Props Thoughts - #3

The first thing I do when I take on a design job is read the script. Seems like a "duh" kind of moment, but I have to read it in a very careful way. I'm looking for the props, implicit and explicit, and generally not caring much for the content of the show beyond that. I save that sort of stuff for later.

No, at first it's strictly looking for the objects used. Many modern plays are easy to figure out. There's lots of stage directions that mention items by name. It's easy to determine what the script itself actually calls for.

Do not, repeat, do not be fooled by the props plot at the back of some printed scripts. Those are lists of items that the original production used. Trust me, not everything on that list will be required in the show you're working on, nor will it prevent your actors/director from coming up with new items for you to find. The list is merely a record of what one show used.

What does the script tell you it needs? It's a different way of reading a script. The real practice you get at this is doing historic plays. Shakespeare, of course, is a big one. Look at any Shakespeare script, or any from that era and before, and you'll notice that there are fewer or no stage directions at all. So you have to learn to look for the items they imply. Currently I'm working on a production of Dido, Queen of Carthage, by Christopher Marlowe. There are very few stage directions, and so my usual skimming of the page doesn't work as well. But when Aeneas says "Gentle Achates, reach the tinder box, that we may make a fire to warm us with" it becomes clear that a tinder box is needed. They're obvious, if you're paying attention, but it's surprising how often people aren't paying attention to those things. Recently I had to point out to a director that there is dialogue in a play that states that certain items from a location had been stolen, so no, we would not be needing those items. That's why we break these jobs down, so that someone looking at the big picture doesn't miss the details. Props? All about the details.