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Costumes, Props & Make-up

Help students build the look of the story.

Costumes, props, and make-up reveal character, setting, time, style, and mood before a word is spoken. Use these resources to support creative choices, practical planning, and thoughtful design on a school theatre budget.

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Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Essential Props Every Drama Teacher Should Stockpile

Drama teachers need to plan for unlimited creativity. Unfortunately, drama teachers don’t have unlimited space… especially when it comes to props! Here is a list of essential props every drama...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Round-Up: All About Props

A prop, or theatrical property, is any object used or carried onstage by an actor that isn’t a part of the set or worn. Props can be made, built, bought, or borrowed, and the golden rule of props...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Divide and Conquer Your Props List

If you’re working on a prop-heavy show, you’ll want to assemble a great team and get them to work right away acquiring all the items on the list, because it can be challenging and time-consuming to...
Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Staging Challenges

Pros and Cons: Food and Drink Onstage

Eating and drinking are necessary for existence on this planet. So much of our life is centred around food: making it together, serving it for a special occasion, trying new dishes, challenges...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Your Classroom Stage Makeup Toolkit

Stage makeup isn't just an optional extra in the drama classroom; it's a game-changer. Whether you're taking your first steps into the world of theatre tech or you're already a seasoned pro,...
Games, Exercises, & Activities Improv

Improv Fun & Games: Speed Props

“Speed Props” is a fast-paced, competitive version of the traditional Props game. This is a great game for students who like a challenge and want to practice their improvisation skills. Materials...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Costume Organization & Storage Tips

If you have been blessed with a huge costume inventory, ample storage space, and a head of wardrobe to keep tabs on everything, feel free to skip this article. For the rest of us, keeping our...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Costume Challenge: Creative Creation

This costume challenge builds on the costume design skills that students practiced in two recent blog posts: Rehearsal Blacks, Elevated and One Item, Three Ways. Students will work in pairs to...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Costume Challenge: One Item, Three Ways

In our last post, we challenged students to create elevated costume looks using only black clothing and accessories. This time, we’ll have one costume item and challenge students to style it...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Costume Challenge: Rehearsal Blacks, Elevated

If you’re working on a show with a tiny budget, one way many drama teachers have saved funds is by having student actors wear “rehearsal blacks” onstage — plain black pants and long-sleeve shirts....
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Round-up: Best costuming advice for a new director

Costumes are a fabulous part of theatre — they help tell the story, they help actors get into character, and they immediately tell the audience something about what’s going on. But whether they’re...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Round-Up: Your Costume & Prop Challenges!

We reached out to you, our amazing community, through social media to ask, What are your biggest props/costume challenges for your productions or upcoming show?.Turns out, there are lots of...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Creating and Maintaining an Organized Props Area

The backstage area can be chaotic enough without having to worry about all the props for the show. Help to reduce backstage stress by using these seven tips to help keep your props area neat, tidy,...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

How to Create a Master Props List

Having a master props list makes everyone’s life easier when it comes to knowing exactly what props are needed for your show, how each item is being acquired, and if a certain prop actually exists....
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Round-Up: Common Costume Concerns

Costumes, whether fabulously extravagant, simple and functional, ragged and threadbare, or anything in between, are lots of fun. Costumes help to tell the story of the show visually, and really...
Technical Theatre Costumes, Props & Make-up

Costume Care: Dos and Don’ts

Teachers, the following list of dos and don’ts is a great way to introduce costume care etiquette to your students. Whether your students are beginning actors or seasoned drama department pros,...