Stage props play an important role in separating good plays from great ones by helping to establish the setting. When making props, they must fit the period and vision of the director, be recognizable from a distance on stage, and prioritize visibility over fine details. Safety of all involved is the top priority in prop design and construction.

1. Rubina Begum Creative and Media/Artefact Ms A. Aiken
How Artefacts Are Made
Stage Props
Making props for performance such as sound, lighting, set design, costuming, stage building
etc is a huge part of a play as it separates a good play from a really great play, as it acts as
the cherry on a good play. When creating props, even if you buy cheap products, you can
make them look even more realistic and better than those made of expensive products.
There are four important points to remember when making props:
*Props must fit the time and look of the period that your play is set in e.g. when making a
gun for instance, it needs t look realistic and metal so whether you make it out of wood,
metal, plastic or any other material, you need t make it look metal. It must fit it’s function
and the director’s vision and do the job of whatever it represents.
*It must be recognisable at a distance and should be obvious to the audience what it is from
both the situation and scene in the play, or by the appearance of it.
*Distance is more of more importance than the detail, for example a cooked turkey could be
created from brown paper bags and paint, and still look convincing, so don’t waste time on
small details as the audience cannot see the small details most of the time. The props should
never distract the audience, unless it’s integral to the performance
*The safety of the actors, audience and crew always come before everything else as you
can’t risk all their health for a single prop. Also after safety, the comfort of the prop is
important as it’ll make it easier to use for the performance.
An example of a prop used in a play