Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-22
THE PROPERTY MAN.
One of the Most Important Individu-
ais About q Theatre.
The Responsibility of the Positions
Things 20 Rene Understanding
at the Property Mana
Stage Banquet.
IPhiladelphia Times I

"One of the most useful and important
functionaries about theatre is the property
man." said one who has grown gray in the
business the other day BY the property
man is meant the person whose duty 1t Is to
furnish the properties for all the plays pro-
duced, and TO see that they are placed con-
veniently at hand to be ready when wanted.
Properties are everything used in play ex-
cept the scenery. The carpets, furniture and
curtains, guns and pistols, pocket books,
money, candles matches, cigars, pianos,
pictures food and drink, letters, musical in
struments-all these and countless other
things come under the head of properties.
THE PROPERTYRooM.
"Every theatre has what is called prop
erty-room where these things are kept 1t
has very much the appearance of a pawn
brokers' shop, except that nothing is wrapped
up and there is no counter. Come in here
and see for yourself" he continued, as he led
the way into dingy room at the back of the
stage, where there was most heterogeneous
collection of such articles as he had named.
Few people have any idea of the care and
responsibility Of a property man. He has
more on his mind than anybody else about
a theatre There are $50 different things,
large and small, that he must remember, and
woe betide him if he forgets any one of them
or fails to have it in its proper place at the
right time. People who visit the theatre have
no idea how dependent they are on the prop
erty man for their pleasure, for if he forgets
anything or does not have everything just as
it should be it will give rise to a contretemps,
which will retard the action of the scene and
mar its whole effect
CHOICE OF PISTOLS.
"For example: 1t is part of his duty to at
tend to all the firearms used on the stage. In
the most critical part of the play the leading
man is to rescue the leading lady from the
tolls of the villain by killing him with a
pistol shot The property man selects the
best pistol in his collection, cleans and
loads it carefully, fires it off in the prop
erty room to make sure that it won't miss
fire, loads it again, and in a perfectly
comfortable frame of mind gives it to the
leading man as he goes on for his great
scene. The critical moment arrives. The
leading man cries out in his most terrible
voice: Die villainr and pulls the trigger,
but the pistol doesn't go off, so the villain
must either fall and die without having been
shot, or else he must live on, succeed in alb
Quoting the beautiful maiden and thus ruin
the play. l am sorry to say that property
men, being somewhat given to profanity,
divide their firearms into three classes-the
sure, the very sure and the id sure The
first are given to the most unimportant of
the supers, the second are given to those Of
somewhat greater importance, while only the
last are ever given to the people who play
important parts and whose guns must go
OF in order to carry out the plot Of the play.
"Writing letters is another important duty
of the property man. The letters which peo-
pie read on the stage are all written for them
by him. Actors do not commit them to
memory, but simply read them when they
are handed to them upon the stage. In the
multiplicity of his cares the property man
sometimes forgets to write one of these let
tiers, and when the actor to whom it is
handed opens it he finds only blank sheet
of paper. His wits must serve him then. and
if he knows the general purport Of the letter
he can improvise it If not he can
only affect to read and exclaim when he has
finished: Otis we'll
SWEARING AT PROPERTY MEN.
"More fault is found with the property man
than with all the other attaches of the stage
put together A property man is expected tA
know how to make anything and everything.
If there is a crown and scepter required, if
golden goblet is needed, or if there is
demand for a handsome drawing room man.
tsI, the property man must make them all,
and no one outside of the profession can lave
any idea Of the skill with which first-rate
property man can make a most deceptive
imitation of almost anything. Turkeys and
chickens, either with their feathers on or
dressed and roasted for the table; fish and
vegetables Of all kinds, pies and cakes-all
are within the resources of his art, as indeed
it would be hard to name anything that is
not
Several days before the production of
new play there is given to the property man
a complete list of all the properties required
therein, and it is his duty to see that they
are all ready in their proper places at the
proper time. Many of these things, of course,
be already has in his extensive collection in
the property-room. Others he will borrow,
if he can, from other theatres or from stores
which deal in the articles required. China and
glassware, furniture, fancy riding whips,
paintings and bric-a-brac are always
borrowed from stores, the dealers being glad
to loan them for the sake of obtaining free
admission to the theatre and of having their
name on the house programme.
A STAGE BANQUET.
"Stage banquets, suppers and meals of
all kinds often put the ingenuity of the
property man to a severe test II the man.
ager is economical the most elegant BAN
quets are but hollow mockeries. The tur-
keys and chickens, which seem to spectators
to be roasted to such a delicious degree of
BROWNIES, are only brown holland stuffed
with sawdust The wines are cold tea or
water colored with burnt sugar. Sometimes
they are drank from pasteboard goblets and
then they are purely imaginary. Do you re-
member Dickens description of how Mr..
Crummles used to take long draughts of
nothing out Of the pasteboard goblets in ban
Quet scenesp
yet in these banquet scenes the people est
something''
aOh, yes. 1t is essential to the action that
they shall eat There is always a plate of
bread and one of cold meat They look at
the elegant turkeys, chickens, etc and eat
the bread and meat. If the manager is lib
eral, however, stage banquet is sometimes
q meal at which no epicure would turn up
his nose This is always the case under Les
ter Wallacks management He gives his
companies splendid suppers and real cham
payne. Poor Matilda Heron always did so,
too, when she played Camille, and Albina de
Mer, the wife of NJ. B. Curtis revived this
good old custom in the same play when she
starred it last season, presenting bill of fart
which included oysters, raw and fried, roast
turkey, chicken salad and real wines.