If you are an IB Theatre Arts student reading this you know that we look at the world of theatre through 3 different lenses – Theatre in the World, Theatre in Performance and Theatre in the Making. When we think about the last one, our focus always tends towards the performance element and not everything else that we need to make theatre.

What got me thinking about this was article in The New York Times about a convention of props makers which makes great reading Blood to Rain, in a Bag of Tricks.

These people are real craftsmen and women.  If you ever get the chance to visit a props making workshop in a theatre, go! It is fascinating.in so many ways.

The National Theatre in the UK have a series of videos that are available in iTunesU or on YouTube that cover a whole range of prop making. One of my favourites is the one on food, which you can access by clicking the image below:

All the others in the series can be accessed by clicking the image on the left.  They are really varied and give you a great insight into this backstage world. If you want an even more in-depth view, take a look at this blog Prop Agenda by professional prop maker, Eric Hart. There is also an interview here with Antony Barnett who is Head of Props at the Royal Opera House in London.