Costumes, Sets & Props

Although there are many different elements that go into a good theatre production, when it comes to connecting with the audience at a level they can immediately get there is no area quite like costumes and props. Lighting, sound, and rigging all have their place in the technical scheme of things and are vital to the play, but it is the visible elements that the audience is most likely to observe and thus to remember (we are focusing on the production aspect here, of course the actors in the production will be the most visible to the audience).

What this means for any theatre company or student is that the three "audience visible" areas of theatre production have to have a strength of their own, one that contributes the overall effort of conveying a different time and place. Note that that does not mean historically; a modern play may choose to use old blue jeans and cement cinder blocks for costumes and sets, but the idea is to focus attention on the stage and set it apart from the seats. Maybe you're putting on Jekyll & Hyde and need a lab complete with drug testing supplies. Or, you could need to research keel types for a play set on a sailboat.

Let's take a quick look at what exactly costumes, sets, and props do to help the audience connect with the play.

The Set. This is the part of the production that conveys the overall concept of where the play is taking place. There are dozens of different kinds of sets and depending on the production, several may come into play. For example, the set for The Pirates of Penzance may include a blue backdrop that stays constant, but the use of rigging allows the scene to change from an opera house to a ship to an island. An elementary school play will usually use a simple, fun set. In both cases, the idea is to create a backdrop that lends a sense of reality to the scene. Many productions go from something like a subway station to a Leslieville, Toronto home and the smaller the budget, the more creative the designer has to be with these set changes while still making the scene look real.

Costumes. Costumes are what the actors don in a production in order to signify that they are apart from the reality of the audience. Again, the selection of costumes is vast and will depend on the type of production, the era, and the investment made in this area. It may be easier to get a costume turing someone into a psychologist from Burlington than a Russian princess.

Props. Props are small items used by the actors in a production to further the plot. Props are a pretty neat category, as some plays can be written entirely around the use of one prop (a telephone or book and so on). While the effectiveness of the prop will be determined by its use, an inappropriate prop can entirely change the flavour of the production. You can find props everywhere, from a junk yard to in a Oshawa condo.

All three of these areas will include a considerable amount of foresight and planning, as far as play production goes. As noted, they play a vital role in furthering the storyline of the production and can't be underestimated.

The great thing about costumes, sets, and props is that they can also be a lot of fun both to use and to design. Some of the most important work in the theatrical world is achieved in these areas. A good combination of all three will determine whether the audience is convinced that what they are seeing is genuine.

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