Two approaches to bird forms. The pigeon is made of a wire frame, coir fibres, calico and latex, with fur fabric Copydexed on, trimmed and painted; from start to finish, this took an hour to make. The chicken was one of seven to be made: a supermarket chicken was to used to create multiple plaster moulds, which were used to produce latex castings, clay head sculpt and plaster mould, steel rod core, fur fabric, trimmed and painted.
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AN OVERVIEW OF PROP MAKING
WHAT IS A PROP AND WHAT IS PROP MAKING?
From a theatrical point of view, a prop is an item that is required for a production, normally to be interacted with by an actor or as a piece of set dressing that helps create the setting. This is of course a gross simplification, as within this description you can have costume props, actors’ personal props, LX (lighting) props, SD (sound) props, set dressing props, construction props, SM (stage management) props, props department (finding, sourcing and making) and props construction department (making and modification). Thus you can see that the requirement for a prop can cross over departmental boundaries, with some props needing to be sourced (borrowed, bought or hired) and some requiring to be made. It shouldn’t take too much logic to identify a potential ‘make’ from a ‘find’. Finding a giant’s cauldron for a Norse god can be challenging, and a suitable Tudor four-poster bed that isn’t too heavy/expensive to use, hire or buy, will generally have to be made. If a theatre is lucky enough to have a props construction department, then the work will generally go to them; if not, then it may well be freelanced out. Timber props can be created by the set construction department (often referred to as construction or ‘chippies’), but this will very much depend on their workload and individual skill sets.
This sign was required for a touring production of Charles Dickens’Hard Times. Lightweight and extremely durable, the base material was 4mm plywood, the scrolled details were clay sculpts, plaster moulds and slush mould latex castings, glued to the plywood with Copydex. Once primed and painted, photocopied lettering was cut out and glued in place, then glazed.
Example of Prop Types
Personal props Watches, pocket watches, watch chains, wallets, spectacles, gloves, bracelets and brooches, rings and so on. These are normally provided by the costume department, but may be sourced by stage management and may also in some circumstances be makes.
Cornucopia (horn of plenty) made forA Christmas Carol. The wire-frame construction was stuffed with newspaper then covered with Gypsona plaster bandage and a PVA/water mix. Quarter-inch (6mm) paper rope was used for detail with more plaster bandage and PVA/water mix moulded over this. Layers of gesso were applied and sanded, and base coats and top coats of paint produced the gold finish.
The King James bible was needed for a church set inThe Crucible. The book boards were 6mm (¼in) plywood covered with calico. The spine was sectioned thick cardboard tube, the page shape and flow and inn
