Define a batten in stage rigging and its typical use.

• A. A long metal pipe from which scenery, lights, or other equipment are hung and flown.
• B. A decorative prop used to obscure lighting fixtures.
• C. A wooden beam used only for stage floors.
• D. A type of rope used to secure scenery on the ground.

Answer: (A)

Battens are the horizontal load-bearing members of a theatre’s fly system. They’re typically long metal pipes suspended above the stage, and they’re the structure from which scenery, lighting fixtures, and other equipment are attached so they can be flown in and out. This is why the description of a long pipe from which scenery, lights, or other equipment are hung and flown is the correct one. They aren’t decorative props, they aren’t just for the stage floor, and they’re not ropes—the batten is the support that carries the attached gear when it’s raised or lowered.