So You Want to Manage Props
Original by Max Beeman ‘20
General Description
Being a properties (“props”) designer and manager for a theater production can be a stressful, harrowing, nerve-wracking, but ultimately wonderful experience. The objects you provide to the actors can create a sense of wonder, evoke bouts of laughter, or awe audiences with their clever design. This task requires procuring and tracking a lot of small, moving pieces, and communicating well with your show’s director, choreographer, costume designer, set designer, technical director, etc… And therefore a lot of organization and prep. It’s hard work, but there’s nothing quite like watching your props become part of a great performance.
How to Manage Props
Before a Show
Read through the script and put together a rough props list.
Meet with and talk to director. Figure out if there are any large, difficult-to-procure props that you may need to order well ahead of time or craft yourself.
Sometimes (although somewhat rarely), actors might find it useful to have some certain props during rehearsals well before put-in and prod week. If your show might have any props like this, check in with the director and choreographer. Recent examples of this include jump-ropes for Legally Blonde and the Black Knight’s dismembered body parts for Spamalot.
Talk to your show’s technical director and costume designer. It can sometimes be hard to figure out whether something is a prop, a set piece, or a costume. Good rule of thumb: if it’s as large or larger than a chair or if it’s something that a person might wear, you should start a conversation about what everyone can contribute!
Collect useful items from the prop shop. Hopefully you can find at least half, if not more, of the props you’ll need!
Purchase or create props that are not in the shop. You can work out in the lobby of the basement of Walker, just lay down tarps if you’ll be painting (there should be one in the craft cabinet, and many more in the set shop).
Create a runsheet. Note every time a prop will be needed, and compile a list with act & scene, character, and a column for status of the prop. Later, you’ll probably add backstage location to this list. There are many examples below in Resources. Typically these are ordered either by scene (with actor as a data field) or by character (in scene order). During prod week, you’ll need to update these fairly often.
Attend a couple of rehearsals (full or act runs are the most useful) if you have time, to get more of a feel for the show and check that actors are using props how you expect them to!
Put-in
Load collected props into the TD’s u-haul at 9am the day of put-in. Hopefully you can sneak some coffee and donuts from the set crew while you’re at it. ;)
Set up props tables
Bring masking tape and sharpies! You’ll need to label where each prop should be returned to after runs. There should be plenty in the crafts cabinet in the prop shop, but double check before the day of put-in and purchase more if necessary.
KLT
There should be one table on each side of the stage. You may need to set this up yourself.
You may need to ask lights to set up some dim lights for actors to see the prop lists.
La Sala
Use the kitchen for storing most props (you can ask someone to sneak into La Sala with you beforehand to look at it if you’ve never been inside before).
For props that need to be immediately accessible for actors to pick up quickly while dashing off and on-stage, set up two tables backstage on either side.
Ask lights to set up dim lights for the kitchen if the doors to the stage will be open and visible to the audience, and possibly also lights in the back of la sala if necessary.
Make your best guess as to where each prop should be placed to be convenient to actors. There will be adjustments after tech night (after all, actors likely know where they need items to be for their next entrance better than you do).
Update the runsheet. Print it out and tape it with a pencil at each props table, and talk to lights if it’s not readable. You’ll probably have to replace this every night of prod week.
Prod Week
Keep the runsheet replaced and updated. Attend runs, take note of what goes wrong, and fix it.
Compile notes on when actors forget something or could not find a prop. Email these out to actors after runs, and talk to them in person to find a solution if it becomes a routine problem or is a pressing issue.
Put in some way for actors to tell you if props need to move homes or need to be fixed/adjusted/replaced, like a sheet of paper next to the runsheets.
Talk to stage managers about who, when, and how perishable items will be replenished and/or stored, especially if you cannot stop by before every run and performance.
The “Props Talk”: this is a 5-minute talk that you will be expected to give to actors at the beginning of tech night. Usually this consists of the following:
Props are like genitalia: don’t touch someone else’s without asking, and don’t play with yours in public.
How to notify you if a prop needs your attention.
It is actors’ responsibility to put their props back after a show and check that they are in place and ready before every performance.
Strike
Make sure you get your receipts to the MTG treasurer (preferably before this point, but strike is the last call because this is when the treasurer wraps up the show’s finances).
Collect props back into the bins, get those on the u-haul back to Walker, and de-tape/clean up/put away tables. If sets is running slow, it might be worth your time to walk props to Walker instead of waiting. But keep in mind that you likely won’t have any cast members to help you.
Once you have brought all of the props back to Walker from the theater space, start by putting back all items that were borrowed from the prop shop and are still in good condition to where you originally found them.
Bring over the garbage bin from the set shop. You should probably throw out at least 25% of the props for a given show. Any item that does not meet the criteria below should not be kept.
Is this item in good condition? If not, is it easily fixable?
Is this item composed of any perishable materials, or materials that will discolor/degrade/otherwise become of poor condition over time?
Is this item useful? Can you see it being used for a different show within the next two years?
Is this item very valuable? Will procuring another of it if this show were to be put on again in 4 or more years be very expensive or troublesome?
Is it easily replaceable/findable/borrowable and therefore not worth keeping?
Is this item of nice quality?
Any item that has touched an actor’s mouth should be cleaned before being returned to the prop shop.
If you cannot find a new home for a prop that you bought for this show but would like to keep it, feel free to start a new milk crate with that type of item in it. There are more milk crates in the set shop if there are no more in the prop shop (ask your TD to show you where).
Once you have sorted through your props, make sure the ‘current show’ boxes are empty and clean.
Double check that the path to the MIT Mystery Hunt shelf is clear.
Make sure that the prop shop is neat, orderly, and organized.
Celebrate! You just finished a show! Yay!
Resources
Example prop schedules:
She Loves Me, Spring 2018 (courtesy of Phoebe Piercey ‘20 and Max Beeman ‘20)
Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, IAP 2018 (courtesy of E Rosser ‘12sh)
Legally Blonde, Fall 2018 (courtesy of Aashini Shah ‘22)
MTG Props Shop: A Very Very Vague Directory
Author’s Note: My recommendation for how to use this guide is to think of an item you’d like to find, peruse the middle column of the chart below to see if it obviously falls into a single category, and then search that location in the prop shop. If you don’t have luck there, use the ‘find’ tool to search for the name of the item in the third column. Otherwise, poke around the prop shop as much as you can. You may have to borrow, buy, or fabricate this prop.
Author's Note #2: ALL OF THIS IS OUTDATED AS OF AUGUST 2019. rip haha
Other important notes:
There are empty boxes stored on the cow. Use these to collect and organize props as you prepare for a show, and to transport props to and from the prop shop.
This storage space is shared with another group. Do not leave it a mess, because they need to access their stuff too.
MTG is noted in gray below. All of these items are fair game!
MIT Mystery Hunt is marked in purple. Please do not use these items, do not put MTG items on these shelves, and keep the path to this shelf clear whenever you are not actively working in the prop shop.
MIT SCA (mitgaard) is marked in red. However, this group was disbanded in 2012. Their items do not need to remain accessible.
Please strike properly! You should have plenty of time during strike to clean and put away everything while other tech crews finish up. If you don’t finish strike the night of put-in, please come back the next day to finish!
The Prop Shop Map
Prop Shop Useful Directory
A | Tall & Skinny Things | Brooms, mops, crutches, pikes, rods, pipes, walking sticks, large flag pole, golf club |
B | Dishes | On top: assorted, jugs, watering cans First Shelf: Plates, pots, wooden utensils Second Shelf: Cups, bowls, utensils, cross (?), bell Third Shelf: Plates, money jar, glass bottles Bottom Shelf: lots of glass bottles |
C | Glass and Platters | On Top: Trophies, nice-ish things First shelf: Plates, mugs, some glassware Second Shelf: Wine glasses Third Shelf: More wine glasses, tea pots? Fourth Shelf: Platters Bottom Shelf: large assorted items (dog bowls, KFC buckets, etc) |
D | Weapons | On top: some bags, foliage, large candle holders (?) in back Left: swords, bow and arrows Right: handcuffs, pistols, daggers, large and small guns, futuristic star wars guns |
E | Phones, Flags, Musical Instruments, Foliage | On top: LOTS of foliage and some fabric Top Shelf: ...bags? Second shelf: Old phones Third shelf: Musical instruments, bugle, accordian, tambourine, cowbell, kazoo Fourth shelf: many american flags, one soviet flag, hand fans Fifth shelf: wooden crates? Your guess is as good as mine |
F | Soft/Bedroom Things | On top of chests: stuffed animals Top Chest (black) contains pillows and blankets Bottom chest (brown, older) is empty *note: there are empty boxes for loading props for the current show stored on the cow behind the chests |
G | Milk Crate Land | Lights things Ropes Tubing Random Cloth/Sheets Irons + Duster Clothing that should probably be in the office Dismembered body parts Fake babies Assorted electronics (laptop, keyboards, 90s phones, cash register thingy) Fake Fruit Cheerleader pom-poms Elvis, Records, Toy Microphone, Not Toy Microphone Inflatable Pool Toys + Shower Curtains Electronic circuit boards Scary tubing and clamps from a frankenstein show or something More glassware! |
H | Luggage, Bags | Lots and lots of empty suitcases, baskets, boxes, large bowls, tool chest, briefcases (empty, cash, electronics), buckets, giant coke bottle, handbags that probably should be in the office |
I | Crafts, TV, Drums | Large clear box with lots of craft supplies, child-sized drum kit, very large and very old TV |
J | Books | So many books: big books, small books, medium books, old books, new books… Box labelled ‘bottles’ Hub caps? Giant cash register Butterfly net? |
K | Writing, Money, Craft Supplies | Notebooks, manila folders, clipboards, magazines, mail supplies, sticky notes, pens Raffle tickets, fake gold coins, cash in a manila envelope and scattered throughout cabinet Craft supplies: fake snow, fishing line, molding clay, beads, ribbon and more craft material on top, hot glue, stapler, lots of tape, lots of pens and pencils, spray paint, acrylics, glitter, sewing kit, foil, cleaning supplies, bags and organization supplies |
L | Shelf of boxes! | These boxes are well-labelled so I’m not going to copy it all down here. Highlights: lots of cloth on bottom shelf, flashlights, medical supplies, cosmetics, items you would carry in a pocket or purse, chalk, candles, rubber chickens, dynamite, an entire bale of hay, yarn |
M | Other Tall-Ish Things | Umbrellas, plungers, ladder, rolling bed (? disassembled), silver easel |
N | Silver Table, Radio | Radio, Record Player, silver table |
Prop Shop Non-Useful Directory
1 | MTG’s Folly | Hula hoops, and very large props (set pieces?) from shows past that just kind of… exist… back there… Maybe we’ll use them again some day. Maybe. |
2 | Mitgaard Cabinet | RIP MIT Society for Creative Anachronism… this historical re-enactment club disbanded in 2012-ish, but we still have all their stuff. The cabinet has some of their old costumes. |
3 | Mitgaard Desk | Old lanterns, the old spamalot helmets and bags (my bad), very very old paint, more costumes above, bird cages? |
4 | Mitgaard Floor | Uh, whetstone? Sewing machine, baby carriage, lamp shades, at least 3 short marble pillars, music stand, more of MTG’s folly (big foam boards) |
5 | Narcoleptic Caveman Proctologist | You either know this or you don’t His head fell off while I was cleaning the prop shop IAP 2019, it was a traumatic event |
6 | Mystery Hunt Shelf | Mystery Hunt is another group that actually does still exist! They store office supplies here and need to access this shelf sometime in the week before MLK Jr Day in January each year. Make sure to keep the walkway from this to the door clear during that time, and do not store MTG items on this shelf or use items from here. |
MTG Prop Shop Guidelines
Keep the path from the doorway to the shelves immediately to the right clear, especially in January. The prop shop is shared with another student group (MIT Mystery Hunt), who needs to access this shelf (especially over IAP).
There are empty boxes stored on the cow - use these to collect props for the current show!
Keep things organized! Feel free to move around crates, restack boxes, put boxes on chairs/tables/etc, just make sure that by the time you leave, all parts of the shop are accessible and all items are on a shelf or in a box.
There are useful craft supplies in the cabinet on the right wall for making or modifying props.
Strike
Once you have brought all of the props back to Walker from the theater space, start by putting back all items that were borrowed from the prop shop and are still in good condition to where you originally found them.
Bring over the garbage bin from the set shop. You should probably throw out or post to reuse at least 25% of the props for a given show. Any item that does not meet the criteria below should not be kept.
Is this item in good condition? If not, is it easily fixable?
Is this item composed of any perishable materials, or materials that will discolor/degrade/otherwise become of poor condition over time?
Is this item useful? Can you see it being used for a different show within the next two years?
Is this item very valuable? Will procuring another of it if this show were to be put on again in 4 or more years be very expensive?
Is it easily replaceable/findable/borrowable and therefore not worth keeping?
Is this item of nice quality?
Any item that has touched an actor’s mouth should be cleaned before being returned to the prop shop.
If you cannot find a new home for a prop that you bought for this show but would like to keep it, feel free to start a new milk crate with that type of item in it. There are more milk crates in the set shop if there are no more in the prop shop (ask your TD to show you where).
Once you have sorted through your props, make sure the ‘current show’ boxes are empty and clean.
Double check that the path to the MIT Mystery Hunt shelf is clear.
Make sure that the prop shop is neat, orderly, and organized.
Celebrate! You just finished a show! Yay!