Props in Henslowe’s Diary

I am knee-deep in Shakespeare right now, with this year’s Shakespeare in the Park featuring two Shakespeare in repertory. While A Winter’s Tale and Merchant of Venice prepare to open next week, I thought I’d share some more information about the props in Shakespeare’s time. I’ve written previously about what the props in Shakespeare’s time [...]
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Five Prop Quick-Fixes

Sometimes you need to fix things right, and other times, you need to fix them right now. Here are four things which prop people rely on to fix a prop when the audience is already seated and the curtain is about to go up. Hot Glue It’s a common prop adage that “anything can be [...]
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Friday’s Galaxy of Links

Cosplay  (costume roleplay) websites are a great place to find low-tech solutions for making items like armor and weapons. Sorcery and Glue is one of those sites that also has a really cool name. A Milliner’s Approach to Mask-Making is from the archives of Yale’s Technical Briefs. It describes how to work with buckram for making [...]
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What Material Chooseth You?

Often, choosing the material for your prop can be the most difficult part of the process; it will in fact determine the process. Choosing the wrong material can lead to added expense, additional labor and a whole lot of headaches. It can even result in a prop that does not look or perform as it [...]
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Getting the Shape you Want

Last year, I presented a paper called Devising a Mental Process for Approaching a Prop. In it, I theorized about a method to discover which properties a prop required in order to better determine how to construct it. In this article, I will delve into how to get the shape you need. When thinking about [...]
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  • About

    Eric Hart

    I am Eric Hart, the assistant props master at the Public Theater in New York City, and a longtime prop maker.

    This site is a way to share my work and the things I've learned over the years. It's also a way to connect with other prop makers, props masters, and artisans, as well as a collection of all things of interest to props people from around the internet.

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