The Backstage Badger

Budget

Budget is a word that comes up a lot in theater. It is noticed quite early that the budget is never enough. There is never enough money in the world. Sometimes the budget has to be redistributed because it is mainly a costume show. For example Millikin University just did Cinderella and by golly it was a costume show. I know our Costume designer that it still was not enough. There were places that could have had fancier fabric it was just not affordable. Things will be cut because of the budget. It is just a fact of reality. There can be a magnificent idea but it takes money to make it happen. This is when priorities are made. With Cinderella we thought well what will the audience expect? Things that most people expected: glass slippers, carriage, grand staircase, and magic that will create a fairy-tale. We delivered except to be honest there are not pumpkin shaped carriages out in the world. We decided on renting a white carriage that was drawn by our beautiful horses (not real horses) but ones that looked so amazing with the wired inside and the white fabric on the outside. They looked magnificent. There were things cut because of time and because of money but we pulled it off. It had what it needed and we worked with the budget to make it a reality.  

Topics to discuss

Readers I was wondering if you could give me some help on deciding what topics to discuss in my feature article. I was thinking that I could discuss researching the era that the prop is in. This is very important because you can compare the object you are considering to others from the era. I also thought that I could talk about deciding the importance of the prop actually being authentic or it just looking so. This is something to consider especially when thinking about budget. If it is just suppose to look authentic because the space isn't too intimate then the small technicalities of the differences between a fake and the real thing wouldn't be noticed. This can make your life so much easier, for fake is easier to find and cheaper. Then if it is suppose to be authentic, then how can you be sure? I was thinking I could discuss checking the history of the object. I also want to discuss props shops, and if they are reliable.
If you have any suggestions I would love to hear your feedback!