I just got back from this year’s SETC Conference in Louisville, KY. Focal Press had a nice display for The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV, which will (hopefully) become available at some point today. As you can see from the photograph below, there is another exciting announcement:
That’s right, a contest! You can send in a photo or video of  a prop you make and win a pretty cool collection of prizes, including my book, some more Focal Press books, and some prop-making supplies and materials. The contest page has more details on the prizes and how to enter; there are separate categories for students and professionals, as well as a category for group entries, since we often build props in collaboration with others. The contest runs until April 30th, so you have some time to prepare your entry, but don’t wait too long!
In other news, I will be at USITT (March 20-23 in Milwaukee, WI). Stage Directions magazine is hosting a book signing at their booth (#100) on Friday, March 22nd, at 12:30 pm. You will be able to purchase the book there if you do not already have one. You can also check out the latest issue of Stage Directions magazine, which has an article on the Milwaukee Rep props shop by yours truly. A press release about the signing will be going out later today, but I thought I would let everyone know now, since schedules at USITT tend to fill up fast.
Eric: The prop building contest is a fantastic idea, and I hope you make it a regular feature of your blog. I have no expectation of winning but it’s a great joy to see my modest efforts alongside those of more accomplished craftsmen and women. Two notes, if I may: For some reason, about half of the photographs are too large for me to see them completely. I don’t know if that’s the fault of my computer or yours. And in submitting I described myself as a “group” since my prop was built for a community theatre organization. But then the page demanded I give a number of members for my group, which is somewhere in the 300-400 range. It makes it seem, I suppose, that hundreds of people collaborated on the project. Again, thanks for the opportunity, and good luck on your book launch.
You know, the more I look at the submissions to the contest, the more interested I get in what’s behind the props. It’s fascinating to see how other people organize their shops, and what materials they keep handy.
I know what you mean. If I wasn’t building props, I think my dream job would be just to visit as many props shops as I could.
For the contest, the “group” category was meant for props which are built by more than a single person, rather than for a group. And I see what you mean about the large photographs, it happens on my computer as well. I don’t have control over the contest’s website though.
Keep on propping!