Enrichment · Arts and Creativity

Every prop, every scene,
back where it came from.

Props go missing in the same places: the thing nobody was assigned, the item borrowed from a neighbor and never returned, the breakable cup with no spare. List every prop by scene with where it comes from, who is on it and what it cost. The manager counts what is ready, tracks spending and flags what is not ready as opening nears.

Start a productionWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Arts & Creativity collection, $69 for 23 items.

Productions

The worked example is made up: a spring production nine days from opening with six of ten props ready and $123 of a $250 budget spent, and a closed fall show with a borrowed phone still out. Records save on this device only; crew appear by initials.

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What you get

Enrichment · Arts & Creativity$5

What you finish with
A record per production with show, props lead, props rehearsal, opening and closing dates and budget; every prop with scene, source, status, who is on it, cost and who it goes back to; seven checks for the prop tables, preset, stage weapons, food, breakaways, borrowed items and strike; counts of props ready and spending against budget; flags for props not ready within two weeks of opening, props with no one on them, borrowed props still out after closing and spending over budget.
Who it is for
Student props crews and stage managers, drama teachers and directors of school, college and community productions.
Format
Browser inventory with a saved record per production. Prints a production’s props list for the prop table, every production as a table or a blank list; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file to share with the crew.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Arts & Creativity collection ($69) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Arts & Creativity space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Go through the script and list every prop by scene.
  2. Decide the source for each: stock, borrow, build or buy.
  3. Put one person on every prop that is not ready.
  4. Get real props into rehearsal by the props date.
  5. After closing, return borrowed items and store the stock.

Start a production

From script to strike

A prop’s path through a productionScript passList everyprop by scene›SourceStock, borrow,build or buy›RehearsalStand-insfirst, thereal prop bythe props date›PresetOn the labeledtable beforeevery show›StrikeBorrowed itemsback, stockstoredA prop’s path through a productionScript passList every prop by sceneSourceStock, borrow, build or buyRehearsalStand-ins first, the real prop by the props datePresetOn the labeled table before every showStrikeBorrowed items back, stock stored
Getting real props into actors’ hands early is what keeps opening night from being the first time they handle them.

Safety

Schools generally ban real weapons on campus, including in plays. Any replica or stage weapon should follow the school’s and the director’s rules: cleared in advance, handled only by the actors who use it and locked away between shows. Food that actors eat on stage needs the same allergy check as any school food.

Borrowing well

Write down who lent each item, its condition and when it goes back, and photograph it when you pick it up. Return it clean, within a week of closing, with a thank-you and a credit in the program. Lenders who get things back come back next year.

Sources

  1. Educational Theatre Association. Resources for school theatre production and safety (schooltheatre.org).
  2. United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Safety resources for theatre practitioners (usitt.org).
  3. Gun-Free School Zones Act and the Gun-Free Schools Act (20 U.S.C. 7961): federal limits on weapons at schools; district policies add their own rules.
  4. Hart, E. (2013). The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV. Focal Press: prop lists, sourcing and the prop shop.

The worked example is made up. Follow your school’s and theatre’s safety policies. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.