TECH: Taping the Prop Table

[asdf112]

How do you "tape the prop table"? How are things supposed to be organized when you tape it?

[LCSM]

Do you mean how to do the actual taping or how to arrange everything on it?

[asdf112]

Well both sort of. Do you organize by scene and tape off the scene or do you tape off each individual prop? Or something else along those line?

[MatthewShiner]

You arrange it the way that makes the most sense for how it is use and what props are on it.

[John Stout]

Greetings,

I have done this a number of different ways.  It depends on how organized you want to be and how detailed. 

If it is a small grouping of props I will tape the table in squares in approximately the size of the prop and then either Sharpie the prop name and whom it belongs to in the order of use for the show.

If there are a large amount of props I will organize them by Act and then scene in the same taped squares.  If you have it, spike tape is perfect for this.  I did one show that was CRAZY props (a corporate event) and propers were organized by performer, production numbers, product reveals and presenter.

I also try and take pictures and post them near the table for everyone to reference and know where things go.  I will also put the picture pages in my book.  On corporate events I also post signs on each table that says these are props and do not touch or move.  Sometimes the corporate types don't get the theater rules and just need to be educated.

We also create marked tables for microphones and in-ear monitors so that performers become responsible for returning their mics and "ears" to make it easy on the A2 or A3 to re-batt. everything.  It also makes it easy to know what might be available if you need to swap a mic, pack or grab a hand held in an emergency.  We also make the rule NO SUBSTITUTIONS if the A2 or A3 doesn't know about it and pass it on to the world so that everyone can change their rundown and mic sheet (if used).

I hope that helps.

John

[ljh007]

I usually tape top left to bottom right in the order that the props are used through the show. Occasionally this system needs adjustments when a prop is used several times, or if something only fits perfectly in one spot. If a breakable is tottering near the edge of the table, I'll buck the system and find a safe place for it. But in principle, I like props laid out beginning to end. Depending on the show - and you should always let the needs of the show decide how you deal with your tables, not just your plug-and-play system preferences - you might tape according to performer, or type of prop, or any other method that makes sense to your crew and to the performers.

Always write the name of the prop in each square, and always take digital pictures (there's no excuse not to these days!) for your run sheets. Be sure your labels are legible under backstage lighting. You might print the labels on index cards and tape the cards in the space for extra legibility. At the very least you should include the prop name on the label, but for extra credit include the performer name, act/scene, and/or preset notes.

If you are working in a space that you are moving in and out of frequently (a shared church basement, a rotating rep stage), you can write your prop tables on huge sheets of butcher paper, and just roll them up and tote them away after you clear out each night.

[Trinity]

I've seen and done a variety of ways to mark a props table.  At my high school we used the butcher paper method and we used sharpies to draw the outline of the object so that anyone looking at the table could figure out right away what was missing (if anything).  In college it depended on the show since some were more prop heavy then others.  For the light ones we surrounded a couple of items with a box of masking tape and wrote what belonged in that square.  Our last show was extremely heavy with props ('night mother) I became very strict with the props since we had only one chance to get all the props right... Other then the daughter walking into the bedroom for 2 min at a time, neither actress exited the stage until the lights went down at the end. We had tables, shelves and since our room was small we even had the walls labelled with every single prop.

Personally I Love a well organized prop table/room.  I love being able to walk into the room and know exactly what has to go out and where or who it goes to.  I also love doing the last check of the room to make sure nothing was missed and be able to tell at a glance we did or not.  The last thing I love about it is it makes the prop clean up every night SOO much easier.  Everything has a spot to go, and me and my ASM's can tell at a glance if we somehow forgot an item on the stage or if an actor forgot to put an item back.

[JDL]

I've seen and done a variety of ways to mark a props table.  At my high school we used the butcher paper method and we used sharpies to draw the outline of the object so that anyone looking at the table could figure out right away what was missing (if anything).

I love this method, it works if space permits!

[MatthewShiner]

My only problem with outlining the physical prop is what if the prop changes?  Do you have to redo the entire butcher paper?

[Mac Calder]

I like boxes. When SMing was my bread and butter, I spent a fair bit of money on boxes.

I tape my props table into squares with lables for individual props, I have a whole bunch of palstic boxes with lids that I stack under the props table (for the props where there are lots of the same thing or for props that all go in the same place when setting a scene, ie for dressing a beauro) and I put a lable on the top with the contents of the box.

As far as organisation goes - large items at the back, small items at the front, organised in columns based on the scene.

If there is a really prop-intesive show, I have some large plastic boxes on wheels, and I will separate the props into 'sections' (usually acts), draw up a table for each section on plastic tablecloth (the cheap white stuff that comes on rolls that you cut to length) and an entire section goes into a box. The ASM for each side basically collects all props, when they are done, they go into the box for that section, when the table is clear, the ASM folds up the cloth, puts it in the box and lays out the next set of props. I had a show with over 1500 props once, and this system worked remarkably well.

The added benefit is that I can pack up all of the props into boxes at the end of the night, stack them up and wheel them into a locker.

I also lable everything with the prop name, the show name, the point used in the show etc.

Slightly obsessive compulsive, but it works.

That said, if there are decent ASM's, I let them figure out what works best for them.

[sarahbear42]

I generally go smallest in front to largest in back, with breakables, especially easily-knocked-over things like vases, more towards the center. From there, I try to group things by scene or with like objects.

Since at my current gig I rarely have someone backstage, I don't actually "tape" the table until we've been running with props for a while. The actors often will rearrange things in ways that make it easier for them to grab what they need, and I'd rather have them feel free to do that. I just leave post-its in each position so they know where I originally set stuff, and then I tape it out once I see what they'd prefer.

Once I do tape, though, I use white spike tape and a sharpie and label everything. I've used the butcher paper method before, but in a cramped backstage space it's way too easy for that to get detatched/ripped/bunched up... taping just seems a lot better for a long run IMO.

[JDL]

My only problem with outlining the physical prop is what if the prop changes?  Do you have to redo the entire butcher paper?

I ran into this problem a month ago actually...good point...

[ljh007]

My only problem with outlining the physical prop is what if the prop changes?  Do you have to redo the entire butcher paper?

I still do boxes, even on butcher paper. For this very reason.

[zayit shachor]

My only problem with outlining the physical prop is what if the prop changes?  Do you have to redo the entire butcher paper?

We outlined and labeled everything in pencil, kept detailed track of changes (so that even when we didn't have time to erase something immediately when it changed, we could just scribble it out and not worry about it), and - once everything was set in stone - sharpied the relevant shapes and erased the erroneous marks.

I didn't particularly like the extra work of erasing, and I personally prefer the box method myself.  But, the outline method has some definite perks - the aforementioned ability to glance at a table and know exactly what's missing is excellent in a prop-heavy show.  I've found it especially helpful in a weapons-heavy show -- I did a show recently where we needed to keep track of five swords and a dagger and it was really important to be able to know whether one was missing immediately.

[ChaCha]

In a similar vein to mac's tablecloths -  For touring I discovered the joy of fabric covering for props tables. I would buy an old white (ish) sheet at an op shop (or similiar) and before setting out on the road (well past the time I'd expect substantive changes to a props table layout) I would redo the props table onto it - either tracing the objects of drawing boxes with the names depending on the ASM or my mood. Then it can just fold up and go into the top of the props roadcase ( or be used as packing for fragile objects!) and be ready to go. remarkably i seldom found that it wouldnt fit on the props table in each new venue. It even would go onto roadcases etc if required. I did avoid working too near the edges of a standard trestle to allow a little for smaller tables, but still, remarkably easy. It really helped the cast by guaranteeing the exact same layout every time. i can't recall where I first heard of this method, but I love it.