Props Thoughts - #2

So how do props get designed? Do they even need a designer or can't you just go and find the stuff and like...buy it?

These aren't questions I've actually heard, but I've certainly thought the second one before. Some theaters don't have props designers. They have prop masters, people who build/find other people's designs (set designer/scenic designer). Do props need to be designed?

I say yes, and it's not just because I am pretty sure that a props "designer" gets paid more then a props "master". Think about the things you use every day. The coffee cup you love, the one you'll dig through the cabinet or open the dishwasher to find. Your wallet, and how you've organized everything in it. Your keys, the weight of them, how they feel in your hand. The items we surround ourselves with have meaning. Sure, we all have too much stuff, we all own crap we don't need or even like. Yes, it's a problem and we should deal with it. But, again, the items we surround ourselves with have meaning. Sometimes it's negative, sometimes it's positive. It can make us feel good about ourselves, or guilty, or lazy. It says so much about us and who we are and what our priorities are.

I have a lot of stuff. I'm a collector (pack rat) at heart, and while I've tried to curb that tendency, I still have too much stuff. But I know that I could cull away most of my stuff to a few key items that I would hold onto if needed. My plaid umbrella. My handknit Dr. Who scarf. My favorite wooden hairstick. The green ceramic mug I made. I like to think that these items say some key things about me and what I value. And that anyone else looking at those items would also be able to get a basic understanding of who I am by looking at them.

That's where I start from when designing props. Let's find items that tell us about the people in the play, not just items that will do. Not all plays work this way, of course. Lots of productions have an overall theme or mood that they are aiming for, and the props need to support the production, of course. But my favorite designs, the ones I'm most proud of, are the ones where I get to create deeply personal items for specific characters. Or where I get to use props/set dressing to tell you about what kind of place we're in, and what kind of people live here.