toggles run between the stiles (toggle length = width less 2 stiles).Theatre flats that are 5 feet or more wide have diagonal braces in the top and bottom corners on one side only. Toggles are necessary every 4 to 5 feet. A 6' tall flat needs a toggle: a 5' flat does not. An 8' or a 10' tall flat needs only one toggle, but a 12 footer needs two toggles. A 14 footer needs two and a 16' needs three.

Test question: Label a diagram of a standard theatre flat identifying the top rail, bottom rail, a stile, a toggle, a diagonal brace, a key stone and a corner block. (7 points)

Note which parts are connected to each other: i.e.. A rail is joined to a toggle with a corner block. True? or False? (2 points)