The word came into our language from Italian. Props - what is it? Counterfeit, theatrical performance items, dummies that are used on stage instead of real ones.
Use
Props have a wide range of uses. There are several types of fake work in the theater.
- Decoration.
- Furniture.
- Props.
- Costumes.
- Jewelry.
Decoration is an artificial world for the implementation of the action: walls, columns, stairs on the stage. All this is decorated and stylized for a certain era and place. For example, walls and ceilings for palace halls or stone castles of the Middle Ages, railings "under gold" or figured "forged" patterns.
Furniture: tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas are made according to the time period and the need for a play. For example, the king's throne or Venetian chairs. The costumes have a fake basis in headdresses, decoration (unusual buttons, buckles), shoes. For example, the horns of the Silver Hoof, the crown of the king, the painted boots of Santa Claus.
Prop props are the most widely used in the theater. What is it - all the small household items that are used during the performance. Crockery, food (cakes, fruits, fried boars), weapons. All the decorations on the actors are fake.
Materials and manufacturing
It is impossible to list all materials for props. Almost everything that the artist's imagination is capable of goes into work. But the main ones can be considered paper, fabric, polystyrene and gypsum. With the help of glue and paints, any model is created. Such items are lighter in weight, quickly repaired, naturally, cheaper than real ones, but at the same time they have expressive recognizable forms. Small details that are invisible to the viewer and do not work during the performance are not reproduced.
The main method of making props is papier-mâché props. What is it? Model made of several layers of paper impregnated with glue or paste. In order to make such props, they usually take a real object for the base. For example, a vase is glued with the first ten layers of paper, dried, cut into two halves, the main thing is taken out, a copy is glued or sewn together, glued with paper or cloth and painted.
You can create a sham item from one material or a complex of combined ones. Styrofoam products are pasted over with a cloth; plaster and plastic are ideal combinations for statues and columns. Wooden or plywood railings are usually decorated with softened cardboard moldings.
History
Props originated in the days of the first theatrical performances in Ancient Greece. Actors portrayed gods and heroes with fake swords, shields and bows. ATItalian comedy productions became widespread, and there it got its name, which has come down to us.
Today, the use of fakes is great. They are used in advertising and decoration of holidays. There is a props for a photo shoot and in everyday life. Models of video cameras are often placed in places where an offense or theft can occur. This technique scares off criminals and saves the organization money. During the Second World War, fake warehouses with weapons and equipment were created to mislead the enemy.
Profession - props
In Soviet times, in theater universities, it was taught as a separate discipline and was a profession. In our time, theatrical props are part of the artist's training course. In large theaters, all dummies are made by a separate workshop, in provincial theaters it is combined with an artistic and staging part or a carpentry workshop.
The most successful examples of stage fake art are exhibited in museums, which allows the viewer to see part of the "great deception" and behind the scenes up close. Props: what is it? A full partner of actors and directors. Not everything on the stage is props, real objects are also present on the stage. But it is also customary to process them for completeness of the artistic image, to tint for brightness and proximity to the theme of the production.
