A Tour of the Theater Program’s Prop Room

Amassed over decades of productions, the Deerfield theater program’s prop room holds a priceless collection of relics from past plays and musicals. According to the Royal Shakespeare Company, a prop “is any object used in a performance that isn’t part of the set or worn by an actor.” 

Prop #1: A Working Typewriter (pictured above)

The DA Theater Program performs many period-pieces, meaning that the play or musical is set in a specific era. Before the late 1980s, typewriters were still commonplace in most offices. This model, a Royal Safari III, was produced in the late ’80s. If the murderer needs to leave a note in a 90’s murder mystery, look no further.

Prop #2 Fake Blood (pictured below)

Especially in tragedies, blood gets spilled. Most recently, Deerfield performed Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory, a play based on a true story in which three dozen factory workers died from radium poisoning. Teeth, cheekbones, and whole jaws rotted from the radium, which was repeatedly exposed into the workers’ jaws from the motion of licking their paintbrushes. In a nightmare sequence, an actor walked on stage with blood falling from their mouth and spat it all over their uniform. Although the acting looks real, the blood is most definitely fake.

Prop 3: A Non-Functioning Iron (pictured above)

“Business” is a theater term describing the actions an actor does while delivering their lines. Business can be related to the plot of the play, or it can be completely unrelated. Ironing is fantastic business, as it is a mundane task allowing for the complete focus of the actor on their lines, and also doesn’t pull the audience’s focus away from them. Is a character breaking up with the love of their life? Maybe they are just ironing.

Prop #4: A Best Actor Award (pictured to the below)

“World Building” in theater is a term encompassing all the ways a theater company reinforces the world of the play for the audience. It can range from the set and the costumes all the way to the dialect and furthermore. One way theater companies build their worlds is through props. For example, if a famous, prolific movie star lived a life of success, perhaps a “Best Actor” trophy would adorn their walls. And the fake Oscar goes to…

Prop #5: A Pie stuffed with a Decapitated Head (pictured to below)

Sometimes a play needs a very specific prop. For example, this pie was procured for a production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). In cases where a hyper-specific prop is needed, the tech crew searches far and wide for just the suitable object to fit the job. In this case, pie a la decapitated head was the answer.

Props may not always look as they seem, especially if they are needed for stage trickery. Sleight of hand was necessary for this fireplace constructed for a DA performance of Clue by Peter DePietro where the back had been removed, allowing for easy exit and entrance. Add stage lights, and the actor disappears!