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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: FORMS: shows with lots of props
« on: Apr 28, 2011, 06:06 pm »
anole, what do you classify a prop? Depending on the nature of your show (and the producing organization, and the designers' existing agreements, and the crew.... etc.) the answer to that can inform your choice here. Is a couch a prop? A handkerchief? A handbag? A mirror that gets placed on a wagon...? Is something a prop because it is PROVIDED by your Prop Master? Is it a prop because it is picked up, carried, destroyed, tracked backstage...?
Once you've identified what pieces are props (even if they come from another department), here are my suggestions:
For rehearsal, generate a simple form (grid, spreadsheet, haiku, whatever works for you) with empty space to scribble notes while you work. In my experience, the easiest way to break this form down is first by SCENE, then by order of use or page number; then track where items enter (if they do - or where they are preset) and if/how they exit. This way, when your director says "Let's jump ahead to Act II, scene 4, right after the food fight!" you can flip to exactly that place in your form, know what's on, off, broken, splattered, etc., and move forward quickly. If you're doing a show where pieces repeat often (chairs? umbrellas? apple crates?) note every time a prop RE-enters, and indicate whether it needs to be tracked backstage as well.
Once you've worked through the show once (or before, if you can!) use this scene-by-scene breakdown to generate a preset checklist organized by location.
Hope all goes well with your show - and if you discover a great form in the process, please do share with the SMNet
Once you've identified what pieces are props (even if they come from another department), here are my suggestions:
For rehearsal, generate a simple form (grid, spreadsheet, haiku, whatever works for you) with empty space to scribble notes while you work. In my experience, the easiest way to break this form down is first by SCENE, then by order of use or page number; then track where items enter (if they do - or where they are preset) and if/how they exit. This way, when your director says "Let's jump ahead to Act II, scene 4, right after the food fight!" you can flip to exactly that place in your form, know what's on, off, broken, splattered, etc., and move forward quickly. If you're doing a show where pieces repeat often (chairs? umbrellas? apple crates?) note every time a prop RE-enters, and indicate whether it needs to be tracked backstage as well.
Once you've worked through the show once (or before, if you can!) use this scene-by-scene breakdown to generate a preset checklist organized by location.
Hope all goes well with your show - and if you discover a great form in the process, please do share with the SMNet