Prop Building for Beginners

Prop Building for Beginners outlines the basic concepts of prop building by featuring step-by-step instructions to create twenty of the most commonly featured items in theatrical and filmed productions. This book uses a combination of projects to expose readers to a wide range of materials and tools that they might find in a basic scenery or costume shop, serving both as a guide to building simple props and as a crash course in the variety of items a props person may have to build. The projects require a variety of tools, techniques, and materials so that a practitioner who completes all of them will have received a complete introduction to the basics of prop building. Assuming no previous knowledge of prop building, this is the perfect primer for students, hobbyists, or community theater enthusiasts looking to enter the prop shop. Prop Building for Beginners includes access to full-scale printable versions of the patterns featured in the book.

Eric Hart is a professor of Stage Properties at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has built props for theater, film, television, opera, Broadway, theme parks, and retail display, and is the author of The Prop Building Guidebook and The Prop Effects Guidebook. He holds an MFA from the Ohio University School of Theater.

Introduction Safety A Note About Patterns Part 1: Projects 1. Letter 2. Old Book 3. Lantern 4. Treasure Chest 5. Chalice 6. Roast Chicken 7. Skull 8. Key 9. Scepter 10. Loaf of Bread 11. Crown 12. Sword 13. Tree Branch with Leaves 14. Folding Fan 15. Coin Purse 16. Haversack 17. Dead Bird 18. Wooden Crate 19. Rehearsal Cube 20. Upholstered Foot Stool Part 2: Materials 21. Paper and Papier-Mâché 22. Foam and Clay 23. Fabric 24. Wood 25. Glue and Tape 26. Paint Special Thanks Glossary Index