Skills of a Prop Person

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WHO DOES WHAT

Prop Director       Prop Artisan        Prop Internships   Prop Training     Contracts/Salaries    

THE PROPERTIES DIRECTORS HANDBOOK  

 PROPS for the THEATRE

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Artisan Sarah Heck working on a framing project,  Milwaukee Repertory Theatre


 

HAND PROPS- SKILLS

Calligraphy

Model making

Graphics layout

Molding/ casting

Jewelry making

Quilting/ embroidery/ knitting

Papier-mâché

Leatherwork

Musical instrumentation

Painting - Spray paint techniques, acrylics, water colors, colored pen & pencil

Culinary / Food Preparation

Weaponry / pyrotechniques

 

            SET PROPS – SKILLS

        Sewing

        Welding / Metal working

        Furniture construction / restoration

        Woodworking

        Plastics construction

        Upholstery

        Draping / fabric layout / pattern making

        Fabric dyeing/ distressing

        Faux painting - woodgrain, marble, stone, aging

        Radio control / pneumatics / small specialty electronics

        Special effects

        Plumbing

 

DRESSING –SKILLS

Painting – acrylics/watercolors/ portraiture

Floral arrangement

Sculpture/ 3D carving / foam carving

Electrical construction/ wiring

Picture matting and framing

Photography

 



        SENSIBILITIES OF A PROP PERSON


    Organization

    Time management

    Flexibility in the work process

    Diplomacy

    Collaboration

    Creativity

    Eye for detail

    Flair for design

    Color coordination

    Textural sympathy

    Creative adaptability- seeing “What if…”

    Drafting / sketching / graphic communication

    High production standards

    Self-motivation

    Innovative thinking

    Research inquisitiveness

    Computer expertise- word/ spreadsheet/ drafting/ graphics

    Memory for details/ sizes/ history/ visuals

    Safety awareness and compliance


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Beyond the hands-on skills, a good prop person must be flexible in their work process as priorities change and props get added or cut.  They must be creative and able to see how to adapt and modify items to create something new or different. Prop people must have an eye for detail and flair for design utilizing color coordination and textural sympathy in interpreting the designer’s ideas.  High production standards supported by an understanding of how things work on stage demands innovation and a passion for doing this very specialized work to create props meeting the design parameters, produced in a timely manner, and working within the budget restrictions.

  Click to move to next “chapter”: Pre-Production and Research