Websites for Live Theatre Properties Design

Properties Design for live theatres requires a lot of research. Working in Minneapolis/St. Paul at several area theatres, I have had a chance to design props for many shows. In the old days, prop design involved many trips to the library, making lots of photo copies, and spending lots of time on the telephone trying to track down that obscure prop. The internet has made everything in life easier, and prop design can certainly be added to that list. A number of websites have proved invaluable for my research as a properties designer.

PropPeople

www.proppeople.com

This site leads my article, as it is perhaps the most valuable. Prop People features an online chat board, in which you can post prop discussions to other properties designers. You are not sure how to make a breakaway glass bottle. You are not sure where to find that rare vintage gun that's needed for a production. You need to know where to rent the plant for A Little Shop of Horrors. You need to know where to go to school for a Properties Design education. This website will put you in touch with other designers that not only care about your dilemma, but they will provide you answers. These folks are real professionals that will have a solution for you, or at least provide an idea or two for a source that will point you in the right direction. The different categories on this website include: Tips-Tricks, Prop News, T.V. Props, History of Props, Puppetry, Ephemera, Prop Art, Antiques, Props Education, Furniture, and Crafts.

Barnard LTD

www.barnardltd.com

Barnard LTD is a great source for realistic pets. You need a "fluffy" for the stage but don't want to buy a cheap stuffed animal from your area discount store. I have found these animals to be very realistic. It still might not be the best best bet for super intimate theatres, but they should pass just fine in proscenium houses. Barnard LTD also features artificial food and drinks. You have probably seen the "fake food" at restaurant displays. This website provides these products. They also feature miscellaneous props, parasols, fans, lights, and trees.

Propmaking Tips & Supply

www.cthulhulives.org/toybox/PROPDOCS/PropTips&Supplies.html

Propmaking Tips & Supply is another excellent webpage. This site gives you a plethora of information, including propmaking questions and answers, tools needed for the trade, custom prop services, downloadable free prop documents, downloadable vintage fonts, and an entire prop collection that is available on CD-Rom. You can preview this prop collection on the website, and then contact the site for information on purchasing it. It includes useful items like passports, matchbooks, id's..from the 1920's, for example. This is an excellent website for research.

The Imaginary World

http://www.theimaginaryworld.com/fod2.html

The Imaginary World is one of my favorite prop website finds. This website shows packaging for a variety of products. It features Food Packaging, Store Displays, Cereal boxes, Premiums from the 1950's to 1970's. This is a fantastic website when you need to make period packaging. I recently designed A Raisin in the Sun, in which I needed several house hold packages from the 1960's. This site was perfect! It also features info on fast food, characters, animated commercials, newspaper ads, supermarket photos, and a Candy Catalog from 1949. It also features misc. info like Disneyland photo tours, and snapshots from the past. When you have a space that is less intimate and can get away with making your own "vintage" packaging, this site will prove invaluable.

Jas. Townsend & Son, Inc.

http://jas-townsend.com/

Jas. Townsend & Son is a good website to visit if you are looking for 18th and 19th century reproductions for living history. They have Historic Clothing, Camp Gear, Tents, Books, Music, Knives, Tomahawks, Oak kegs and other assorted goods for people or organizations reenacting the periods from 1750 to 1840 especially the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and War of 1812. There are many items on this website and it's worth a peek.

Vintage Depot Direct

http://www.vintagedepotdirect.com

Vintage Depot Direct is another great source for packaging. The site features antique advertising and vintage collectables, such as labels, magazines, newspapers, marbels, metal signs, containers, and much, much more. They also have very useful items for research such as stamps, letterhead paper, and tickets.

Newspaper Archive.Com

http://www.newspaperarchive.com

Finding vintage newspapers is not easy. Many prop designers resort to making their own papers, which is a long process to do a decent job. This website is perfect for the "last minute" newspaper, or heck, even that "first minute" newspaper! It's so much easier. There are several options on this site; you can either get a membership to browse the papers, or you can just purchase replica single front pages for about $30.

Ruby Lane

http://www.rubylane.com/

Ruby Lane is yet another wonderful site for vintage collectables. My favorite area on this site, and the one most prevalent for props, is the paper and postcards section. This area of the site includes ticket stubs, greeting cards, bottle labels, recipes, menus, playing cards, theatre programs....and so much more!

Cerebro

www.cerebro.com

Cerebro is a good site for vintage antique label art. It includes labels for spices, crackers, cigars, fruits and vegetables. It is another good site to bookmark for research.

Fullcrum Gallery

http://www.fulcrumgallery.com/ProductList.aspx?cat=categories_subjnew_vintage_vintagemagazines

Fullcrum Gallery is an excellent source for vintage magazines. When you are looking to dress a set with multiple vintage magazines, this source might be your dream come true. Check out the link for the section of the website that features the vintage mags.

The above websites can easily be bookmarked, to provide valuable research for prop designers, or history buffs alike! Enjoy!