101+ Tips and Tricks Every Prop Maker Should Know

In 101+ Tips and Tricks Every Prop Maker Should Know, Utah Shakespeare Festival’s Properties Director Ben Hohman explains tricks of the trade generally not taught in schools, but essential for prop makers working on the job.

With tips and tricks divided into subject categories like carpentry, prop math, soft goods, upholstery, finishing, crafts and effects, and tools, the book breaks this knowledge down so that makers and prop managers can easily access the information, learn the skills, and be better prepared and more useful to any shop they work in. Each tip or trick is clearly introduced, features a relevant example of how it is useful, and includes step-by-step instructions. The book also features interviews and tips from prop makers across the creative industries, showcasing different techniques and need-to-know skills, and a glossary of prop terms that will help readers navigate the day-to-day of the prop shop.

This book is written for theatrical prop artisans, prop managers, technical theatre students, and anyone who has an interest in prop building or backstage theatrical knowledge. Whether they are novice prop builders or seasoned professionals with decades of experience, this book will provide readers with a wealth of practical information that will serve them in their craft for many years to come.

Ben Hohman is the Properties Director at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He is active in USITT, Vice President of The Society of Props Managers (S*P*M), and adjunct faculty at Southern Utah University. He has worked in regional theatre for the past 31 years both at Actors Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky (4 years) and at the Utah Shakespeare Festival (31 years and counting). He also has worked freelance, and as a co-owner of an event company that designed, produced, and built pageants, scenery and props for ballet and theatrical productions, as well as floats for parades.