PLAYHOUSE. 660 
of plank laid upon crofs-joifts; and, where the ditnenfions 
of the ftage are large, thefe joifts muft be fupported by 
crofs beams and upright ports, to prevent the floor from 
fpringing or yielding too much, as in the common ope¬ 
rations of practical carpentry applied to flooring, and en¬ 
tirely depending on the fame geometrical laws. In con- 
ftrudling the joilts and framing, the architect muft in the 
nr ft place conflder the number of apertures which ought 
to be made for the purpofe of conducing the bufinefs of 
the ftage with propriety j^tlie dime.nfions and difpofitions 
of thefe apertures; and the eafieft and mod economical 
way of forming others to fuit that fucceflion of novelty 
which feems to be the prevalent tafte of the prefent day. 
In adapting bis joifting and frame-work to anfwer thefe 
purpofes, will confift his chief difficulty. 
The firft aperture in the ftage immediately behind the 
orcheftra, and in front of the curtain, is that for railing 
and lowering the lights, both for the purpofes of trim¬ 
ming the lamps, and of darkening the ftage when re¬ 
quired. The next apertures are the fide-traps, of which 
any convenient number may be conftrufted. In the 
middle are two larger traps. The firft is of an oblong 
form from fix to feven feet in length, and from three to 
four in breadth : it is moft frequently ufed for the grave- 
fcene in Hamlet. The other is generally fquare, and is 
chiefly ufed for the finking of the cauldron in the 
tragedy of Macbeth. Behind thefe, in large theatres, 
where many changes of the fcenery are required, there 
are a number of longitudinal apertures acrofs the ftage, 
which are covered by planks moveable upon hinges, fo 
that, by throwing them back, the ftage may be opened in 
a moment. The ufe of thefe is to allow the flat fcenes to 
fink through the ftage when required. 
In the late theatre of Covent Garden, much of the 
fcenery not in immediate ufe was kept in the cellar under 
the ftage. For the purpofe of raifing and lowering thefe 
fcenes with facility, other apertures were made, and 
clofed with fquare or rectangular pieces of wood, which 
could be placed or difplaced in a few minutes: thefe 
were calledyfo'ders. 
It was ulual to produce the afcent and defcent of the 
foot-lights by the agency of a perfon placed in the 
cellar under the ftage. This might have anfwered the 
purpofe of lowering the lamps for trimming fufficiently 
well; but the partial darkening of the ftage required a 
more minute attention. For this reafon it was found 
proper to convey the mechanical power to the place 
where the prompter ftands, that the lamps might be 
raifed or funk, either by liimfelf, or by a perfon imme¬ 
diately under his infpeClion. 
The traps are worked under the ftage, by an appa¬ 
ratus attached to each, and fimilar in all, according to 
the dimenfions of the refpeflive apertures. At the ends 
of the aperture are two upright ports, upon which the 
trap Aides. The trap confifts of a horizontal board fitted 
to the aperture above, and under this is another, with 
grooves to fit the pofts, fo that the horizontal polition of 
the trap may be preferved while rifing and finking. In 
front of the ports are two others to carry a cylinder, 
turned by a winch to raife or fink the trap, and fecured 
by a catch and ratchet wheel. No machinery whatever 
is permanently attached to the flaps, or Aiders; for, as 
thefe apertures ferve generally for the pafiage of the flat 
fcenes through the ftage, the machinery muft depend 
upon the particular effedl which it is neceflary to produce. 
The flat fcenery is generally raifed by a crane, unlefs a 
very rapid afcent or defcent be required, when it may be 
done by the application of a counterpoife. 
There is, perhaps, no department of a theatre where 
fo much pains ought to be taken, as in the difpolition of 
the lights ; for upon this, in a very great degree, depends 
the effect of the fcenery; however nicely the perfpedfive 
may have been executed by the painter, and every optical 
illufion calculated to aftonifti or amufe the fpeftator. It 
was formerly the cnftora to light the ftage by a large 
Vol. XX. No. 1400. 
chandelier, or frame of lamps, fufpended in the middle 
of the profcenium, and elevated or deprefled at pleafure. 
This ftill prevails in many parts of the continent, and 
even in Britain is very generally ufed to illuminate the 
ring, or area, of thofe theatres where feats of horfemanfhip, 
and other athletic exercifes, are exhibited. 'It feems 
obvious, that the fufpenfion of a chandelier direftly in 
the view of the fpedftator, muft materially deteriorate the 
eft’eft of an exhibition* which can only be confidered as 
excellent in the degree in which it is a faithful copy of 
nature. When fufpended over the profcenium of a large 
theatre, it muft alfo greatly impede the vilion of all fpec- 
tators feated in the upper parts of the houfe. Thefe in¬ 
conveniences induced the late Mr. Garrick, when pa¬ 
tentee of the old theatre royal of Drury-lane, to remove 
the chandelier, and fubftitute the frame of lamps now 
diftinguifhed by the appellation of foot-lights; and this 
improvement has been adopted in all other regular 
theatres in the Britifh iflands. 
But, although the adoption of the foot-lights removes 
the objections to the chandelier, they are ftill very far 
from producing that difpofition of light and ftiade, which 
would be very defirable to increafe the effeft both of the 
fcenery and of the countenances of the performers. The 
glare of light in the front, and parallel to the ftage, be- 
fides the fmoke which the lamps, however clean and nice¬ 
ly trimmed, always produce, inverts every fliadow, and 
throws the fhade upwards inftead of downwards upon the 
performers’ face. The moft experienced profefllonal men 
aflign this as the reafon, that the face of a performer muft 
be fo highly coloured to produce an effeCl in the front of 
the houfe, as to appear abfolutely ridiculous to a ftranger 
unconverfant with the bufinefs, if admitted into the 
green-room, or behind the fcenes. The limits of this 
article will not admit of going farther into detail upon 
this fubjeCt, nor indeed have we any eftablifhed fads to 
proceed upon. All mechanical experiments neceffarily 
involve a certain expenfe, while their fuccefs is merely 
fpeculative; and it is much better, in every cafe to afcer- 
tain the extent of the improvement practically than theo¬ 
retically. The difpofition of the lights of a theatre, how¬ 
ever, ftill feems to afford very ample fcope for the 
exercife of the talents of an expert and fkilful optician. 
To give a fufficient light to the ftage, fide-lights are 
ufed, as well as foot-lights : thefe are generally placed 
between the wings, to turn upon a hinge, for the purpofe 
of darkening the ftage when neceflary. The apparatus 
confifts merely of an upright poft, to which is attached 
apiece of tinned iron, forming two fides of a fquare, and 
moveable upon joints or hinges, and furnithed with 
fhelves to receive the lamps or candles, Side-lights are 
placed between every fet of wings, on both fides of the 
ftage. Befides the foot and fide-lights, which are per¬ 
manent, a number of occafional lights are difpofed at 
times, on different parts of the ftage, to gjve effect to 
tranfparencies, and for other caufes, of which, as they 
muft be varied according to circumftances, no particular 
account can be given. They muft be left entirely to the 
genius and tafte of the perfons who conduct the bufinefs 
of the ftage. 
The ancient Greek and Roman theatres had very little 
of what is now termed J'cenery; for that which the 
ancients called “ the fcene” was a real part of the build¬ 
ing itfelf, which fronted the fpeftators, and feparated 
that part of the theatre where the a< 5 tors performed, 
called the profcene, from that part behind the profcene 
to which they retired when the performance was done, 
or when a certain part was done. The building, or 
fcene, generally reprefented the front of a palace, or of 
fome fumptuous edifice, decorated with marble columns, 
pijafters, ftatues, and other ornaments. In this were 
three large openings, through which other buildings ap¬ 
peared in perfpe&ive ; viz. a palace for tragedies, houles 
and ftreets for comedies, and forefts for paftorals. Thefe 
decorations were either verfatile , i. e. they turned on 
8 H pivots, 
