Photos:^ EricHartfor the past six years, i’ve
worked as the props master
for Triad Stage in Greensboro,
North Carolina. Even if you’ve
never heard of the job, you’ve
almost certainly seen the craft
in practice. I construct, modify,
or purchase props for plays, fol-
lowing the direction of the sce-
nic designer, who specifies how
the pieces should look, and the
director, who indicates their
purpose. In short, I create or
acquire all the objects the actors
interact with – as small as a
drinking glass or as large as a sofa.
Every production comes
with its own challenges and
opportunities. Last fall, Triad
put on And Then There Were
None, based on Agatha Chris-
tie’s 1939 novel; it was directed
by Preston Lane, with a set
designed by Robin Vest, both
of whom I’ve worked with
many times. The play unfolds
in an English home in the 1930s,
and Robin provided me with
research imagery. It was to be
a world of British art deco, with
muted pastel colors and curved
wooden veneers.The Art of Artifice
story by Eric Hart
How a prop goes from idea to
on-stage object – fast.The play’s characters drink
continually and copiously, so we
needed a distinctive liquor cabi-
net to help establish the time,
place, and style of the room. I
could not find a suitable cabinet
to buy, so I decided to build one.
Robin and I went through her
research images and found one
that fit our aesthetic needs and
that I could reasonably – and
quickly, over about three weeks –
replicate. I went to work.
I began by drafting a 3D
model in design software
SketchUp. Because theatricalfurniture construction has tight
deadlines, it helps to minimize
the amount of real joinery
needed. I use pocket-hole
screws and pneumatic staples
as opposed to more permanent
hardware. With proper plan-
ning, I can hide the seams and
holes created by fasteners.
The bar was essentially
two cabinets joined together,
except the top and side of each
half, which were formed with
curved maple plywood. To
make the plywood flexible
while keeping its outer surface48 american craft aug/sept 19