Difference between small and large companies

[JasminJ]

Hi, I have to write a report about what it means to be a prop maker for small theatre companies, including touring.

I know that stage managers sometimes take the job, there might be one prop maker for that project, depending on what it is, or that some larger companies have prop makers and bring in freelance people if they need help.

I was wondering if someone could fill me in on what else small companies do as they might not have the facility or the budget to have a couple of prop makers in their department.

thank you

Jasmin

[paulears]

what happens with small companies is that they simply look at the props, look at their people - often irrespective of their title, and then see if they can do it 'in-house'. If they can't then they'll get them made by a specialist.

 

Some ASMs for example, are excellent at finding props, but totally useless at creating them from scratch. I remember very well giving a foot high golden egg to an ASM and saying - I want one the same, but twice the size - and seeing a look of panic. I equally remember one of the local stage crew being a canoe fan - and he said, I'll make you one. How much? A deal was done and the next day he appeared with a fibreglass perfect egg - which all the ASM had to do was spray gold. If you know about fibreglass, it's simple. If you don't, it's hopeless.

 

Today, it would be uncommon to have dedicated prop makers in any small, and even medium size organisation. Anything that is expensive to make in terms of materials and time is probably best farmed out to specialists. Giving the team lots of props to actually make without a proper prop-maker may or may not work. This also explains why the people with those amazing skills often set up on their own, because it just works better that way. Near me is an amazing firm who can make anything - at a cost. In-house small stuff that doesn't take too long is as far as I go.

[kerry davies]

The majority of "small" theatre companies are touring companies who may or may not have a residence base of their own. Whether they have a base or not they rarely, if ever, have specific roles and have multi-skilled people on board doing a range of "jobs". I have never run across a small company with a dedicated props maker and the SM roles cover this together with the set designer/builder/production manager. The Glass Ensemble technical crew (both of them!) built the set, lit it, did the sound'n'light, drove the truck and performed onstage as do the Forkbeard and sometimes the Kneehigh crew.

 

My own experience was that The Stage critic said that I "created an ambience" by which they meant I designed and built the set and LX and SFX, toured it all, operated with the help of the director and directed the action scenes. The SM did just about everything else including props, prompt, tea-making, costume and counselling. We both sold programmes!

 

The mention of not having a budget for several prop makers raised a giggle as mostly there isn't any budget for anything in small/medium-scale theatre and what has been a struggle is only going to get worse. Mostly the terrible word "out-sourcing" is what is the norm, as Paul suggests.

The Old Vic school has a props department but the Old Vic props store no longer exists, that should tell you how far academia is from reality.

[erroneousblack]

Another homework groundhog day!

[paulears]

But remember we're not anti-homework, we're anti 'please do my homework for me', and the question was well put, and doesn't ask for the answers, just information. On top of this, there isn't a huge amount of info on prop making/management on the net.