Props
Ryan J Douglass
Julia instructs us to activate our sense memory to bring to life an empty cup of coffee. She asks us to recall a moment in the past when we held a hot cup of coffee in our hands. To think about how hot it was, how does it smell, maybe even remember the taste of that specific cup.
Props like Julia’s coffee cup are, in my opinion, an often overlooked and underappreciated aspect of a theatrical performance. I can’t recall ever leaving a show thinking about how impressive the props were. I’ve left the theatre stunned by beautiful costumes, mystified by impressive scenic designs, and entertained by a well-executed lighting design, but props have never been a piece of the spectacle that lingered with me. As a scenic designer that has been drafted into props work often, I know and appreciate the great care needed to successfully prop a show. Now as we are reaching almost a full year of digital theatre-making, it occurs to me that props might be the aspect of theatrical spectacle that survives the pandemic most easily. Are props the twinkies of technical theatre? Maybe they are the cockroaches, rumored to survive even the bleakest disaster. I am not sure, though I have had to make and use both of those props for shows in the past. On zoom, it’s easier to convince your audience your empty coffee cup is full than to convince them that your poorly lit and cluttered office is the Parisian cafe or the high tower of a castle your scene is supposed to be set in. Maybe pandemic inspired digital theatre and its removal of so many elements of spectacle has finally created props day to shine.
Having been forced out of theatres since March of 2020 it occurs to me that the whole theatrical experience has become an empty coffee cup of a sort. While we can’t attend the theatre itself, dedicated theatre artists continue to make theatre to the best of their ability. We are now all tasked with using our sense memory to bring reality to these new styles of performances we are watching. We have to recall theatre seats that are just a little too close together, and a little too hard for three hours of sitting. The experience of being the shortest person in the audience seated behind the tallest, or having to relive your seat neighbor’s pre-show dinner at a restaurant that seemingly served only garlic. All of these interactions, large and small, that make up the actual physical experience of a performance in a room with other people is what I miss most when I am sitting at my desk watching a performance online. In the past, I have not been very successful at activating my sense memory to bring me back to that theatrical moment. But in the future, maybe I can start small, bring the cup of coffee to life, so to speak. I can then think back on all of those magical moments spent in a theatre, and use that sense memory to bring a little of what makes theatre so special to our new theatrical normal.
BIO
Julia Chereson is the Associate to the President’s Office and Administration for ExpandED Schools in New York City. Her web series, Pasties, premiered as an Official Selection in the 2019 New York Lift-Off Film Festival Online. She received her MFA in Acting from Pennsylvania State University and is currently focusing her research and performance work on female-driven comedic narratives in film and television.
Ryan J Douglass is currently a third-year graduate student at The Pennsylvania State University studying Scenic Design. He received Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Music and Theatre from The Florida State University. Previously he was a high school theatre teacher in Orlando Florida for seven years, and a performer at Walt Disney World for eight years. He has a passion for musical theatre and themed entertainment. He strives to find ways to introduce new and burgeoning technology into his design and the theatre world at large.