Work gets started: My life as a Sound Op; Prop Maker; ASM

Hi, me again! And what a whirlwind it’s been since my last blog! Mrs Warren’s Profession was an amazing show to work on; being Sound Operator was so great. That was followed by get outs of all three venues (de-rigging the sound and lanterns and clearing the theatres for the next shows) then on to our next rotation – props and stage management!

We learnt the main processes involved in making props and were then given the rest of the week to experiment and get creative. I can now cast faces, make candle sticks, make fake food, use materials like resin and fiberglass and use industry standard machinery like the wood turner, buzz saw and lathe safely.

These skills were then put into practice when we were given our show roles, I’m currently one of three ASMs (Assistant Stage Managers) on an incredible play called Dogs Barking. The set is a London flat with a working kitchen so the props list reaches about 140 items including all the utensils, fake blood and wine, cutlery, dressing for bookcase and cupboards. It also meant we needed to source a futon, fridge, oven and a hob, all in a day’s work!

I really enjoyed the attention to detail that was paid, the play is set in 1999 so all food labels, newspapers, money and CD/video covers needed to be period. Proud to say we are now experts on 90s food packaging!

It’s all starting to get lovely and Christmassy in London at the moment so life is very exciting!