_edited.png)
Props Manager
The Cousin from Batavia
by Künneke, Haller and “Rideamus”
Props Supervisor
Ohio Light Opera
Supervised by Kiah Kayser
Summer 2025
By far the most prop-heavy show of the season, The Cousin from Batavia had an entire food fight within the first ten minutes of Act 1. In addition to the outrageous food fight, the same table settings had to have consumable fricandeau (colored watermelon), bread, and Bordeaux wine. We had to be very deliberate with the staging so we did not throw any real food during the food fight or have the actors accidentally consume any fake food. After the first scene with all of the food was over, the show continued to require magical props to create the "fairy tale" the characters perform on stage, over a dozen flower bouquets, and a full set of armor made from serving trays and kitchen utensils, which was entirely built by the props department.
Food Fight during First Tech shown above.
Food Fight during Final Dress shown above. Staging for the food fight had to be altered so the actors could clean it up while the scene continued.
Bitter Sweet
by Noël Coward
Props Supervisor
Ohio Light Opera
Supervised by Kiah Kayser
Summer 2025
This production had an excessive amount of soft goods, including 12 panels of curtains, four custom piano throws, and a reupholstered ottoman. The main challenge for us was that the artisans on my team had very little sewing experience. As a skilled soft goods artisan, I was able to lead a sewing workshop for my team and give them the basic skills necessary to create the curtains and some of the piano throws. I reupholstered the large circular ottoman as well as sewed some of the more complicated piano throws with fringe.
Tech week for this production was difficult because when we were finally able to hang the curtains on the wall, we found that four panels were significantly too short by 30+ inches. I had to single handedly fix all of those panels as well as fix seams that were not completely straight sewn by my artisan team. The curtains ended up looking fabulous.
Curtains with fixes in progress shown above, finished curtains shown below.
Patience
by Gilbert and Sullivan
Props Supervisor
Ohio Light Opera
Supervised by Kiah Kayser
Summer 2025
This goofy Gilbert and Sullivan musical required over fifteen large realistic flowers, as well as sets of finger cymbals for each of the twenty lovesick maidens. The trickiest prop was the fake cello that Jane plays. We sourced a real, albeit beat up cello from a local music store. We had to replace the strings multiple times to ensure that they did not make sound on stage but also achieved the realistic look as she mimed playing cello on stage with an orchestra member creating the sound from the pit. Additionally, we used this production as a learning opportunity for my assistant props supervisor, who was the lead in meetings and during the build process. From this experience, I learned more about delegating and not being too controlling.
Tip-Toes
by the Gershwins, Bolton, Thompson
Props Supervisor
Ohio Light Opera
Supervised by Kiah Kayser
Summer 2025
This less-popular Gershwin musical requires a lot of different jokes and bits that were very prop heavy, reminiscent of the vaudeville style. The opening gag was that the leading lady, Tip-Toes, traveled to Florida in a trunk to avoid paying for a train ticket. The actress had to safely fit into the trunk, be carried by two other actors, and stay in the trunk until her grand reveal almost ten minutes later. Another tricky joke was the soup business. The two uncles mixed their soups, ate soup, used a martini shaker, and poured soup all over the place. As the props supervisor, I had to coordinate with the directing team on what they wanted for the scene, provide all of the consumables and props, as well as work out how everything would be contained on and off stage.
Brigadoon
by Lerner and Loewe
Props Supervisor
Ohio Light Opera
Supervised by Kiah Kayser
Summer 2025
The challenge with Brigadoon is the stark difference between the town stuck in the 1700s and "modern day," which in the play, is the 1940s. It was important to be historically accurate with all of the period props so that the magic of Brigadoon was kept intact. The bar scene near the end of the play had consumables including multiple mixed drinks that needed to be prepared and a martini thrown in an actor's face.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's
Carousel
Props Supervisor
Ohio Light Opera
Supervised by Kiah Kayser
Summer 2025
The largest component of this production were the lighted stars. There were over 20 total stars, with most hanging from the rail as decorative lighted elements and then several were used as hand held props. This was a major collaboration between the scenic designer, lighting and props. Additionally, the dramatic death scene needed a safe landing pad made to look like cotton bales, which had to be safety tested. The show as a whole required a wide range of period props, including a large amount of clam fishing gear.
Charles Dickens's
A Christmas Carol
Props Coordinator
West Virginia University
Supervised by Tamara L. Honesty
Winter 2024
Some of the highlights of this production included Scrooge's Bed, which was custom built using a frame and headboard from a bed found on Facebook Marketplace. The bed curtains had to magically open and have the curtains be removable, which was a technical feat. The eight different curtains in the bedroom interior were sewn and custom made in-house. Nearing the end of the play, there is a snowball thrown across stage that explodes like realistic powdered snow. These are just a few of the challenging props in this production, pictured below along with select show documents.
Shakespeare's
Measure for Measure
Props Coordinator
West Virginia University
Supervised by Jess Ford
Spring 2023
Measure for Measure was my first foray into upholstery and props management as a junior in college. One particularly challenging prop was the severed head the script called for. I worked extensively on sculpting a plasticene face, and started the silicone mold before the entire scene was cut by the director in rehearsal. This was difficult because it was an expensive process that took a significant amount of our budget while not appearing on stage. Below are some of the upholstery and molding process pictures along with select show documents.
