Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1976 - 28

form frame and into the center of each long side to secure
against high-impact stress. These sockets were 2" perforated square Telespar cut 5%" long so that each platform
unit would have a finished height of 6" when the plywood top had been added (Figure 1). Additional heights
are obtained by combinations of 1%" perforated square
Telespar and 1%" perforated square Telespar. At a sixfoot height, the 2" Telespar tubing is rated at a maximum
column load of 7,870 pounds, the 1%" tubing at a maximum column load of 5,740 pounds, and the 1 %" tubing
at a maximum column load of 3,640. 3 The manufacturing tolerances are sufficiently rigorous to insure that even
platforms employing several telescoped lengths of tubing
would be rigid.
Tops for the platforms were constructed in a standard
manner - sheets of %" plywood padded with carpet
padding and covered with canvas. As a matter of fact, the
platform tops from the old stock platforms were utilized
for the new platforms after minor repair work or occasional recovering. The tops were secured to the platform
frames with %" x 8 panhead screws - a method which
allows easy removal for replacement or recovering.
THE SYSTEM
The sizes of the platforms were based on the standard
4' x 8' principal size, with additional platforms constructed primarily in multiples of two feet (j.e., 2' x 8',
4' x 6', 4' x 4', etc.l. 4 In addition, a number of rightangle triangular platforms were constructed. The rightangle sides were also based primarily on multiples of two
feet in order to correspond to the rectangular units. Pairs
of platforms with opposite angles were constructed so
that symmetrical designs were possible. The inclusion of
triangular units into the basic stock allows for the creation
of a wide variety of irregular shapes with little or no
special platform construction. The final stock of metalframed platforms is as follows:
Table 1
RECTANGULAR PLATFORM STOCK

Size

Quantity
4'-{)"
3'-{)"
2'-{)"
4'-{)"
3'-{)"
2'-{)"
4'-{)"

22
2
4
2
2
2

4

x 8'-{)"
x 8'-{)"

x 8'-{)"
x 6'-{)"

x 6'-{)"
x 6 '-() "
x 4'-{)"

TRIANGULAR PLATFORM STOCK
(RIGHT-ANGLE TRIANGLES)

Quantity

2
2
12
2
4
4

Size
4'-{)"
3'-{)"
2'-{)"
1 '-()"
2'-{)"
4'-{)"

x
x
x
x
x

8'-{)"
8'-{)"
8'-{)"
8'-{)"
4'-{)"
x 4'-{)"

(1
(1
(6
(1
(2

each
each
each
each
each

left &
left &
left &
left &
left &

right angles)
right angles)
right angles)
right angles)
right angles)

As mentioned earl ier, the heights of the platforms can
be obtained by combining various lengths of 1%" Telespar
and 1%" Telespar with the 2" Telespar sockets in the
platform frames. The mid-size posts (1%" Telespar) fit
into the platform sockets and are bolted, and then the
small-size posts (1W' Telespar) slide into the mid-5ize

28

WINTER,1976

Fig. 3.
posts and are bolted at the appropriate heights. (Figures
2 and 3).

Bracing for the platforms is provided by the use of %"
x 1" steel bars drilled at each end for bolting to posts
and platform sides. The frequency of holes in both the
Telespar posts and slotted-angle sides allows flexibility
in the positioning of the bracing bars so that 8' x 0"
side braces and 4'-9" end braces provide secure bracing
for 4' x 8' platforms in heights from three to six feet.
Thus, the 8'-0" and 4'-9" braces can service the majority
of the platform sizes and heights, with the addition of
smaller quantities of 6'-6" and 3'-0" braces for the smaller
sized platforms such as 2' x 8', 4' x 6', and 2' x 6'.
In planning the system an attempt was made to determine the minimum number of lengths of mid-size and
small-size posts which, operating in combination, would
provide a full range of heights up to 6'-0". A minimum 6"
overlap in the posts was planned into the height combinations to insure stability. It was found that 1'-0", 1'6",
and 3'-0" lengths of the mid-size posts combined with
1'-0", 2'-0", and 4'-0" lengths of the small size posts
would provide a full range of height possibilities. The
post-height combinations are as follows:
Table 2
POST/HEIGHT COMBINATIONS

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1976
