Useful Sites

Everybody’s Propping for the Weekend

Star Trek just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Make Magazine has rounded up seven fun Star Trek–themed projects. Some are goofy (“spocks” are socks with Spock on them), while others are quite ambitious (an Enterprise Bridge playset for Star Trek action figures).

2StoryProps has started work on a replica of the spacesuit used in The Martian, and his first post is on recreating the astronaut’s helmet. The whole thing is built from scratch and is pretty cool.

Tane Williams is an illustrator who worked on the 2013 remake of Evil Dead. He has posted 15 illustrations from the Necronomicon used in that film over on his blog. Careful! Grossness ahead!

It’s not a tasty treat; Popular Woodworking shows us how “sandwich construction” can help make thick wooden panels using multiple layers of thinner plywood. I do this a lot when building prop furniture, and I’m sure others do as well, but I’ve never seen a write-up with illustrations showing the process.

Make Magazine tells us everything we need to know about lube. Ever wonder whether to grab oil, grease, or WD-40? This article breaks down all the different types of lubricants and describes when to use each one and when not to use each one.

Reprints

Props is Props in the Property Room, 1920

Yes, even back in 1920 it was a bad idea to use real guns as props:

Props is Props
Props is Props

“Props is props” thinks the police judge here. But props, to be props, should be in a property room, and not a bedroom. Roy Burness, Broadway theatre property man, was fined $25 under the anti-gun law, after he had explained that the revolver found in his room was theatre equipment.

 

The Seattle star. (Seattle, Wash.), 27 Feb. 1920. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87093407/1920-02-27/ed-1/seq-4/>

Useful Sites

Friday Links in September

Detached eyes, dead horses, and giant disco balls: The weird world of prop builder Seán McArdle – Seán tells City Pages how he made a horse fall over on cue and glued seashells to half a Volkswagen.

Prime and Smooth Props and Costumes with FlexBond – Rosco looks at a number of cosplayers using FlexBond to coat pieces constructed from Worbla.

Corporeal Intangibility – The Alley Theatre made custom acrylic furniture and props for their production of The Nether, including a gramophone and a rocking horse. This was clearly an interesting project.

Working with EVA Foam for Costume Construction – Make Magazine has rounded up a number of videos and tutorials dealing with using EVA foam (or, more precisely, XLPE foam) to build armor and prop pieces.

Features

Rehearsal Notes: Chair

5 Comments

© Michelle Dias

Day 1
May we please have a stool?

Day 2
Thanks for the stool. May we please have a taller stool?

Day 3
Thanks for the taller stool. The director has requested a bench instead.

Day 4
Regarding the bench, would it be possible to put arms and a back on it?

Day 5
Thanks for the sofa. Although the designer would prefer it, the director feels strongly about having the bench back, and altered as requested.

Day 6
After meeting last night with the designer, the director has reconsidered the altered bench and would like to see the sofa again. We appreciate the overtime you put into the bench and apologize for the change.

Day 7
Can we please see all the chaise lounges you have in stock?

Day 8
Thanks for bringing up the chaises. The director has decided to stay with the sofa. Would it be possible to shorten it? To about loveseat size?

Day 9
The director doesn’t care for the style of the loveseat you brought in. We will ask him to discuss it with the designer. Meanwhile, can we pursue our request to have the sofa shortened?

Day 10
Thanks for shortening the sofa. Unfortunately we’ve now found the arms are too low on this one and would like to see all the other sofas and loveseats you have in stock.

Day 11
Can we please have all the sofas and loveseats removed from the rehearsal hall before 10am? The director and designer have met and have decided to try an armchair.

Day 12
Thanks for the armchair. Do you have one with a taller back?

Day 13
Although very nice, the wingback is too tall. Is there an armchair in stock with a back that’s shorter than the wingback but taller than the first armchair?

Day 14
Thanks for the Barcalounger. Wrong style unfortunately, but fun. May we keep it in the Stage Management office? Can we please try again with another armchair?

Day 15
The director loves the new armchair. Thank you.

Day 16
Regarding your note about the designer requesting new fabric for the armchair: we can free up the chair after rehearsal today. It would be great to have it back tomorrow. Is one night enough time for the re-upholstery?

Day 17
After rehearsing with a dining room chair today, the director feels he would like to use that instead of the armchair. Sorry! Hope you didn’t stay too late last night!

Day 18
Do you have another dining room chair that closely matches the one we have, but without arms and with a different fabric? And perhaps a slightly taller back?

Day 19
Thanks for the selection of dining room chairs. If we wanted to use a full set of six, would it be possible to recover the seats before tomorrow’s dry run?

Day 20
We have some news that will make you laugh. The director has decided that one of the plain black orchestra chairs will be perfect. We had one in the rehearsal hall. Thanks and have a great day.

Day 21
Re: the table…

The above was written by Michelle Dias, who passed in 2011. There is a scholarship given in her name if you are interested in knowing more. Thanks to Cindi Zuby for sending this to me and Michelle’s family for allowing me to post it.

Useful Sites

First Links of September

I love that Oregon Live has put together a list of 10 Must-See Props at the 2016 Oregon Shakespeare Festival. From wedding cakes to bears, you can learn how the OSF prop shop made it all happen.

Kamui Cosplay has a great video tutorial on adding animated LEDs to your prop. Making your LEDs pulse and chase really bumps up the wow-factor compared to static on/off lights.

Did You Know The Props On ‘Melrose Place’ Were Covert Works Of Art With Coded Meanings? I don’t know what else to say about this article other than repeating the title. Apparently an art exhibition showcasing these works of conceptual art is now running in NYC.

Did you know that new overtime rules for workers in the US are going into effect in December? American Theatre tackles how this may affect theatres, particularly non-profits. All of us should be aware of the rules and regulations that govern our wages, particularly since theatre and small films are so rife with infractions. A combination of ignorance, lack of oversight, and the belief that we should “suffer for our art” keeps it from improving. My worry is that these new overtime rules will either be ignored or hand-waved away like so many other labor regulations that some theatres do not follow.

Making and finding props for theatre, film, and hobbies