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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:
- Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, IAP 2026 (courtesy of James Wall, G)
- Ride the Cyclone, Summer 2025 (courtesy of James Wall, G)
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)
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MTG Props Shop: A Very Very Vague Directory
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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
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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
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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. |
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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.
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