Throughout the process I have been undertaking my role as props manager.
This has included sourcing and purchasing props, helping with the aesthetic choices of these, as well as arranging a props day. From reasonably early on in the process it became apparent that it was going to be a very props heavy show, something that made my job harder but also much more interesting.
As soon as the script was finalised I quickly took to sourcing the props. I initially found out what elements we already had between us, in order to save budget, before then moving on to sources such as Ebay, Amazon and Poundland. Luckily, despite the sheer amount of props we needed these were affordable, due largely to the makeshift element of our show. This meant that props could be handmade or purchased from cheaper locations.
This makeshift aspect to the show links into the post dramatic element of the show. Post dramatic theatre is ‘when the progression of a story with its internal logic no longer forms the centre, when composition is no longer experienced as an organising quality but as an artificially imposed ‘manufacture’ (Lehmann, 26). This links into the aesthetics and hence props of the show as they need to look ‘artificially manufatured’. In other words we can’t invest in the props as they are not ‘real’ in the logical sense, and both cast and audience are aware of this. This in no way means a lack of effort into their creation, but more that they don’t need to look naturalistic.
On the 6th of May, myself and our stage manager Lucy had a meeting to begin the props list. We firstly made sure we ticked off everything we already possessed to determine those aspects still needed, before making an organised list. This proved to be slightly challenging as the props needed changing throughout the rehearsal process as ideas and stylistic choices changed.
Props day
Closer to the show date I organised a props day, as we needed to utilise all of our skills to make the props for the childhood and writing scenes. I therefore did multiple trips to Homebase and collected as much cardboard as I could carry to make these props with. However, on the day itself it soon became apparent that we would need even more! Our assistant director Brodie therefore kindly offered to drive down to collect more supplies. After many hours, cutting, painting and resulting mess, the props were complete allowing me to return home and finally complete the props list.
Creation of the ‘hideous beast’ (Strickland, 2017) Painting the Solar System (Strickland, 2017) Amidst the mess (Strickland, 2017)
Show day
On the day of the performance my job was to pre-set the props to where they needed to be located as well as to complete the final checks before the show. This was however very challenging due to the sheer number of props and preset locations! But with everyone helping to check that his or her props were in the right places alongside myself, the props were eventually pre-set successfully.
Show day props (Workman, 2017)
Citations
Strickland, P. (2017) Creation of the ‘hideous beast’.
Strickland, P. (2017) Painting the solar system.
Strickland, P. (2017) Amidst the mess.
Workman, L. (2017) Show day props.
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