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Original by Max Beeman ‘20
Weapons safety added by James Wall, G
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!
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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. 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 SalaUse 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.
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
La Sala
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 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.
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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
Weapons Safety
- Weapons safety plan documents are required for every show that contains weapons.
- Examples are under "Resources" down below.
- Send the safety plan to the TD, who will email it to CAC
- The definition of "weapons" is very broad - if something may look like a weapon to a layperson from afar, it has the potential to "incite panic" and must be included on the safety plan.
- Weapons must be locked up when not being used/worked on
- Box with combination lock in MTG office for before/after shows in La Sala
- Lights booth in KLT before/after shows, covered with a blanket
- Be explicit with actors about who is responsible for acquiring/returning props between shows
- Weapons should have its own section of props talk
- Coordinate with fight call as appropriate
Resources
Example prop schedulesExample 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)
Example weapons safety plans:
- The Rocky Horror Show, Fall 2025 (courtesy of Sam Tukua)
MTG Props Shop: A Very Very Vague Directory
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