Stage Craft - Prop Making
Jemima Snars got into the guts of prop making for her final project to complete a three-year course at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts.
I am not an actor. I am a prop maker. As far as I’m concerned I have the best job in the world…well at least I’m trained to have the best job in the world.
As part of our graduating year, prop students must undertake a major project. I’m particularly fond of textiles so I chose the technique of needle felting after being inspired by the works of US artist, Stephanie Metz.
Felt is matted wool. Wool becomes felt when it is subjected to moisture, heat, and pressure. Hot soapy water makes the wool slippery, and causes tiny scales on the fiber to "open up".
But this is a dry felting technique that involves a specific needle with a barbed end, stabbing a piece of fleece many, many times.
The most alluring part of this technique is its sculptural abilities, allowing me to create a felted frog 1.5m in length. To punish myself further, I decided to dissect the frog, thus requiring me to hand-felt an assortment of organs and innards. I did lungs, the heart, liver, intestines, colon stomach and fat bodies. I used hyper real colours, pinks and reds and blues.
I worked on this project every day for 3 months and it’s safe to say no theatre job would require this technique purely for its time consumption.
But it did broaden my sculptural versatility. So now I can add needle felting to my props repertoire, which includes woodwork, metal work, moulding, casting, sculpting, painting, upholstering and puppetry.
If anyone needs a giant frog give a croak.
Jemima Snars
