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Property design, commonly known as prop design, is the design of

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

s (theatrical property) for use in theatre, film, television, etc.
Making Props
, ''How We Make Theatre'',

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

Designers of props work in liaison with the

costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costum ...

set designer Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...

s and

sound designer In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

s, under the direction of the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

technical director A technical director (TD) is usually a senior technical person within e.g. a software company, engineering firm, film studio, theatre company or television studio. They are responsible for overseeing and coordinating all of the technical aspect ...

. The term is also associated with home or

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

History

As with most theater, props originate from Ancient Greece where they would use urns and pebbles to represent voting ballots and ballot boxes during Aeschulyus' ''Eurmidine''. This is possibly the most simplistic prop design as these props were either found objects in the case of the pebbles, or in the case of the urns terracotta or possibly bronze was used to craft them.

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's plays had many props and in the case of ''Hamlet'' one of the props was a skull. Back then prop design was not advanced enough to build, or create a skull. This resulted in grave diggers being hired to go and find the needed skulls. If the prop did not require the digging of graves it is most likely hand crafted from wood, metal, stone, or sewn from cloth. Shakespeare's played used natural props such as trees, and moss banks that were brought on stage for ''A Midsummers Night Dream''.

References

Stage crew Theatrical occupations {{stagecraft-stub