UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 14, Page 3
December 8, 1994
On stage; Propmaster blends imagination with reality

     A limitless imagination and a lot of time are needed to create
the unusual props used on a theatre stage. For Eric Klein, a third-
year graduate student in the University's Professional Theatre
Training Program (PTTP), creating props "is really a complicated
scavenger hunt."
     When not working in his shop, Klein can be found at local garage
sales and antique shops, rummaging among the time-worn items that he
selects to turn into functional stage objects. At these sales, he
looks for shapes of objects rather than what the objects actually do.
If the shape is right, he said, he can rework it to be any prop he
chooses. Many times, Klein will find old furniture he can transport
back to the theatre shop to be reupholstered or refinished.
     Props can be any object on stage that is not scenic, including
items that an actor carries on stage. Other areas of prop making
include furniture making, sculpting, casting and molding. Some of
Klein's props have included a deer carved from styrofoam covered in
deerhide, handheld torches, a small piano and a collapsible ladder.
     Props are designed directly from the script and many are
warehoused and reused from show to show, Klein said. Props that cannot
be bought off the rack must be built by personnel in the theatre shop
from original designs. Since approximately 70 percent of props on
stage are made in the shop, creativity is critical.
     According to Klein, many people are involved in the process that
brings an idea to the stage. A propmaster is responsible for the
overall creation of the props for individual productions. The show's
director provides guidance, and the scenic designer decides what will
actually be used on stage.
     As propmaster for Agamemnon, one of the current PTTP productions,
Klein's challenge was to put fire on stage. Through the cooperation of
many organizations, such as the fire marshall and the campus safety
office, the production features a burning altar and handheld torches
on stage.
     How does one become interested in creating props?
     While an undergraduate at Central Washington University, Klein
was looking for local work and was sent to a professor's house to
perform odd jobs. The professor happened to teach in the theatre
department. One day, the professor needed help in a production and
asked Klein if he would like the job. His interest was sparked, and
the business administration major soon changed to technical theatre,
while downgrading business to a minor.
     Courses in lighting and set design proved invaluable. Klein
became involved in a work-study program, where he earned his tuition
in the props shop. The minor in business administration will still
come in handy because, in many larger theatres, props can require more
management skill than shop work.
     Klein has built scenery for the Delaware Theatre Company and has
painted scenic drops for OperaDelaware. Some of his other experience
includes work at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Glimmerglass
Opera in Cooperstown, N.Y. While at the opera, he worked for John
Conklin, who is considered one of the country's foremost designers.
     At one point, Klein also worked for Wintergarden Design, a
company that designs different rooms for meetings. Once, he was
involved in building a huge display for a banquet that included four
large airplanes that contained full-sized buffet tables. The display
also included a Japanese garden.
     "You must be resourceful about where things exist," Klein said. "
You have to pull from a world that doesn't have the things you are
looking for."
                                                        -Cynthia Davis

Agamemnon is currently in repertory at Hartshorn Hall and will run
through Jan. 13. For ticket reservations or more information, call
831-2204.