A poll! Props or costumes?

[labricoleuse]

We all know that the dress worn by the lead actress is a costume, whereas the hairbrush she uses while speaking her monologue is a prop. There are some items though which fall into that grey area, sometimes props, sometimes costumes, sometimes...who knows!

Some places i've worked have had very strict regulations ("Props do all handbags, costumes does all masks, no exceptions"), whereas others (such as my current employer) we are open to discuss with the props department various "propstume" responsibilities on a case-by-case basis. This kind of question can also apply to props vs scenery--last summer, a landmark legal decision was handed down in the case of the local stagecraft union vs. the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, in which a particular trunk built by the props department was in fact considered a prop by the court rather than scenery and thus, not in violation of the union agreement with the theatre.

I'm just curious though, in the realm of "costumes" or "props"--if you work at a theatre, how does your employer classify the following items? And, if you freelance, how do you define them in terms of your bids on jobs? I'd love clarification in comments too if you have any further input, or other things not listed that are in your employer's "grey area" as well!

ETA: Unfortunately, only those with LiveJournal accounts can vote in the poll; a basic account is free to set up, but readers who don't want to mess with that should feel free to comment with your answers and input!

[Poll #1137880]

Comments

[martygreene.livejournal.com]

So, the rule of thumb I've always gone by is how it is used.

If the pocketwatch sits atop a set piece, but is never worn by the actor- it is a prop.
If the purse/handbag is worn, it is a costume piece, if it sits somewhere it is a prop.
Marionettes, shadow puppets, etc are props, whereas glove puppets (being worn) are costumes.

So basically- is it worn? If so it's a costume. If it's just held/sits there but isn't worn it's a prop.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

That was the justification of the court in that case i mentioned about defining the trunk as a prop vs a costume--IIRC, the trunk was opened and objects put inside of it, it was moved by a character, something that caused the court to define that particular trunk in that particular play to be a prop rather than a set piece. And, those are the basic definitions we use here when things are open to discussion. However, i've worked some places where they divvied things up regardless of use for convenience's sake (such as, "all pocketwatches are kept in costume storage so the costume department is always responsible for the use of pocketwatches in productions"). I'm really interested to observe how this poll is going, since hopefully folks are basing it on their specific circumstances!

[martygreene.livejournal.com]

So- in the theatres I have worked in, the props dept generally kept "oddball" versions of things such as pocketwatches, and decorative non-functional versions of thinks like masks, often made of alternative materials to allow more ruggedness.

Functional pieces were kept by the costume shop, but the props depts could sign them out for productions as needed.

It seemed to make sense. If it was more realistic and wearable, it was kept with costumes. If it was a 5 foot tall rubber pocketwatch, it was in props.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

How much do i love the idea of a five foot tall rubber pocketwatch?

And, though i've never made one of those, i've made a two foot tall pocketwatch worn on an actor's head as a headdress (clearly in that case, it was a costume item!)!

[martygreene.livejournal.com]

haha! I made a 7 foot long foam rubber tongue once, with only the foam, 5" of floral wire, and a single stick of hot glue. I was proud of myself.

[catnik.livejournal.com]

See, this is interesting to me, because I've worked alternately between props and costumes. The story of props is that it is ALWAYS a question of who is responsible with what - not just props/costumes, but props/lighting, and props/scenic. I think the best approach is to try and spot "question" props early and do a quick run down of the list with the designer/shop manager. Sometimes, what should be easy things for the costume shop might fall to props if it is a big build, or the shop will offer to take up some props because they have the time/inclination.

Another thing I've found is that a lot of propsmasters don't necessarily know how to sew, so sometimes it is easier to just take over an item, rather than spending the time coaching the prop folk through it.

[emzebel.livejournal.com]

I have no idea how we classify these overall, so I'm refraining from answering the survey, although I am extremely curious how people answer with respect to the IATSE/USA division.

I can say, from the contracts I've seen, masks and body puppets have been considered costumes and hand puppets props from a designer contract perspective.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

You should see if you can track down that judgment in favor of the Milwaukee Rep prop shop (IIRC it went as far as the state supreme court. Not only was it a fascinating proceeding on this subject from the perspective of IATSE vs. a non-union shop within the same organization (since the Rep's scene shop is unionized but their prop shop is not), but whoever the litigator was writing it up clearly had a great sense of humor--the entire thing was FULL of excellently-horrible Shakespeare puns. I gave a copy of it to my mom to use as an example in one of her ethics classes, so next time i talk to her i'll tell her to send me a copy back (having misplaced the original copy i had).

[agent-naught.livejournal.com]

Is a costume not a prop?

[catnik.livejournal.com]

Costumes are worn. Props usually aren't. The confusion comes in the borderline pieces - the aforementioned hankies/pocketwatches/etc. An umbrella is (usually) a prop, while a parasol is very, very often a costume piece.

[wendyhouse.livejournal.com]

In most of these cases in my community theatre experience the SM has had them on the props list and I have requested to move htem to the costumes list - I want masks, handbags, etc to work with my costume vision, so I'd rather be in charge of them. Pocketwatches and handkerchiefs I can go either way, so although I usually end up obtaining them, they live on the props table... this is also true of a lot of 'soft' goods, such as the doll in "King & I" - I make it, but then props is responsible for it.

And in most of the theatres I work in the props person is usually happy to have less to worry about.. plus they usually have less of a cohesive "vision" that they are trying to maintain.

[icklesevvy.livejournal.com]

I went to school in Britain and we had lots of discussions about these issues and many others. We usually divided it up between three departments: props workshop, costume workshop, and stage management.

Generally, stage management covered anything that could be found in our stores; pocket watches, parasols, fans, etc. If the items needed to be repaired, fabric items went to wardrobe, non-fabric items to props, or both sometimes. Same goes with when an item needed to be made. Puppets, masks, and any special prop makes went to props. It was not unheard of for our school to pair up a prop maker and a wardrobe assistant for crossover work.

There was a lot of crossover with carpentry, scenic art, electrics, and sometimes even rigging. During a panto or opera, somedays you had no clue what department you really worked for.