Stagecraft

Independent Show Projects

Spring 2012

"There is no single 'correct' way to make any prop, but many ways, each of which may be the right one in a particular context."

—Andy Wilson in Making Stage Props

Everyone will be assigned one or more independent show projects during the course of the semester. Most likely, this will be the creation of specific props, but could also include special scenic components or a stage effect (such as making it snow).
There are many steps to take in completing your project. Use the following list as a guideline. For the most part, it is intended to be followed in the order in which it appears. However, this process will also prove to be accumulative in nature (meaning that you don't move from one step to the next, but rather the second step is added to the first and so on, until you are working on the majority of the list simultaneously).

Note that there are only a few due dates listed below. It is up to you to determine when everything else is due, based on the needs of rehearsal. Budget your time well. This can be a very time-consuming project and is akin to a major paper or exam in your other classes.

The Project

• Read Tartuffe by Molière
  
  • Things to comprehend while reading:
    • Plot
      • You should be able to recount the storyline or principal events for each scene of the play.
    • Theme
      • You should have ideas about issues, symbols, and themes that are explored or revealed.
        (This includes things the playwright likely intended and perhaps things that the playwright couldn't possibly have known, because history has progressed since the play was written.)
    • Time and Place
      • You should know when any given scene takes place. (day, month, year, season, time of day)
      • Be aware of where the play takes place. (country, city, building, room, etc.)
      • Understand that there is a difference between actual and perceived facts. Be asking yourself, "what does a present-day, American, New England, collegiate audience expect when they think of or imagine these times and places?"
    • Characters
      • For any given character, you should be able to...
        • Describe this character's social status, role/jobs, and any important interrelationships they have with other characters (e.g. Jane is Dick's sister).
        • Postulate how politics, religion, and philosophy affect that character.
        • Envision a well known person whose personality traits resemble those of the character
• Meet with the Director, Bess Welden, to discuss your project and expand on the description found in the Prop Plot.
  • Individual assignments and an early working title can be found as follows:
    (Note: these assignments are subject to change as the rehearsal process evolves)
    • Alaba Sotayo - Food & Drink (props #19, 20, 23, 24)
    • Bob Bernhart - Walking Stick (prop #8)
    • Catherine Sharp - Ledger & Writing (props #12, 13)
    • Charlie Dupee - Keys & Coins (props #28, 29)
    • Elizabeth Reville (with Nathan Flanders) - Cleaning Equipment (props #2-6)
    • Emily Post - Handcuffs (prop #30)
    • Kara Constine - Scrolls (props #21, 27)
    • Kenny Prior - Sword (prop #26)
    • Lauren Stockless - Prayer Books (props #14, 18)
    • Lillian Liang - Luggage (props #1, 11)
    • Lindsay DiBartholomeo - Scourge (prop #17)
    • Nathan Flanders (with Elizabeth Reville) - Cleaning Equipment (props #2-6)
    • Samuel Helm - Letters (props #9, 10)
    • Sarah Di Croce - Strongbox (prop #25)
    • Stephanie Marano - Cosmetics (props #7, 22)
    • Victoria Falcon - Portraits (props #15, 16)

Research

• Research and share details about the appearance, usage, and history of your assignment.
  • Make sure that your research is relevant to the plot, theme, and characters, as well as the directorial and design concepts we're using for this specific production.
  • The best research is done both online and in the college's libraries.
  • Don't forget to keep track of your sources as these will be required when you hand in your final paper.
• Provide imagery that clearly shows what your assignment will look like when finished.
  • Be prepared with several options to choose from.
  • Photos, paintings, drawings, diagrams, sketches, and in some cases, textural references are all acceptable.
  • Annotations for your imagery are very helpful.
  • Crediting your sources is essential.
  • Don't try to figure out "how" your project will be created at this point.
• Get the Director's approval to go forward with your project – otherwise, revisit the previous steps.
  • Understand that with or without approval, research continues through to the end of the project.

Technical Challenges

• Ascertain the technical challenges associated with your project. Considerations might include:
  • Safety concerns
  • Special needs
  • Audience perceptions and expectations
  • How your project affects performers
  • Things that could go wrong
  • Expected life-span of the finished product
  • Aspects that require scheduled restoration
  • Learning curves
  • Availability of resources
  • Skills required
  • Time constraints
  • Potential costs
• Begin attending rehearsals from time to time so you can envision how your project is supposed to interact with the performance.
  • Don't just sit and watch. Collaborate with the rest of the artists involved in the show.
  • Attendance at a rehearsal need only last as long as the time that is relevant to your project.
  • The Stage Manager, Sally Meehan, can help identify when it would be best for you to show up.
    (Heads up: Some scenes rehearse only once per week or less. Plan ahead.)
    
• Add to your research and amend your project imagery as necessary.

The Process

• Research possible solutions for realizing your project.
• Meet with me to brainstorm ideas and methods for bringing this project to reality. Email is not an acceptable alternative.
• Obtain my approval and begin work on the actual project.
  • From here on out, take step-by-step photos of everything you do. These photos will be very useful in the final paper.
• Provide a rehearsal version of your project for immediate use in rehearsal until the finished project is ready.
  • Rehearsal items should simulate the weight, size, and behavior of the intended final item with a MINIMUM of build time and little-to-no money spent.
  • Give your rehearsal items to the Stage Manager, Sally Meehan, in person. That way she knows what it is and you can give her any special instructions to pass along to the performers.
  • This is due no later than the first date when actors are expected to be "off book" (i.e. have their lines memorized). Having it ready even sooner will help your grade.
• If your project requires construction, augment your ideas by looking into how others have resolved similar projects.
  • If necessary, experiment with materials in the shop and make mockups or prototypes to confirm and prove the validity of your thinking.
• For anything that needs purchasing, research prices and sources for materials from multiple vendors if possible.
• Regularly communicate your ideas and progress with me in person. This can be done by appointment or by chance (whenever I'm available) and works best when it is done in several brief meetings. (Students who seem to disappear during this phase tend to do substandard work and their grade often suffers as a result.)
• Continue attending the occasional rehearsal.
• Consistently re-think and make improvements. It is extremely important to understand that revisions to your research, exploration, and realization are very common and usually need updating multiple times. In fact, no part of this project is finished until opening night.
• Read the following note on money:

Final Delivery and Follow-up

• Your project must be finished and ready for use by the performers no later than 4:00p on Monday, February 27th. In certain rare cases, I will grant extensions to this deadline if the project appears that it will be finished in time for the first tech rehearsal. Otherwise, failure to meet this deadline usually means that you will be removed from your project (and guess what that does to your grade...)
• Maintain your project. If it breaks, fix it. If it has a consumable components, you must continue to provide replacements for the entirety of the show's run. If, after watching your "finished" project in use during a tech rehearsal, you feel that improvements could be made, see me to discuss the possibilities.
• After strike, any undone work on your project is your responsibility to complete. If you disassembled something for temporary parts, you will need to put that item back together again. If you borrowed something, you will need to see it safely returned to its rightful owner. Etcetera. This must be completed before Spring Break.
• TD139 only: Submit your final paper. Full details can be found here.
• TD239 only: Submit your scene painting and automated woodworking projects CD.
• TD339 only: Submit your welding and digital carving projects CD.