Turning flats

[Saxon]

Hi, I am a new volunteer to a local am dram group.  We have a very small stage and use 2 sets of flats on each side (so 4 visible at any time).  The director is extremely ambitious and wants 4 scene changes, so we have an ancient system where 4 flats sit in each position.  The stage crew have to take out the front one and put it behind the others on each change.  

The sets of 4 sit in a wide guide attached to the ceiling and just stay in place by their weight on the ground.  It takes 2 people to move each flat in very little space and makes a lot of noise and extremely awkward.  

Is there a design idea whereby we can just swing the flats round - so we would only need 2 flats in each place and change them over just once ? I can alter the ceiling brackets / attach castors etc but NOT make holes in the stage. 

I hope I have explained this well enough.   Thanks for your thoughts. 

[Robin D]

I have no idea what they are called, but I have been in several venues where there have a ceiling mounted bar that rotates that the flats hang onto. So it's a one crew job to rotate them at the appropriate time. 

A bit like a normal swivel coupler https://d20vwa69zln1wj.cloudfront.net/c90155a9a8e0947330f51b8957c84634/main/a323a49a50204334e6a86404de653c1a-20231220.jpg but the ones I have used are sprung so that toy have to lift the flat to enable it to turn but it then locks into the new position. Can't find them on Flints but are probably there somewhere. Someone here will know the correct search term. 

 

 

[Robin D]

I think these might be the right thing. https://www.flints.co.uk/product/All/HAL3605

[themadhippy]

Quote

but the ones I have used are sprung so that toy have to lift the flat to enable it to turn but it then locks into the new position

All the "leg swivels" ive used you pull down to turn ,

[Lamplighter]

We have a similar problem which is solved with little cost. On the floor, along line of flats is a 2x1 batten  with short bolts protruding at the centre position of each flat. The batten is lightly pinned in place. Each flat has a corresponding hole in its base. There is a strip of Dexion along the top of the flat line so that a bolt can be dropped through in the centre position of each flat and locked off to the Dexion. The Dexion is braced at intervals to suitable beams behind the line of flats. A washer can be inserted at the bottom when required. The batten makes turning the flats feasible on a sloping stage. You could if necessary avoid pinning the batten by carefully taping it to the floor. The key to success is the precision of fitting the bolts, hole and building the flats. You can make it nearer to foolproof by fitting 3mm ply strips to alternate flats to cover the joints and help lock the flats in line, though you then need to ensure that the flats are turned in the correct order. 

I have seen a variation of this where each flat has an inverted metal cup screwed bottom centre for the pivot.

[Dave m]

How big are the flats? 

Canvas?

what space do you have behind?

 

[sunray]

 

We did 3 at school, red being a static 8ft flat, yellow and orange being 4ft and mounted on hinges on a plate in the middle  of the red.

[Junior8]

Remind the director about the art of the possible.  

[Saxon]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and help.  I think I can see a way forward now.  Off to do some drawings to make it clear in my head. 🤕