Fun Facts from the Props Department

A turn-of-the-20th century sewing machine. A 1960s era radio. Balloons timed and weighed to rise in a certain fashion from a box. Ebenezer Scrooge’s “blankie” and Tiny Tim’s toy horse. Even the food and drink you see consumed on stage.

All of it comes from the Props Department, which is responsible for supplying and creating all the props on stage.

Our next stop behind the curtain takes us to the Props Department. Here are some fun facts:

• The number of props in storage is more than 200,000, from sofas and chairs to dishware and weapons.
• Jenna Scordino, the interim props supervisor, said the difference between props and scenery is defined as “everything you take with you when you move out of your house is a prop; everything that stays put is scenery.”
• Some of the more interesting props in storage are a 16-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton built for Pterodactyls (1995), a corpse coffin for A Christmas Carol, a pair of bird puppets built from found objects for The Birds (1998) and a 1920s French fashion magazine from Private Lives (1977).
• Props can be built from any number of things.
• Consumables—defined as anything from food that is eaten to dishes that are broken every show—are considered part of the props department. For items that will be damaged or destroyed, the department keeps a steady supply of replacements.
• SCR employs a full-time props shopper, Byron Bacon. His primary job takes him to antique shops, thrift shops, malls, junk yards, and any other retail site to find the best, most authentic items for a production.
• Generally, 90% of the furniture in a show is either custom built or customized (upholstered and repainted) by the shop.