Behind the Curtain: The Ins and Outs of Props Design

On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Barbara Heninger and Patricia Bilello discussed Props Design from script to closing, showing how a designer can take a director’s vision, add their take as designers, and create props that enhance a production.
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About the Hosts: Patricia Bilello is a 49-year-old professional mother of three (two teenagers and a toddler). She is also a wife, a craftswoman, a photographer, and a multitasking expert. She designs props for various community theatres in the Bay Area. She is also a costumes associate at Starting Arts, and the creative designer at Crafts Out of the Blue Studio. For the last five years, Patricia has been driving her two older kids to rehearsals every day. As a result, she ended up working backstage as a volunteer, where she found her calling. She designed props for Beauty and the Beast; Elf, the Musical; Legally Blonde; The Wiz; A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder; Matilda; Sweat; and many more. Last month, when the pandemic took away live theatre, she found a way to take the big Audrey II and its shop from Little Shop Of Horrors and adapt it to a small version, scaling it down to a puppet size, to be used in the virtual screening of the musical. By doing so, she proved that the show must go on, and now, more than ever, we need to find ways to adapt, be creative, and work as a community to keep the arts alive. This event-and all the online events that SBMT is providing-are another way to do it, and she is really happy to be part of it!
Barbara Heninger has been working with SBMT since 2010, as an actor, crew member, assistant director, producer, Board member … and as a props designer. Her 1920s typewriter and 1940s phone each have their own bios from “performing” on the SBMT stage multiple times. She hopes you enjoy learning about the creative practice of props design.