27-9
4. Props and costumes
Props are objects such as tables, chairs, and tools, that are used on stage to add
a sense of reality to a play.
A few simple props can be helpful, especially if they are colorful or imaginative.
Here are some ideas:
A whitewashed
wall or white
curtain
makes a good
background.
You may want
to have
someone paint
a local scene
on it.
painting of a well
A ‘jail’ can
be made by
lying sticks
together. (See
“Women
Unite to
Overcome
Drunkenness,”
p. 27-19.)
A’building’
can be
represented
by a blanket
tacked to a
frame, or by a
large flannel-
board, or
a sheet of
plywood.
‘Animals’ can be cut
out of cardboard. Use
a wooden base, or a
stick to hold them up.
A large radio -
’Radio Deception’,
that advertises artificial
milk and expensive medicines-
can be made from a large box or
carton. Someone inside it sing*, plays
music, and gives announcements.
(Sec “Useless Medicines that
Sometimes Kill,” p. 27-14.)
A few good, simple props are usually all that are needed. Many things, like walls
and doors, can be imagined. The actors can help the audience imagine things
are there, and this adds to the fun. For example, if the scene is inside a house,
someone can pretend to knock on an unseen door:
Someone
offstage
bangs on
a board
or bucket
as the
person
on stage
pretends
to knock:
Then
someone
inside the
‘house*
pretends to
open the
door, and
invites the
visitor in.