Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Glass Menagerie

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BlueEye217
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Joined: 10/20/08
Location: United States
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Posts: 20

Topic: Glass Menagerie
Posted: 1/17/13 at 4:04pm

Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, guidance as to getting the glass animal figurines for The Glass Menagerie?

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Topper
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Joined: 1/27/05
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Posts: 543

Posted: 1/21/13 at 7:50pm

Try prowling you local Dollar Store. I've seen clear plastic (or faux crystal) tiny decorative figurines (usually for cakes or party favors) that can be used.

"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone

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Thudster
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Joined: 10/16/07
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Posted: 1/21/13 at 8:09pm

I thought a toy supply store like Oriental Trading might have some, but I don't see anything that would work. I found this in Yahoo answers though.

"Look if worse comes to worse just make your own. Go to a craft supply store. Go to the candy section and look for molds for suckers...if you can find the 3d molds even better. You can make them using suckers or look up a recipe on how to make sugar glass. These break easily and would probably cost you less than the actual glass figures themselves. This would also solve the problem of one having to be broken. You could make a ton of them. Now I am sure that you could probably find breakable figurines on some website, but anything made out of sugar glass cost a fortune. If you can find a few real glass ornaments and add to the collection with the fake ones it should look fine."

"Hey look! That's my dad up there whacking himself with silverware!"

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Thudster
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Posted: 1/21/13 at 8:14pm

Another option might be to just buy a pack of plastic animals at a dollar store and paint them white. It wouldn't look completely right (unless you could find the perfect shade of white or silver), but it might work. You could call it milk glass.

Edited by Thudster - 1/21/13 at 8:15pm

"Hey look! That's my dad up there whacking himself with silverware!"

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Madwoman
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Joined: 3/16/08
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Posted: 6/28/14 at 8:37am

If you're trying to do this in a hurry, not so easy. But for my production I did a lot of cruising through "antiques and collectibles" and consignment shops. Ultimately I bought eleven clear-glass animals for a total of about $35. The unicorns I decided were worth an investment. We found a glass blower who had already done Glass Menagerie unicorns so he knew what we needed. For our ten performances we bought a dozen unicorns that were large enough to actually read, about 3 1/2 inches if I remember correctly; he made the join between the head and the horn very thin, and sure enough, knocking the unicorn over on a table broke his horn off, every time, with nothing else breaking. No need to palm anything. The stage lights caught the horn when the G.C. picked it up; ditto of course the horse when Laura picked it up....and then of course we had a "regular" horse to add to the collection in the vitrine. The unicorns were pretty reasonable, I think around $7 apiece. We were very happy with the way both the collection and the unicorn worked out. (AND I gave the broken unicorns as cast/crew gifts at the end of the run.)

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Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup

Author	Message
BlueEye217 Player Joined: 10/20/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 20	Topic: Glass Menagerie Posted: 1/17/13 at 4:04pm
	Does anyone have any advice, suggestions, guidance as to getting the glass animal figurines for The Glass Menagerie?

	IP Logged

Topper Celebrity Joined: 1/27/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 543	Posted: 1/21/13 at 7:50pm
	Try prowling you local Dollar Store. I've seen clear plastic (or faux crystal) tiny decorative figurines (usually for cakes or party favors) that can be used.
	"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone
	IP Logged

Thudster Star Joined: 10/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 68	Posted: 1/21/13 at 8:09pm
	I thought a toy supply store like Oriental Trading might have some, but I don't see anything that would work. I found this in Yahoo answers though. "Look if worse comes to worse just make your own. Go to a craft supply store. Go to the candy section and look for molds for suckers...if you can find the 3d molds even better. You can make them using suckers or look up a recipe on how to make sugar glass. These break easily and would probably cost you less than the actual glass figures themselves. This would also solve the problem of one having to be broken. You could make a ton of them. Now I am sure that you could probably find breakable figurines on some website, but anything made out of sugar glass cost a fortune. If you can find a few real glass ornaments and add to the collection with the fake ones it should look fine."
	"Hey look! That's my dad up there whacking himself with silverware!"
	IP Logged

Thudster Star Joined: 10/16/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 68	Posted: 1/21/13 at 8:14pm
	Another option might be to just buy a pack of plastic animals at a dollar store and paint them white. It wouldn't look completely right (unless you could find the perfect shade of white or silver), but it might work. You could call it milk glass. Edited by Thudster - 1/21/13 at 8:15pm
	"Hey look! That's my dad up there whacking himself with silverware!"
	IP Logged

Madwoman Player Joined: 3/16/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 13	Posted: 6/28/14 at 8:37am
	If you're trying to do this in a hurry, not so easy. But for my production I did a lot of cruising through "antiques and collectibles" and consignment shops. Ultimately I bought eleven clear-glass animals for a total of about $35. The unicorns I decided were worth an investment. We found a glass blower who had already done Glass Menagerie unicorns so he knew what we needed. For our ten performances we bought a dozen unicorns that were large enough to actually read, about 3 1/2 inches if I remember correctly; he made the join between the head and the horn very thin, and sure enough, knocking the unicorn over on a table broke his horn off, every time, with nothing else breaking. No need to palm anything. The stage lights caught the horn when the G.C. picked it up; ditto of course the horse when Laura picked it up....and then of course we had a "regular" horse to add to the collection in the vitrine. The unicorns were pretty reasonable, I think around $7 apiece. We were very happy with the way both the collection and the unicorn worked out. (AND I gave the broken unicorns as cast/crew gifts at the end of the run.)
	IP Logged