Wing Flats

(Russian, kulisy), parts of stage scenery (soft and stretched on frames) that are located on the sides of the stage, either parallel or at an angle to the proscenium. Monotone neutral panels are called drops. With cloth borders they form the “stage dressing.”

Flats were first used in 1619 at the Teatro Farnese in Parma, Italy. The wing flats were permanent and were run in grooves that were cut into the floor parallel to the footlights at various depths. The modern theater has only soft flats, with the exception of tormentors, which are located on the front part of the stage and which, with the teaser, form the decorative frame. Figuratively, the wings, or kulisy, refer to the part of the stage behind the curtain.