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4) During put-in, set up a table in the dressing room with labels indicating which props go where. Tape off a square for each prop and tell actors which props are theirs. Make sure the Props Manager (runtime job) knows what props go where and how to reset props, if necessary. Put weapon props in the weapons chest (if applicable, see below). At some point give the genitals speech:
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5) During tech week, listen for notes and adjust props accordingly.
Getting Props
(1) Ensemble Stock
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(2) Borrowing from other theater groups
Rinaldi has a massive supply of props. The personal responsible for it keeps changing, so ask an upperclassman familiar with Rinaldi who to get in touch with. Set up a meeting and you will get access to their stock. We can also borrow things from MTG or GNSMTA. If you are lucky there will be someone in the production staff who is a member of MTG or GNS and they will get you access to their props supply. If not email their officer lists and explain what you are looking for. If someone has worked with MTA or taken classes, they might be able to get props from there.
(3) Borrowing from actors and other Ensemble membermembers
If the prop you need is something people have in real life (like a locket), another option is to email actors and ensemble@mit.edu asking for whatever you need. This method has a low success rate so keep looking.
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If all else fails, buy materials to make the prop. If you do not have experience with things such as woodworking, feel free to ask a savvy ensemble member , or the TD for help with certain pieces. We have supplies on the bottom shelf to make props. Artist Supply in Central Square also has a wide selection of materials to make props including paint and fancy paper for making letters.There are also stores around Boston and Cambridge and you can ask upperclassmen for suggestions.
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If making props is too difficult a task, the last resort is buying props. Amazon , and other websites are great places to find all sorts of things, but make sure the props will arrive in time for the production. There are also stores around Boston and Cambridge (Target, CVS, etc.) and you can ask upperclassmen for suggestions. Make sure you are not exceeding your budget as the Ensemble does not have large budgets.
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For Romeo and Juliet in Spring 2011 we required the use of Rapiers. The ensemble owns both bastard swords and foil-type swords, neither of which was perfect. We therefore rented rapiers from [[http://www.weaponsofchoicetheatrical.com/|Weapons of Choice]]. If they are no longer around, try contacting either MIT theatre arts or perhaps Ted Eaton (our R&J director) to find another place. Prices can get expensive - it's probably around $30 to $40 for each weapon for the run of the show, but that have a quite good selection. For R&J our director found a contact who gave us money to pay for the renting, but if we were willing to skimp on other areas we should be able to rent 2 or 3 ourselves. Shipping will take about 5 days, so rent them a bit before you want them to show up.
A couple general notes about renting weapons:
Keep the packing material around so you can pack them up neatly for the return trip.
Take care of them. They aren't ours and we don't want to be on the hook if they break.
Keep them safe. Make sure they stay in the office and people don't play with them. This can't be emphasised enough.
Make sure to rent one more than you need. Weapons do have a way of breaking we you least want them to.
If you're renting them for spring semester, the buffer for returning them can creep up fast. Either do it before leaving for spring break or right after you get back.
Weapons/Weapons chest
Shakespeare Ensemble has a weapons chest (in our office) which we use to store weapon props during and outside of shows. The chest has a number lock (ask officers if you don't know the password); CAC wants us to keep it locked between performances so make sure the Props Manager for the show is aware of this and does this.
Timing
Start gathering props as early as possible in the production. If there is a complicated prop you want to start working on it as early as possible in order to have it ready for the actors. If there are props , that the actors need to practice with that aren't ready, rehearsal props, which are similar to the real props in structure and use, but not as detailed, are a great idea.
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