Cloth

Cloth, any large unframed expanse of scenic material, made of widths of canvas or muslin seamed horizontally together and attached top and bottom to a sandwich batten. (See under DROP for early English usage.) Among the specialized cloths are the backcloth; the Cut-Cloth (Cut-Out Drop in America), with cut openings which, if elaborately fretted, need the reinforcement of a piece of netting glued on behind; the Gauze-Cloth (Scrim Drop in America), used for cyclorama facing and for special effects such as a transparency (see TRANSFORMATION SCENE); the Sky-Cloth (Sky Drop), sometimes faced with gauze, used as a backdrop instead of a cyclorama; and the Stage-Cloth (Ground Cloth), with its variants such as the Sand-Cloth for desert and other outdoor scenes, an expanse of painted canvas laid on the stage as a floor covering, a function also performed by the tragic carpet.

The Ceiling-Cloth differs from the others in being battened out before being suspended over the top of a box-set; variations are the Roll Ceiling, which can be rolled up, and the Book (or Booked) Ceiling, consisting of two flats hinged together, which takes up less space in the flies.