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| Note: Not real menagerie. Steuben Glass. (Read: Financially Prohibitive) |
As we approach tech week(end), we've got some interviews with designers coming up on the blog for your reading pleasure. Today, we've got an interview with Jessica Kammerud, props mistress for
The Glass Menagerie. Enjoy!
Jessica (JK): I know I read it in high school at some point, but this is my first experience working on the play, and I've actually never seen a production of it, so I'm excited to come at it with a fresh set of eyes.
NCSC: What's the most intriguing prop you've found or are still looking for?
JK: The actual menagerie. No question. It's a challenge and intriguing at the same time because if I were to look for real glass animal figurines, it'd be financially prohibitive since they're collector's items and also an acting hazard because of the potential for breakage.
NCSC: So what are you planning to do for the menagerie?
JK: Right now I'm planning on making them. I'll be constructing the animals myself through a resin casting process. I've got some rubber animals from
A.C. Moore and I'll be making the casts of either half of an animal, then pouring the resin in. That's the plan. I'll let you know how it works out.
NCSC: Outside of the menagerie, what's been your biggest challenge prop-wise?
JK: Finding the piece of furniture the menagerie is supposed to sit on. Same thing with the table for the Victrola. The challenge is that it needs to be a certain height and shape -- desk height and end table shape -- but tables built recently tend to be shorter. I have found some really nice tables, but they're way beyond our budget. And we can't borrow people's furniture because almost everything is being painted white.
NCSC: Well that must really limit your options... how's that working out?
JK: It's going to look pretty amazing, but it is a bit constricting with regard to borrowing items, as I mentioned. The white of
the set and the props is really to emphasize the "memory" aspect of what Tennessee Williams called "a
memory play." The only things
not being painted white are the things left behind by the absent Wingfield father, the Victrola and the frame of his picture. The white really gives a sense of the blank canvas on which to present the story.
NCSC: So how does the number of props for this show fit in the range of shows you've worked on?
JK: It's pretty average, so not a lot of props, but not super sparse either. However, since most
everything is white, I've been able to make some interesting choices about detail since we don't want it all to blend together. It's nice to see just how a simple line can give an item the right flavor. The details of what is on stage is what comes from Tom's memory of his family home.
NCSC: Are you painting the props?
JK: I am. Everything will be white, but not necessarily the same shades of white. Also, we're making decisions about
flat paint versus paint with a sheen. It's been interesting to think about whether it'd be more distracting to see flat paint on something you know in your mind is shiny or vice versa. It really gets into the peculiarities of detail. Also, we have to test out what paints work best for which items so it won't flake off on the actors, since the costumes are in color.
NCSC: Well, Jessica, thanks for taking the time to give us an interview, and best of luck with the menagerie and everything else! Keep us updated.
JK: Will do. Thanks!
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(We're
co-blogging this production, if you don't recall.)
