Flats (theatre)

Flats, short for Scenery Flats, are flat pieces of theatrical scenery which are painted and positioned on stage so as to give the appearance of buildings or other background.

Flats can be soft or hard covered (covered with lauan). Soft-covered flats (covered with muslin) have changed little from their origin in the Italian Renaissance. Hard-covered flats with a frame that is perpendicular to the paint surface are referred to as studio, TV, or Hollywood flats. Flats with a frame that places the width of the lumber parallel