Importance of History

Ron Arias talks about Jane Goodall in his article a woman who has an overwhelming passion for what she does. The way she started out studying prehistoric remains with Dr.Louis Leakey,the famed curator of Kenya's natural history museum, is something like a base for a props master. Most props masters are very interested in history because the plays often are an example of a time period. If you are working with Shakespeare everything has to be period. A props master needs to be able to look up and research to know what every prop would really look at in that time period. Eric Hart has worked on many shows including Shakespeare where he has done various amounts of research for objects in his shows. Eric Hart has so many different skills that help him in the props master theater world. He has written books on what it is like to be a props master on addition to that. I know I will have to write a profile on him in later blogs to elaborate on the works he does.

The prop's the thing: Eric Hart at work on the head for "The Bacchae" for Shakespeare in the Park, in 2009.

Photo by Michael Krikorian

Helm of Yngol, Skyrim

This helmet is made by Harrison Krix. I encourage you to check out his blog and see all the process shots for this helmet. There is so much detail, thought and time put into this helmet. http://volpinprops.blogspot.com/
The detail on this helmet makes it look like real metal. The rivets create beautiful texture. The rust on the helmet is very realistic, and gives it a feeling of rustic mystery. Well done Krix.

Aubrey 2

This is Aubrey 2 from Little Shop of horrors that was made by the Rainbow Youth Theatre Society. The color scheme is different from other Aubrey 2's that I have scene but I like the brighter colors. The paint job is very intentional and thought through with a very exotic look. The bumps on the plant are well defined. The prop piece is definitely a sight to see and that's how Aubrey 2 should be since so many people  come to see her.

Tree

This is one of my personal props pieces. This tree face is from Wizard of Oz that I did my freshman year of high school. I like that you make so many different things with cardboard ans masking tape.

Faces

Emery Becker, a sophomore theater major from Indiana State University created these  puppet heads of Thomas Jefferson. They are made with paper mache. I think the paper mache is great for making faces because it is wrinkly and textured to begin with just like a face. There are so many crevices around eyes and lips and paper can be manipulated to form them. She used six layers of paper to be able to define the faces and to keep them sturdy for the show. This is always something to think about when making things for theater. You always have to evaluate the durability that is needed. Overall I think the heads are very realistic. 

LIPS

This image is from Home Artworks. These inflatable lips are six meters across and 4 meters high. I think these lips are brilliant with the use of light and the texture that the lips have. These lips would look amazing with a Rocky Horror picture backdrop for a set.

Theatre imitates real life

Theatre is life. Theatre is personality. Theatre is relationships.
I start off by saying this because it is the truth. Most plays and musicals are based off of real people or people like the writer. Writers write about what they know. All plays and writing peices are unique because the author comes from a different background.
I feel like books, articles, and essays are very similar to a play by the way they tell a story about where that person is in their life, or if it is not personal it tells about a current issue in society. As I said before theatre is life.
When I read I get into the author's head. I try to identify with them in some aspect. When you can identify with the author or a character than it is more interesting to me. I can identify.
 I read Library Card by Richard Wright. This article tells about one who strives for knowledge on different points of view. As I work in the theatre world I jump into the characters heads to see what they believe in and what will help the audience know that. Plays work from so many types of views because of the contrasting actors in the play. The protagonist believes one thing and often the antagnoist believes in a completly different thing. The more I read and the more I learn the more I can see why someone has that point of view.
I also read Mother Tongue by Amy Tan. Amy tan writes about speaking in a different language to her mother which is broken english so that she understands her. I feel like this is very intersting because directors go through this with their actors of how to say their lines. Say it is a very shy self-conscious charachter, she/he is not going to talk incredibly loud. She/her would most likely be quiter and softer in speech. Also another language a director always looks at is the charachters body language because it conveys who that person is and how the audience should perceive them.
The more I read and the more I live the more I can identify with others and the reasoning behind their actions.