Undergraduate Stage Properties
Undergraduate Stage Properties
It’s the small things that matter in the world of props, from the right kind of upholstery on a chair to a garnish on a plate of food. But it’s these small things that add up to create a final scene that comes across as anything but “staged.” Students of our Stage Properties concentration graduate with the necessary skills to design and create these realistic props, and the hands-on experience to manage and run a stage properties shop.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
First-Second Years
Your first two years in the concentration will be spent building a solid foundation of understanding and skills regarding topics such as color and design, drafting, composition, furniture history and design, properties management and stagecraft. Your studies will be conducted in the classroom, studio and in actual productions. Each year you will be expected to commit at least 20 hours a week in the studio for at least 14 productions each year, with each year presenting more and more responsibilities.
Third-Fourth Years
In your third and fourth years, you will continue classroom instruction on more advanced concepts of scene painting, furniture construction and upholstery, construction techniques, as well as career development. As your role for the school’s productions increases, you will become a pro in navigating the 4,000 square foot properties department shop, which includes 1,900 square feet of carpentry space, a 1,200 square foot craft area and 945 square feet for soft goods. In your final year you will assume the role of Property Director for a production, budgeting time, material, overseeing construction and managing a crew.
Careers
Nearly all who earn our stage props degree have jobs within their desired profession, thanks to the intense instruction and hands-on opportunities available to students. Graduates of the Stage Properties concentration are enjoying careers making and managing props for major productions, regional theaters, commercial companies and advertising firms.
