Divide and Conquer Your Props List

If you’re working on a prop-heavy show, you’ll want to assemble a great team and get them to work right away acquiring all the items on the list, because it can be challenging and time-consuming to do so. And with some organization and planning at the start of the process, your props team will be able to divide and conquer the list in no time. Read on for some tips to help your team succeed.

1. Start by creating a master props list.

Creating a thorough master props list spreadsheet is time consuming, but will save you a headache in the long run. The more details you can include, the easier it will be for your props team to make or acquire the items. For example, your script might say (Jennifer answers the phone). What kind of phone? A cell phone (smart phone or old clunky flip phone?), a home phone (rotary or push-button, corded or cordless?), an office switchboard system with a headset (modern or vintage?), or a space-age phone that doesn’t yet exist and will have to be created by your props team? Note the setting, time period, and day/month/season that the show is set in on your master props list, as that will affect the style of props needed.

The more details and clearer descriptions you can give about each prop, the better. Write down how each prop is used and by whom, how many you need, how often it’s used, if it’s consumable or gets broken each performance, and any other important details about what the prop does or how it’s used onstage.

If a prop is listed in the script and you aren’t actually using it in your production, list the prop on the master list, but cross it out/strikethrough it. This way your team is aware that you haven’t missed it; you aren’t going to use the prop in your version of the show.

Finally, if you’ve added a prop that isn’t specifically noted in the script, be sure to include that prop on the list, in the page number order that you’ve added the prop to. For example, if you’ve added a “2L bottle of Sprite” and “two red plastic cups” to the party scene in Act 1, Scene 7 on page 42, indicate that prop with the rest of the props for page 42.

2. Label similar items in a logical manner.

Create a column on your spreadsheet that is titled “Location” or “Notes.” In this column, indicate whether the prop needs to be pulled from stock, purchased, borrowed/rented, or made. You may want to colour-code each item (for example, props pulled from stock are blue, props to be purchased are red, props to be made are yellow, and borrowed/rented props are green) to know at a glance where items are coming from. The borrowed/rented section is especially useful to know, so items can be returned to the correct owner after the show. The person in charge of borrowing/renting items should indicate on the list where the item was borrowed from, as well as the name and contact information of the person they interacted with, to facilitate easy returns.

If a particular prop is urgent or absolutely necessary for the show, be sure to note that prop with bold lettering or an asterisk indicating that it is * IMPORTANT , so it doesn’t get left until the last minute. You don’t want to get to dress rehearsal and find out that the giant tea set for *Alice in Wonderland isn’t quite complete or the Newsies’ newspapers are backordered. (See point #4 for more about due dates for props.)

3. Indicate who is in charge of acquiring each item.

Create another column that indicates who on the team is in charge of acquiring each item. For example, Michael will be in charge of all the items that need to be made/crafted, Patricia and Aya will take on the props that need to be purchased, Jamal and Nattie will pull all the items from the drama class stocks, and Kelly will reach out to other schools and theatre companies to borrow particular items. Make sure every item has been assigned to someone.

Note: Ensure that all team members who make purchases for the show keep their receipts so items can be reimbursed. Before any purchases are made, however, be sure that the team knows how much money they can spend so they don’t go over budget. If you have parent volunteers who wish to purchase items and donate them, encourage them to still submit receipts that are notated “donation” so you have a better idea of how much your show actually cost to produce. This will help you in subsequent years when you’re building your budget.

4. Set due dates.

Now that all the props have been assigned, make sure everyone knows when they need to have the items at the school, ready to go. You don’t want all your props showing up during tech week and discovering that they aren’t quite right. You’ll likely want your student actors to rehearse with props as soon as possible, so make a note of which props are needed right away — so those ones take priority — and which ones can wait until later in the rehearsal period.

If you’ve got some props that will take time to acquire, have to be customized, or are being ordered and will take a while to ship, you may need to ask your team to provide rehearsal props to use while practicing in the meantime. For example, you may have requested fancy gold plates with gemstones for the “Be Our Guest” scene in Beauty and the Beast, and the props team will need time to spray paint and glue the stones to the plates. In the meantime, have the team get some basic plastic plates or something similar for the actors to rehearse with until the actual props are complete and ready to go. Rehearsal props are also useful if certain props are particularly delicate or expensive, and the props team doesn’t want the items to get overly handled prior to showtime.

Check in with your team every so often to see how they’re doing and if they need assistance. Encourage them to keep you up to date with their progress and to bring in props as soon as they’ve acquired them, so your actors can start working with them as soon as possible. Clear communication on all sides is vital.

Additional Resources:
Props Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Creating and Maintaining and Organized Props Area