Monday, November 19, 2018
Donkey Mask from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Prop Agenda: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nick Bottom finds his head transformed into that of a donkey, courtesy of the mischievous fairy, Puck. The donkey head is among Shakespeare’s most distinctive props, and has been on my bucket list of famous props to build. Recently, Triad Stage mounted a production.
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2 comments:
Ever since being charged with props in high school I have been a frequent visitor to Eric Hart's prop agenda, whether it be to seek advice or designs, or just to see what he's up to. I'm always interested to see how he interprets a project, and always impressed at the creative, professional product he, and his affiliates ends up with. Bottom's donkey mask is an integral part of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and for the actor it's nice to make it light and breathable, considering the character is a donkey for quite a bit of the show. I think it's interesting how the mask is much more like a screen than a solid mask. So often productions will just use a stylized horse head, put some flowers around the neck and call it a day. However, assuming that this mask fits the aesthetic design for the rest of the show, I think it's incredibly unique. In the first picture, who I'm assuming to be Puck is largely costumed in green, while Bottom is in blue. The material, and more "rave -ish" blue give the character design a very otherworldly, modern feel, like it would be normal to see something like this in a club.
I didn’t go to a performing arts high school and our theater program was really only okay. I also didn’t do community theater or any summer stock so the world of handmade props of this proportion is foreign and unknown. I find these process pictures intriguing and so interesting. I’ve always been an artist, but sculpture was never my concentration. I love learning about the different skills and talent that goes into the theater. I love this mask and would love to learn how to work with the material to make something this simple, yet beautiful. The skills that prop masters bring to their work is amazing and the theater world is very lucky to have them. I with that I had had more opportunities to learn about prop making, especially mask making. There’s something so magical about masks and how that can instantly transform you. They tell you so much about the aesthetic and vibe of a show as well. I think that this version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is very minimal but realistic because the donkey mask is very realistic in its shape but minimal and modern in its material and color.
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