Props Master

A few weeks after we moved to St. Helens, I got involved with Shoe String Community Players. They were doing a production of Annie. I've never done anything even remotely theater related, but when you know absolutely nobody in town and you don't have a job, you get bored real fast. The official title  I took on was Props Master. The word "props" is actually short for "properties" and refers to anything that actors handle or move on stage. So my job was to collect/find/make all of the props. A lot of the props are pretty well spelled out in the script, but as the rehearsals developed more and more props were requested in addition to the basics.  Sometimes it wasn't that fun (most of the time it was), and I felt pretty inept, but by the end, I actually did feel like a Props Master. 

  

The Top 10 of Annie: 

These are my favorite moments from the production of Annie

10. Minecraft

Two things you might not know. Number 1, Patrick and I play Minecraft. Number 2, there is A LOT of down time during production. Although Patrick did not sign up to help with Annie, he came with me most nights and was a huge help. To pass the time, Patrick would bring his computer and play Minecraft. This almost always resulted in a swarm of little girls surrounding my husband and giving him advice about how to play the game. It was just too funny to see all the children around him.

Don't worry, they didn't eat him. He walked away and left them to their own devices.

9. Building a Taxi

For one of the scenes, a cardboard taxi was requested. So, Patrick and I built a taxi. This project was so great because Patrick didn't want to paint and I didn't want to cut out an entire taxi cab. So, we both just did the parts we wanted to do; he did the cutting and I did the painting. It turned out perfect.

8. Black Underwear

Patrick and I went into the auditorium to watch the final dress rehearsal. During the bows practice (yes, they practice the bows) one actress forget to fasten all of the buttons on her dress, so when she bent down to bow, we got a little peep show of her black undies. I cracked up. Luckily, most people didn't notice.

7. Taping

After getting all the props, the next step is setting them up so the actors can actually find them and use them. We set up a prop area. Using a few tables, we positioned the props and then made a tape outline of each one. I know it kind of looks like a crime scene, but it's extremely helpful to know what is missing and where each item belongs. Organization is the key to success. Patrick and I just love doing this kind of project together. 

Shout out to the OSU Barometer.

6. Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

It turns out that the line between set and prop can get fuzzy. Although I would consider a Christmas tree to be a set piece, not everyone would agree. Anyway, a tree was needed and someone found a free Christmas tree on Craigslist. It came dissembled in 4 large Tupperware bins. I've never put together a fake tree, but it didn't take long to realize that we didn't have all the pieces. We were missing the base. But never fear, Patrick came to the rescue. He Jerry-rigged a stand AND put the whole thing on wheels. Isn't he just wonderful?

The tree even had a leash.

5. Eating a Subway Sandwich

Fifteen minutes before curtains opened on our second performance, one of the stage hands (someone who helps backstage and typically moves set pieces) collapsed right in front of the props table. It was quite the sight, especially when they called in the medics. Apparently, he had a heart condition and this wasn't the first time this had happened to him. However, the medics did take him away on a stretcher. About an hour later I noticed there was a coke and Subway sandwich in my prop area. I asked the director about it, as she was walking by and she said it belonged to the stagehand, and that I could have it if I wanted. I waited til the end of the night to claim it and convinced myself that it would have to be thrown away anyway. I ate it. It was a dang good sandwich too. I felt a little guilty, though. I mean, what kind of monster would eat a poor heart conditioned kid's dinner? Me.  

4. The Explosion

In the orphanage scenes, they needed a baby doll. I retrieved the creepiest doll I could think of-- my own. Actually, it belonged to my mom when she was a girl and then she gave it to me. The doll has been through many adventures, most of them detrimental to her visual esthetic. Opening night, Miss Hannigan threw the doll across the stage, as scripted, but the doll unexpectedly blew out her diaper. There was stuffing all over the stage. I sewed up her crotch and duct taped it so she could make it through the rest of her performances. 

3. Feeling like a Part of Something

As I mentioned earlier, it can be tough moving to a new place. Participating in Annie gave me purpose and introduced me to people in the community. I really felt like I was part of something and I belonged somewhere. 

2. Visitors

We don't get too many visitors up here, but Annie gave our friends and family a reason to come visit us. Yay. We had six days of performances and four of those days we had visitors. Thanks for coming everyone.

My parents and I.

The Loudybacks and Patrick

1. Celebrating

At the end of all the performances, I got appreciated. It felt so nice to be recognized for my work and be told that I did a good job. I even got gifts. Then, the Monday after production was over, Patrick and I went to Wild Waves to celebrate and reward ourselves for a job well done. Wild Waves is a water park and amusement park up near Tacoma, WA. Most of the amusement park rides made me sick, but the water park was AMAZING. Since we went on a somewhat overcast weekday, there weren't too many people there. It was a blasty blast.

The gifts

Patrick in front of the Timber Hawk wooden roller coaster.