December 14th, 2010
An evening at the theatre is still a magical experience. Even in this day and age of cable television and blockbuster films, some of which feature the most dazzling special effects we’ve ever seen. The whole ritual of a night at the theatre is just perfect. Getting dressed up and then maybe dinner and drinks somewhere beforehand, before heading over to watch the play.
Of course, the main thrill is seeing the actors, up close and performing. There’s nothing quite like it, but stop for a moment and think about the unsung heroes who work on theatre sets. The attention to detail and time and effort they go to is absolutely incredible. You might not even notice that period clock, that was researched and sourced by someone, just to create the right period look and feel for that particular seen.
Theatre sets change from scene to scene, so it’s a tough job to get everything just right. Just one play can require any number of props, which all have to be sourced by someone for your entertainment. There’s far more to putting on a successful production than getting the acting right. Of course, the director has a challenging job, but so does everyone else. So much work goes into the lighting, the costumes and the props of course.
So if you have a night at the theatre coming up, try to absorb and enjoy every detail, that has been painstakingly recreated to entertain you. You’ll be amazed by what you notice and when you read the programme notes, spare a thought for the team who put so much work into creating such a perfect evening for you.
Tags: hiring props, Props, realistic theatre sets, Stage Props, Theatrical Props
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February 24th, 2010
On many occasions, an audience’s first impression of a play is the set. In the more traditional production, the show will start with the curtains closed in front of the stage. Often, as the curtains open, the set will actually get a round of applause if it looks particularly lavish. Many theatres now seem to have done away with their curtains and you are faced with the set as you take your seat.
Anton Chekov was an innovative playwright whose plays are still regularly performed. They were written as a penetrating depiction of life in pre-revolutionary Russia. As such, they normally lend themselves to realistic theatre sets particularly for the interior scenes. You will often see original period furniture and you can be sure that the designer will have spent a great deal of time researching how houses would have been decorated.
A recent production did away with the set all together, though. The flats that normally form the walls of a room were completely absent. Instead the stage was virtually bare. In fact, even this is a theatre set of sorts. One of the pieces of set on the stage was the props table which is usually hidden in the wings. It contains the hand held props that are used in the performance.
At Keeley Hire, we don’t mind whether you go for a traditional theatre set with authentic props or something avant-garde. We have over half a million props and are sure that we can enhance your production, given the chance.
Tags: Prop Hire, Props, realistic theatre sets, Theatre Sets
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