Props are an essential part of any play. We use them on the stage to elaborate on our actions and detail the story in tiny ways. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from scrolls to baskets and masks to swords. Props give an element beyond anything costumes and setting can provide; the element of interaction.
Now as with our costuming, our policy for props has been "if you use it, you bring it." The props don't have to be anything too fancy; simply something manageable that you can work with to elaborate or suggest.
The most difficult aspect of props is their maintenance and management. We're carrying props back and forth between either side of the stage, dropping them here and throwing them there. We have tables on both sides of the stage for storing our props, but more often than not, we're careless with keeping our props arranged and organized, especially during the moment to moment stress that is the performance night.
As a general announcement and with few exceptions, all props must be brought and placed on our prop tables by the first and second days of Shakespeare Camp!! It makes it much easier to manage the stage if the props that are so often littered about have designated areas to store them. Bringing them earlier in the week gives us more time to find a space for it on our tables. If you fail to maintain your props, it's not our responsibility to find it for you, especially when you find yourself running around searching for it during our last rehearsals!!
If you're hoping to bring a prop with you, especially one that is particularly large, please leave a comment, discussing the object in depth. It may be useful to check out what others are bringing, especially if you're in an opposite cast, since you may be able to borrow it during your performance. (There is no since in having two enchanted flowers on our prop table!!)
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