The properties shop is responsible for building any small items used in any productions. The shop is fully equipped for any small construction for refurbishing, repainting, or reupholstering old props as well as making new props. The best way to describe props is in the following manner. Think of the scene as a house. The props are everything that goes inside the house- curtains, rugs, chairs, furniture, personal belongings, etc. The dog that is in the doghouse and the food in the refrigerator or that the actors eat on stage is also the responsibility of this department. If you think you see actors eating ice cream- look again- it's probably mashed potatoes, especially if they are singing.
Props can also
be thought of as movable things rather than stationary things. The Properties
Shop tries to make things as accurately and as real as possible because the
more realistic these items are, the easier it is for the actors. The shop
is run by a director and assistant director and staffed by many students.
The Director of this shop must also have an Illinois gun registration and
if any guns are to be used in productions, they must be registered with campus
police.
The properties
staff also works with special effects. They share pyro tricks with lighting
and blood and gore with makeup. These individuals are trained in a variety
of disciplines including: woodworking, metalworking, soft goods, fopaint techniques,
crafts, puppets, exploding and imploding theatrics.