The word came into our language from Italian. Props - what is it? Fake, items for theatrical performance, models that are used on the stage instead of the real ones.
Using
Props have a wide range of uses. There are several types of fake work in the theater.
- Decoration.
- Furniture.
- Props.
- Costumes.
- Jewelry.
The scenery is an artificial world for an action: walls, columns, stairs on the stage. All this is decorated and stylized for a specific era and place. For example, walls and ceiling for palace halls or stone castles of the Middle Ages, railings "in gold" or curly "forged" patterns.
Furniture: tables, chairs, armchairs, sofas for the time period and the need for a play are made. For example, the throne of the king or the Venetian chairs. Costumes have a fake base in hats, trim (unusual buttons, buckles), shoes. For example, the silver hoof’s horns, the king’s crown, the painted boots of Santa Claus.
The most widely used in the theater has props props. That these are all 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
All materials for props cannot be listed. Almost everything that the imagination of the artist is capable of is going to work. But the main ones can be considered paper, fabric, polystyrene and gypsum. With the help of glue and paints any fake is created. Such items are lighter in weight, quickly repaired, naturally, cheaper than real ones, but at the same time have expressive recognizable shapes. Small details invisible to the viewer and not working during the performance are not reproduced.
The main method of manufacturing props is considered from papier-mâché props. What is this A dummy made of several layers of paper impregnated with glue or paste. In order to make such a props, usually take the real subject for the basis. For example, a vase is sealed with the first ten layers of paper, dried, cut into two halves, the main thing is taken out, a copy is glued or stapled, glued with paper or cloth and painted.
You can create a fake item from one material or a combination of combined. Foam products are glued with a cloth; plaster and plastic are the perfect combination for statues and columns. Wooden or plywood railings are usually decorated with stucco made of soft cardboard.
History
The props originated during the first theatrical performances in ancient Greece. Actors depicted gods and heroes with fancy swords, shields and bows. In Italian comedy productions, it became widespread, and there it got its name, which came to us.
To date, the use of fakes is great. They are used in advertising and holiday design. There is a sham for a photo shoot and at home. Models of video cameras are often placed in places where an offense or theft can occur. This technique scares offenders and saves 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, she was taught a separate discipline and was a profession. Nowadays, theater props are part of the artists training course. In large theaters, all models are made by a separate workshop; in provincial theaters, it is combined with an art production or a carpentry workshop.
The most successful examples of stage fake art are exhibited in museums, which allows the viewer to see close up part of the “great deception” and the backstage. Props: what is it? A full partner of actors and directors. Not everyone is a props on stage, real objects are also present on the stage. But it is customary to process them for completeness of the artistic image, tint for brightness and proximity to the theme of the production.