# Torms or not to torms,



## chieftfac (Apr 28, 2012)

After 19 years here at TFAC, I'm thinking it would be best to remove our torms and just use leg curtains for the side masking at the downstage location. These "things" were here when I got here and the unusual thing is that they are fastened to the deck, they are not movable. Has anyone else ever run into this? I thought about making them movable with track or a wheeled platform. Interestingly though, no one from the local community theater group has ever asked me to make the stage smaller, just bigger. These "torms" are actually set on the sight line about 2'-4" upstage of the plaster line. So the working stage width is smaller than the 31' - 10" width of the proscenium opening (29'-10"). To do this I am going to loose my hard teaser (about 1'-7" upstage of plaster line) We almost never make the opening shorter (proscenium height is 12'-9") Again, no one ever ask for shorter, just open it up as much as we can. 

Since the local theater group is using our space less and less, we (TFAC) are booking in more acts and they always ask for as much space as we can give them. 

So, politics with the theater group aside, am I thinking this through logically? Does anyone else have curtains instead of torms in their space?


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## derekleffew (Apr 28, 2012)

By "torms" do you mean "hard legs" (flat frames covered in velour)? I like the hard lines created by a portal, but would object if the opening weren't adjustable.


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## chieftfac (Apr 28, 2012)

derekleffew said:


> By "torms" do you mean "hard legs" (flat frames covered in velour)? I like the hard lines created by a portal, but would object if the opening weren't adjustable.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Yes they are a wooden framescovered by black daizian fabric. can't stand the non-movable aspect.... I get groups that want all legs set to the width of the proscenium but then have to remind them about the smaller Torm distance... then they think I'm nuts not being able to move them.... really frustrating....


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## Footer (Apr 28, 2012)

I'm not really a fan of any built in hard masking unless it slides out from the proscenium. If you can put in the rigging to support proper goods, do it. You have a very small stage, the more of it you can use the better.


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## JLNorthGA (May 5, 2012)

I have side curtains on tracks on both sides of the stage. I put up tracks on both sides just outside of the batten range.

So I have 30' of proscenium opening with 40' battens. The curtain tracks are at 6-7' from the proscenium opening.


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## blackisthenewblack (May 6, 2012)

We have a tracking system of "hard" legs that slide in tracks in the floor. No idea how they attach to the roof, but the floor just have a groove that they stay in. To my knowledge, they work well enough.


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## len (May 6, 2012)

If you're getting complaints from a lot of customers/users then by all means, get rid of them. Pure and simple.


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