PROPS

Props are as important to a

play as any other production element.

It's the prop master's job to find all the appropriate items (that aren't

considered scenery) that will appear onstage during a show.

What's a prop and who's the prop master?There are three broad categories. • Set props

- furniture, tree stumps, chandeliers, wagons, and other large objects;

• Hand props- things directly handled by the actors, such as canes, dishes, papers, books, and candles;

• Set dressing props- elements that help define the world of the play but are not required by the actors, such as pictures, plants, rugs, and wall sconces.

An additional category includes costume accessories like

umbrellas, watches, jewelry, handbags, wallets, swords, and

gloves.

This set features all three basic types of props: set (a hassock, a chair, a lamp); hand (papers, books, toys); and set dressing (children's drawings, a well-worn rug, a hamster cage).

An ideal property master is someone who is well organized, loves to go on scavenger hunts,

likes to shop (and can do it quickly), and can maintain a whirlwind of

activity over a concentrated period of time.

Steps to take• Read the play• Get a grasp of characters and appropriate

props for each• Research the play’s location (time and place)

• Meet director and stage manager • Organise list according to categories

(furniture, dishes, lighting, rugs, plants, paper products, food, books),

• Determine what you will have to buy, what things you might borrow, and what things will have to be built

• Troubleshoot (what might cause problems)

The pictures, pillows, books,

linens, and hand paintings on the

doors all contribute to the "lived-in" look of

a show's set.

Stick to your Budget

Chart your acquisitionsPost the complete, categorized prop list on a bulletin board, using a chart Check off each item as it is found,

purchased, borrowed, or built.

Prop masters tend to build up individual libraries of books about specific periods and techniques.

* * *Visit the library, whether you're trying to find out about nineteenth-century gas lamps or the furnishings of American roadside diners of the 1920s.

Summary of Role of Prop Master• gathering props as directed by designer• painting props as directed • building props as directed • attending all production meetings• making sure all props are accounted for at beginning and

end of each show• striking props at end of performance run• repairing props during the run of the show

Props master reports directly to the scenic designer before the show opens and to the stage manager after the show opens.