Going green with theatrical props

As an Artist, I'm often asked to pitch in for a variety of projects, my favorite is when I'm asked to make props for theater. I love a creative challenge so my approach is a little different. Rather than going out and purchasing materials from craft shops or buying pre-made pieces, I go green and make them from found objects. Materials used in the following images include papier mache, chopsticks, mardi-gras beads and empty bottles of tea.

Some of my most recent props and their materials lists:

20 Papier Mache ball and chains - Punch balls (child’s toy) Papier Mache, collars and wrist/ankle bands are recycled posters covered with duct tape, chains are mardi-gras beads which are held on to the balls using plastic gift cards and hot glue.

9 Adding machines with desks - desks are Little Caeser’s pizza boxes turned inside out, machine is shaped from cardboard, keys are thumbtacks with bingo chips super-glued on the tops.

2nd photo is the sound mechanism. - which consists of 5 chopsticks, a cut up iced tea bottle, some mardi-gras beads a gift card, some hot glue and black duct tape.






Hats - papier mache, wrapping paper, broken safety glass salt (you should have seen the looks I got at the junk yard when I asked to go in and collect it!) mardi-gras beads, shredded paper, 2 feather dusters, a boa and a knee high.


2 tanks - cardboard, duct tape, glue. This photo was taken during rehearsal. At the last minute I added a dowel with a small sign saying “bang” :)