Context:
The furniture on stage needs to look permanent and help us to locate and understand the scene. It also has to change quickly so that the pace of the action is not interrupted and a sense of urgency is maintained. Scene changes at the RSC rarely involve blackouts; more usually the action moves on rapidly with the entrance of one scene's characters happening simultaneously with the exit of the previous scene.
Pieces of stage furniture are classed as props and are made in the Property Workshop. From then on they are looked after by the Theatre Props department who are in charge of positioning all props for performances and also keeping them in the right condition for the whole of the production run. |
