Giant Lollypops
UW Madison
Cut Styrofoam into coins, drilled hole, glued in dowel. Coated in multiple layers of foam primer to even out the texture. Painted them the base colors with swirls, and added ribbon. Done with the help of students.
Flying Kite
UW Madison
Made frame out of wood dowels, glued and tied together securely. Strung string along all the corners and glued down. Cut out kite shape from fabric, and secured by sewing around the string outline. Glued on tail and bows. Lastly, added fishing wire to the top side that it hung from. Used a bamboo pole to lift into the air for a “flying” effect since it had a bit of flexibility without snapping. Twisted wire around the end in a loop, and glued string over it to prevent the wire from slipping. The kite and pole were attached together with a removable clasp, so it could be added in the moment on stage.
Machete
UW Madison
Drew template on paper and traced onto EVA foam. Made out of multiple layers with a posterboard layer in the middle. Sanded down and added a blade edge. Smoothed it with a heat gun and coated in Plastidip. I found out that the Plastidip reacted with the posterboard and dissolved parts of it, so went back and filled in the uneven spots. Used paint primer instead, painted on texture over that, sealed with satin sealer on handle and gloss on the blade.
Shepherd’s Crook
Lawrence University
Started with a curtain rod, crafted hook out of aluminum covered in painters tape. Coated the whole thing with paper mache. Painted the hook to look like iron.
Shillelagh
Lawrence University
Screwed and glued a wood ball to dowel. Carved down wood ball. Added knobby bumps along length, and paper mached. Painted wood texture and sealed.
Cigarette Box
Barnstormers Theatre
Made design on photoshop based off a research image. Printed it out, folded, and glued into shape.
Rag Doll
UW Madison
Followed a Youtube tutorial. Made out of strips of fabric tied and glued together.
Staffs
Barnstormers Theatre
Started with curtain rods, hot glued rope pattern down. Coated it with muslin and wood glue. Painted a worn out wood texture.
Small Box
Peninsula Players Theatre
A small medicine box that would slide onto a belt, did not need to open. Assembled from lauan, stained, sealed, attached fake hinges/latch. Added a loop on the back for attaching to the belt.
Butterflies on a Net
Peninsula Players Theatre
Cut two layers of butterflies out of gels and tapped together between a stiff metal wire. Drilled a hole into the net and filled with hot glue. The metal wire was removable from the net.
Chain Collar
Lawrence University
A collar for a an actor dressed as a lion. Made the collar out of a belt and attached a long plastic chain. Was adjustable and loose to fit multiple actors.
Giant Trophy
UW Madison
Built trophy base out of cardboard. Coated column in pink sparkly wallpaper. Made trophy topper out of foam. Painted other parts in gold and added lettering.
Boulder
Peninsula Players Theatre
Carved the boulder out of Styrofoam. Coated it with sealer, painted and then speckled for texture.
1860s Rag Dolls
UW Madison
Made two based off image research. Drew template on fabric, cut out, and sewed down most the way. Folded right-side-out, and sewed up edge. Cut out rectangles of the dress fabric, roughly pinned to body, and glued down. Drew on face with fabric marker. Made with Mara Hansen.
Breakaway Magical Urn
Lawrence University
Purchased the urn as a breakaway prop. Then gaff tapped the inside to minimize shards, and painted the outside.
Toy Swords
UW Madison
Bought swords new and started by chipping the wood and making notches. Painted base wood grain with some white highlights for an older look. Made varied handle designs with different strings and rope.
Chest
Personal Project
Purchased the chest, stripped the finish and stain off. Re-stained it darker and painted to look muddy. Finalized it with wooden side decals, rivets made out of gemstones, a new latch, and leather handles.
Satchel
UW Madison
Purchased the satchel new, painted a darker texture in nooks and crannies, added white for dustier look.
