All posts by Eric Hart

How-to

How’d They Build That Prop?

In this month’s S*P*A*Minar, join Jay Lasnik, Props Supervisor and Props Teacher at Penn State University School of Theatre, as he shares how he and his crew of Penn State prop artisan students have built props for such shows as “She Kills Monsters”, “Angels in America”, “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”. He’ll discuss his process of building props from the initial design presentation all the way through opening night.

Find out how the Penn State prop shop has tackled such projects as

  • a 6′ talking eyeball!
  • 3′ tall magic mushrooms
  • an angel with a 18′ wingspan!
  • lightweight, (but strong) light-up boxes!
  • life-size bull puppets
  • and half of a dead dog!

When: Sunday, February 20th at 8pm EST

REGISTER here: https://bit.ly/PennPropsReg

We are once again requesting pay-what-you-can donations to support this S*P*A*Minar programming. All money collected will be used to offset webinar operation costs with additional funds going to our annual grant program for early career prop people. Suggested donation amount is $3.

Donations can be made via PayPal Money Pool here.

Registration will remain open until 6pm EST on the day of the event and a link to the Zoom S*P*A*Minar session will be sent out to all registered attendees 1 hour before the start of the webinar.

All S*P*A*Minars will be recorded, and the video will be shared on YouTube the week following the event.

Decorative Flyer that lists the same information as in the post.

Angel wings designed by Kayli Warner for “Angels in America” (photo: William Wellman)

Vera, the Beholder designed by Bekah Ackuff for “She Kills Monsters””

Boxes designed by Rozy Isquith for “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time”

Giant Lily Flower designed by Tania Barrenechea for “A Year with Frog and Toad”

Features

Prop Building for Beginners

1 Comment

I came out with a new book a few months ago, but I haven’t written about it here yet. It has been such a tumultuous year!

The book is called “Prop Building for Beginners: Twenty Props for Stage and Screen.” It is now on sale at Routledge.

Cover image of the book, "Prop Building for Beginners."

I wrote this book because a lot of beginners want step-by-step instructions to build specific props. The world of prop building can be overwhelming, and sometimes you just want to know where to start.

I chose the kinds of items that people in theater or film often need to build. These are props that appear in a lot of stories and which are not always cheap or easy to buy.

A collage of the twenty props which are included in this book.
The twenty props you can build from this book.

I designed and built all these items to make sure I was only using materials which are readily available throughout the world, as well as a limited number of tools. In fact, if you complete each project in this book, you will end up with a good understanding of the basic skills that every props person needs, as well as a simple toolkit that you will use on a daily basis.

Sample pages from the book showing step-by-step instructions and corresponding photographs
Sample pages from the book.

I wrote this book for anyone who wants to begin the wonderful journey of learning how to build props. It is useful for teachers who want to introduce their students to the materials and methods used in prop making. And it may be helpful to the theater practitioner who needs to build some props but does not know how.

You can purchase “Prop Building for Beginners” directly from the publisher, from Amazon, from your favorite local bookstore, or from wherever books are sold in your country. If you’ve already bought it, leave a review on the site you bought it from!

Education

Set Decoration: The Forgotten Narrative

Do you love set decoration and set dressing, or do you dread it? Either way, this month’s S*P*A*Minar is for you!

Next Sunday, Larry Heyman, S*P*A*M Member, Properties professor and set decorator will lead a conversation about the challenges presented by set dressing, set decoration and design. He’ll examine the concept that set decoration and dressing is an extension of the narrative created by the director and set designer. Participants will discuss issues and concerns facing the modern properties director as they embark on “painting” the details of the set from an artistic and storytelling perspective.

We’ll talk about the details can be learned about a character by examining their surroundings. These details are not items usually found on the prop list, but are what help create 3-dimensional characters as opposed to a flat caricatures.

When: Sunday, November 14th at 8pm EST
Where: From the comfort of your home!
REGISTER here: https://bit.ly/SetDecorREG

We are once again requesting pay-what-you-can donations to support this S*P*A*Minar programming. All money collected will be used to offset webinar operation costs with additional funds going to our annual grant program for early career prop people. Suggested donation amount is $3.

Donations can be made via PayPal here.

Registration will remain open until 6pm EST on the day of the event and a link to the Zoom S*P*A*Minar session will be sent out to all registered attendees 1 hour before the start of the webinar.

All S*P*A*Minars will be recorded, and the video will be shared on Youtube the week following the event.

Flyer that repeats the text in the article

How-to

What’s Cookin’?

One lucky webinar attendee will win a copy of Guest Presenter Karestin Harrison’s book: The Fake Food Cookbook: Foods You Can’t Eat for Theatre, Film and TV!

During our hour long webinar, Karestin will talk us through how to use various materials to create fake food that looks so good it’ll make you hungry. She’ll share materials and resources with us, sharing with us different craft mediums that can be found at the local craft store as well as higher end products that can be ordered from ROSCO.

When: Sunday, September 19th at 8pm EST

Where: From the comfort of your home!

REGISTER here: https://bit.ly/WhatsCookinReg

We are once again requesting pay-what-you-can donations to support this S*P*A*Minar programming. All money collected will be used to offset webinar operation costs with additional funds going to our annual grant program for early career prop people. Suggested donation amount is $3.

Donations can be made via PayPal Money Pool here: https://bit.ly/SPAMinarMoneyPool

Registration will remain open until 6pm EST on September 19th and a link to the Zoom S*P*A*Minar session will be sent out to all registered attendees 1 hour before the start of the webinar.

All S*P*A*Minars will be recorded, and the video will be shared on YouTube the week following the event.

Flyer about the event described on this page

How-to

Tufting, Tacking, and Trim

Remember all those times you’ve had a big upholstery project coming up for a show and you just didn’t know quite where to start? We’ve definitely all been there a time or two.

Well we have some great news for you! Because this month S*P*A*M Member Jessica Rosenlieb will join our S*P*A*Minar team to share some great tips and tricks for theatrical upholstery. We’ll take a look at tools of the trade, materials, resources, and the process to tackle your big upholstery projects. This webinar will cover upholstery basics as well as a few advanced techniques will give us some ways to save time and money.

When: Sunday, August 15th at 8pm EST

Where: From the comfort of your home!

REGISTER here: https://bit.ly/TuftingREG

We are once again requesting pay-what-you-can donations to support this S*P*A*Minar programming. All money collected will be used to offset webinar operation costs with additional funds going to our annual grant program for early career prop people. Suggested donation amount is $3.

Donations can be made via PayPal Money Pool here: https://bit.ly/SPAMinarMoneyPool

Registration will remain open until 6pm EST on August 15th and a link to the Zoom S*P*A*Minar session will be sent out to all registered attendees 1 hour before the start of the webinar.

All S*P*A*Minars will be recorded, and the video will be shared to the S*P*A*M YouTube channel the week following the event.

Flyer with the same information as in the post