Prop Agenda: When I called Jay Duckworth and explained that I was the student from Emerson who would be interviewing him, I was greeted with an “Oh my God! Hi!”, and I knew the conversation was off to a good start. I heard him call to one of his colleagues, Sara Swanberg, asking what he should tell me: her prompt response was “I suck!”.
4 comments:
Wonderful advice from a successful working professional!
It's funny, though, that in the midst of all the well-meant advice, his "New York-ness" rang through so clearly to me--the way he curses (constantly), the directness, the sass (especially the "Newton" reference), the harping on how he constantly feels surrounded by people who are stupid and/or can't collaborate. Even though he's from Missouri, it sounds like the city got to him. New York is such a hard place to live and work, as I experienced this past summer. It seems like the attitude, the crudeness, the cynicism all become defense mechanisms against the harsh realities of living in a city where only the select few make it (and only after a million rejections and disappointments at that) and in the meantime, everyone in your field is judging you while you struggle (or succeed, as the case may be). It's just ironic to me that in an article that offers young artists so much reason to hope and dream of their bright futures, there's also this undertone of the hell Jay Duckworth went through to get to this point.
Scrolling through the green page, I saw the headshot of the lovely Jay Duckworth and nearly did a double take. Jay is an incredible props master, props designer, and friend, and he's just a great guy in general. I had the great privilege to work with him this summer, and it was a life changing experience. It opened me up to the vast world of props, and showed me an area of design that I would love to pursue after university. He is a genius at his craft, and I learned so much just by watching him work and interact with people. Working with him, I felt valued and like I was more than just an intern. The interns were part of the morning meetings, we went to production meetings, and he was always introducing us to designers and actors. I really enjoyed reading this article, because Jay is such a great guy and I could really hear his voice saying the quotes (I could also totally hear Sara (who is also incredibly awesome) saying that he sucks in the background). I learned so much from the two of them this summer (including how to turn wool into thread using a drop spindle the way that Jay describes in the article), and hopefully one day I'll be back at The Public, even if it's just to visit them (although Sara says I can't come back unless I bring a real business card).
I always believe that someone who is truly great at his work, not mentioning that it has to be a genius one, but someone who have the true knowledge and skills and not just pretending will always be the one who can explain things in a way that make it sound so simple but realistic,yet truly inspired. This type of people is also knows how to stay positive but still realistic. I would love to meet this man and have a face to face conversation with him because I can feel that I would learn a lot from him, not only about work butabout life too.
My favorite part from this interview would be when he said "In theatre, everyone is trying to please everyone else but you can’t. All will want slightly different things. A successful master accommodates the needs of all of these groups, but doesn’t present expectations that they can’t fill." I got a lot by reading this and this will be something that I will always keep in mind, because this is not only for props people, as managers, this is for us too.
Having just started the Props mini in Stagecraft, this article could not feel more timely or pertinent. Jay's reflection (and the article's focus) on the props master or props designer acting as a problem solver has always been one of those things that I always knew, but never really understood. Yet, even just the other day, Jon was telling us about the complexities of a cigarette mentioned in a script. The problems of lighting, extinguishing, fireproofing, smell, etc. are all problems that have to be carefully considered and addressed by props. I think Mr. Duckworth's insight into this particular role of a prop master or designer is invaluable.
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