Saturday, September 15, 2012
Public Theater Hosts 2012 Props Summit Friday, Sept. 7
Stage Directions: On Friday, September 7, the Public Theater will host the 2012 NYC Props Summit. Spearheaded by Jay Duckworth, props master at the Public, the Summit will bring together dozens of props artisans from New York City and the greater Northeast area for an evening of networking, learning and recognition.
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6 comments:
I think that a props summit is a wonderful idea. I feel like many, props artisans are pushed to the wayside a lot, or given an obscene amount of tasks with little skilled work force. I know that most areas in theatre are overworked, but I think props people get the brunt of it. That being said, this summit could really help a lot of people. I like how Duckworth phrases it as, '... put faces to the names I saw at the bottom of emails'. Thats a brilliant idea. Because how many forums and blogs and such to we theatre people belong to, where we perpetually ask questions and shoot the shit? It WOULD be nice to actually meet some of those people in person. It can also open whole other networks, for vetting out future issues. Its also nice that newbies to the group can go there to get feedback on their work.
As someone in a field of theatre that is fairly large and much discussed, I didn't realize until recently that there are the unsung heroes in our business. Props masters, certainly, fall into this category. Whereas I have the option of going to LDI to meet with vendors, designers, technicians and everyone in between each year, props artists don't really have this same luxury.
The fact that there is at least some small gathering held for networking within this division is a great idea. I am especially glad that the article stresses for younger artisans to attend and get feedback on their portfolios; this is something that gets harder and harder to come by as you get out into the job market, and to find a constructive way to improve your personal presentation skills is immeasurably helpful.
It is wonderful how there are many social events in Theatrical arts. Recently I have been placed in props class for my mini and have been enjoyed so much. That's how this article's title attracted me. I think this open event is very important in theatrical area because getting to know other prop masters and design can help in many ways. Also, it is great that this event not only for networking but also for young, potential people to show their portfolios for internships.
What a great opportunity. Props is such an integral part of any production, and yet it is one of the most under developed educational programs in our industry. There are so many different theatre programs throughout the world, yet it is incredibly rare to have a program dedicated to teaching props, even though it would teach skills applicable to many areas and is would be a great way to ensure that their graduates who also study scenic design will get jobs upon graduation since so many theaters are in need of props artisans. This workshop sounds like a great opportunity for those interested in the props profession and to make connections with others who are also looking to become props artisans and with those who are already successfully doing props for their career.
I think props masters deserve much more recognition than they get. It sounds like a great opportunity for them to connect with others in their niche, for both business and personal reasons. I don't know if there's a props 'community' the way there is more of a 'design' or 'carpentry' community, but if not, this seems like a great place to start.
And a 'John Shorter' claims in the comments section that he went and 'It was awesome" and who can argue with that?
Fellow Artists,
Thank you so much for showing your support for the Props Summit. It has been a great privilege to meet and brainstorm with our peers. We have also been lucky to mentor younger artists into becoming the go to people on the creative team and that I am very proud of.The Times reporter kept asking me where someone goes to learn to be a props master, I said it is a skill that you can only learn from a props master. He said but I am sure there are books you can read. To that I answered him saying Yes that's true, but reading a menu wont satisfy your hunger.
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