Stage Rigging Vocab – Student and Teacher Guide
Stage Rigging Vocab – Student and Teacher Guide
Stage Rigging Vocab – Student and Teacher Guide
By Rylee Vogel
The technical theatre world is filled with specialized language that is critical to know. It’s easy for technicians to forget that the daily jargon they use is often not intuitive to newcomers. For students and learners in the field, learning rigging vocabulary can be overwhelming. Understanding the language is key to running a safe, efficient, and successful production.
All of these terms and vocabulary come out of tradition and necessity. Throughout history, stagehands and riggers have created concise terms and commands to help move lights, set pieces, curtains, and heavy machinery effectively. A misunderstanding or mishearing can have serious consequences. These pieces are often heavy, moving quickly, and in the dark. Horrific tragedies have happened in the past, and it should always be a top priority to prevent any injury. By learning these terms early, students can prepare themselves for production and gain a strong foundation for working safely in professional venues and beyond.
Why It Matters
Unlike an office or a classroom, backstage communication is often done through noise, unusual lighting, and major distractions. The crew must set the scene quickly and under the pressure of tech week. There is no time for hesitation or confusion. Crystal-clear communication prevents accidents, saves time, and keeps both performers and crew members safe.
Rail calls and rigging vocabulary represent a deep tradition and history. Much of stage rigging comes from maritime traditions and practices. Sailors managed similar rigs for sails and cargo with ropes, knots, and hoists. These practices were adapted for the theatre, where battens, arbors, and counterweights became the new sails and anchors. Learning the language connects students to a rich history of craftsmanship and collaboration.
Rail Calls
One of the most important types of rigging vocabulary to master immediately is rail calls. These are standardized commands that coordinate movement. These calls are critical to safe rigging practice. Every person in the crew, whether onstage, in the grid, or at the rail, depends on them.
Usually these calls follow a call-and-response structure that enforces clarity and ensures readiness before anything moves.
For example, before moving a lineset the locking rail operator will call,
“Is anyone working above?” If present, the loading gallery will reply,
“Yes.” The operator will then ask,
“Are you clear of lineset [#]?” The loading gallery will reply,
“Yes” or “No.” If the answer is
“No,” the rail operator will wait for confirmation of clearance from above. After “Clear” is received, the operator will call,
“Lineset [#] is coming in/going out,” to which the loading gallery will reply,
“Thank you.”
This whole interaction ensures everyone is on the same page and requires confirmation from both parties before pieces move. This ensures everyone’s safety.
Rail calls also include a series of universal safety terms. “Coming in” lets people know there is a downward-moving pipe on a lineset.
“Going out” signals that a pipe is moving up.
“Heads!” is called loudly and is used as a warning to everyone onstage when something is dropped from above.
“Runaway!” is fairly intuitive; it calls the crew to get far away from the lineset immediately. It means that a lineset is moving out of control.
These seem like simple terms, and that’s the point. They are clear, concise, and directly convey what is happening. One word can quickly prevent an accident.
Rail calls are more than memorized words for students; they are a way to practice mindfulness. Using terms like “Coming in!” or “Heads!” builds the habit of safety backstage. It sets a precedent of respect and accountability in addition to general awareness.
Guides and Resources
The vocabulary that follows is certainly not exhaustive. We chose one key term per letter in order to create a fun resource for students to begin navigating the backstage world.
You can get the free downloadable Rigging ABCs and Rail Call posters by submitting the form below. The posters cover basic terms like “batten” and “arbor” to more advanced concepts like “motorized rigging” and “zero fleet angle hoists”. They are designed to help students understand instructions, follow safety procedures, and collaborate effectively with peers.
For more in-depth vocabulary, J.R. Clancy has a full glossary available (linked HERE) for reference.
J.R. Clancy has also compiled a document for rail calls that can be referenced as well (linked HERE). Memorization is far from the goal; instead, the aim is fluency in a shared language that supports the theatre through safe and well-understood practice.
Conclusion
Rigging is built on trust, precision, and communication. The audience (hopefully) won’t see the arbors being loaded, the rail operator making commands, or the battens flying in, but without these actions, the magic of the stage would not exist.
Understanding the vocabulary is the key to unlocking this world. By learning, practicing, and respecting these calls and procedures, students become part of a tradition in stagecraft where artistry and safety go hand in hand.
The Rigging ABCs definitions and supplemental posters that follow are designed to give students the confidence they need to use rigging vocabulary. With this foundation, they can begin to support their current productions and prepare for the future.
Rigging ABC's
Arbor: A carriage or rack that contains weights, usually flame cut steel or cast iron, in sufficient quantity to balance a load.
Batten: A bar, usually made from steel pipe, from which scenery, lights and curtains are hung.
Counterweight:
(n) Weights, usually flame cut steel or cast iron, that are placed in counterweight arbors to balance the weight of loads hung on battens.
(v) The act of adding or removing weight from a line set in order to achieve a balanced system.
Dead Hung Directly: fixed to the structure or attached at a fixed elevation using chain, rods, or cable.
Elevation:
1. The height above or below an arbitrary point in a building (generally the stage floor).
2. (view) Similar to a section drawing but showing a cutting plane perpendicular to the centerline. Often shows proscenium wall as seen from upstage.
Failsafe: A device or design that fails to a safe state. It does not mean that it will not fail.
Guide: To control the movement of rigging devices by means of slides or rollers moving in tracks or on stretched cables.
Hoist: A geared mechanism, either hand operated or motorized, for use in raising (vertical movement only) equipment. The gearing produces a mechanical advantage in speed and load capacity.
In (Coming-In): A batten – at or moving to – a lower position.
J-Guide: J-shaped aluminum members fixed in parallel rows for guiding arbors or clews.
Knuckle Buster: A metal rope clamp used before spike tape to mark a hard stop on a counterweight hand line.
Load-In: Setting up scenery, lights, and all other equipment for a production.
Motorized Rigging: A theatrical rigging system using powered winches and other devices to move equipment rather than muscle power.
Notes: Feedback given by the director or stage manager after a rehearsal or performance.
Orchestra Shell: An enclosure on stage, consisting of walls and a ceiling that reflects sound into the auditorium. Usually decorative in nature.
PowerAssist®: These hoists are designed to drive existing or new counterweight sets by using a closed loop, proprietary rope/chain arrangement to operate between zero pounds up to double the weight fixed in the arbor.
Questions: It is important to stay curious and to ask questions throughout the process to ensure everyone’s saftey and a smooth process.
Rigging: All of the hardware used to lift, lower, and hold performance equipment on or above a stage.
Safety Factor: This is the ratio between “Recommended Working Load” and minimum, or average, failure rating that must be furnished above the RWL to account for all the uncertainties. These can include the actual operating load, shock loads, variations in materials and manufacturing processes, environmental conditions, accuracy of the design theory, and whether failures would endanger human lives.
Thrust Stage: A room with seats arranged on three sides around a performance space located against the fourth wall. This wall may be used for scenery, back drops, and acting space.
Under Hung: Hung from the bottom of a beam or structure.
Variable Speed: A device that is capable of operating at various speeds. The time required to ramp up to the operating speed and back to zero may be adjustable.
Wire Grid: An open floor that supports lights or provides access to theatrical equipment. It is formed of woven cables attached to, and supported by, a structural frame.
XLR Cable: Standard 3-pin connector for microphones, sound equipment, and some lighting gear.
Yo-Yo (Pile-up) Hoist: A hoist type used when space is tight and fleet angles are difficult. The drum contains a narrow slot(s) where the lift line piles up in a single layer. The hoist capacity, speed, and distance traveled vary with each cable wrap.
Zero Fleet Angle Hoist: A hoist with cables that exit the winch at fixed points so that fleet angles do not need to be considered in the rigging layout. This is accomplished by incorporating a moving head block or by making the drum move in relation to the head block per Izenour / Clancy designs dating from the early 1960s.
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