Tag Archives: interview

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Friday Prop Notes

Ah, Fall, one of the busiest times of the year to be in theatre. Other than Spring. Or Summer if you work in summer theatre, or Winter if you do holiday shows. We start tech next week for our first show of the season, and tech for our second show the week after. I just got back from North Carolina visiting my wife; we made some LED lighters for her production of Hair, and I got to watch her work on some leather masks as well. And of course, work on my book continues full speed ahead.

I posted this to my Twitter, but it’s too cool to let go unnoticed. Ross MacDonald, a prop maker on shows like Boardwalk Empire and films like The Book of Eli, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and Van Helsing, gives an interview to “The Atlantic”, sharing his stories and techniques.

Also posted to my Twitter about a month ago, Jodi Bobrovsky, the properties manager at Stages Repertory Theatre, is featured on the Houston Press blog.

Mark Cordory was the head of props fabrication for Dr. Who for a few years, and a freelancer on a bunch of other television shows such as Torchwood which I’ve recently begun watching. The galleries on his site have a wealth of photographs sharing the work he’s done.

I like the pie chart David Lang shares about knowing what he doesn’t know. He has been writing a column on his journey to becoming a “maker”.

Fake Believe goes behind the scenes of Purebred Studio’s projects. They include a lot of glimpses at their designs and tutorials on the props they make (lots of monsters and dead things). Also, it’s am awesome name for a blog.

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Last Links of Summer (observed, not actual)

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Well, well, we made it almost a whole week without a hurricane or earthquake here in New York. Here are some links to keep you occupied over the weekend. I would wish you a happy “three-day weekend”, but most of you are in theatre, and we don’t get holidays off.

List of Tools is more than just a list of tools; it breaks down all sorts of tools into different categories, tells you what they are used for, and includes all sorts of other relevant information. It’s great when you want to know the difference between a ball peen and a straight peen hammer, or how to measure the inside diameter of a pipe.

Here is an interview with Clive Lankford of Lancaster’s Armouries, a British sword and armor maker that specializes in stage combat weapons.

The Washington Post did a nice spread on Chris Young, prop master at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. It’s wonderfully photographed, and always great when a larger media outlet pays attention to the work that goes on behind the scenes.

How old is your globe? This site lists various names of now defunct countries, along with when they changed and what their modern equivalent is. So if you find an older name on your globe, you know how old your globe is. Also great in reverse, for when you need to make a globe or a map and want to make sure you aren’t using any anachronistic geography.

Finally, here is a walk through a haunted house. The pictures are all taken with flash, so you really get the details of the construction behind a lot of the pieces and scenes.

 

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Friday, Friday, Friday, Fun, Fun, Fun Links

Welcome to Friday, everyone. I have some fun sites to keep you from getting bored at work today.

In honor of Father’s Day, Make Magazine has a post on 10 Projects to Make with Dad for Kids 10 and Under, as well 10 Projects to Make with Dad for Kids Over 10.

Also at Make is this great interview with food sculptor Ray Villafane. Not only are the pictures incredible, but his explanation of his carving process is very clear and well thought out; it’s helpful even if food is not your medium of choice.

Stephen Ellison talks about using plastics—foam in particular—for theatrical purposes in this Stage Directions article.

Finally, here are some great photographs of intimate spaces of renowned artisans. On a personal note, the first photograph of Henry Mercer’s home is where my wife and I were married. Not right inside his bedroom; it was on the grounds surrounding his home and in the courtyard of his tile factory.

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Mid week Catchup

I’m still catching up with a lot of things; you may have noticed Monday’s post did not appear until Tuesday. First up, I want to mention that Puppet Kitchen will be giving a live chat interview today at Theatre Face, starting at 2pm (E.S.T.). We’ve worked with them together and individually on a number of projects here at the Public, like The Bacchae and Hamlet, and will be joining them again on our upcoming production of Compulsion. Check it out!

Here are a few links to help you make it through the week:

News

Upcoming Events

I have just a few brief items to mention today.

First, this Friday will be our second NYC Props Summit. Our hope is for props professionals, both artisans and masters, to get together for an evening of fun and networking. Our first Props Summit was quite a success. If you wish to join in, drop me a line and I can give you further details.

Second, every week, Jacob Coakley hosts a live internet chat on the TheatreFace network. Next week, Wednesday, September 1, he will be talking with none other than Eric Hart, the person who is writing this sentence right now. Be sure to check it out from 2pm-3pm EST, and let me know if you’re having trouble joining the site.