Hi all,

A friend and I are in charge of getting props for the theatre's production of "Misery" in June 2005. As we are the last show of the season, and a small one (2 actors), the budget is small, so we're going to have to beg and borrow a lot of props. Purchasing is a last resort.

One item that is particularly interesting is the "large, rusty axe" that Annie uses to chop off Paul's foot. It's done on stage in view of the audience and is lit by strobe effect. Obviously we don't want to use a real axe. So one with a foam rubber head seems in order. But how do we deal with the need for it to look as realistic as possible.

I've heard of other productions where the scene - which is supposed to be terrifying - causes the audience to *laugh*. We want them to gasp - not laugh. I've thought that to have blood get on the axe while she's chopping we could have a sponge with stage blood on it.

I've thought about using something along the lines of a sandpaper sponge (dark gray and dense foam) - but I'm wondering that using duct tape to pinch in one end to make a blade would look just that - a duct-taped sponge on the end of an axe handle.

Any ideas - even of where to purchase something realistic but safe - would be appreciated.

The only other 'prop' we've thought about creating from foam is a mask for our 'fake Paul' (the director added this in to give our real Paul enough time to make the costume changes and get in to position.) Annie will be carrying him as close as 2 feet to the audience. (We were able to borrow a cloth dummy from another company - but he's a blank slate, so he'll need some kind of disguise.)

Thanks!

The main problem I see with the foam is the weight issue. Will it "look" too light when she is using it? The actor just has to practice that.

Have you checked with any othe local theaters (high schools & colleges too) to see if they have one you can borrow? I do that with odd props too, as our budget is practically nonexistant.

If you are using foam, I'd suggest getting a foam cutter. You can then just cut it to any shape you want. and not use the tape.

Good Luck!

Aimee

Thank you! Thank you!

As we have not yet built the bed, I'll bring up the "leave an opening for Paul's legs to go through." Yes, I know, even the most consciencious actor can get "carried away" once in actual performance. Then our Annie can whack away!

As to borrowing a head - well, we've *got* the cloth dummy - he just has no face (we borrowed it from another group). I'll be meeting with the rest of the crew on Thursday, so I'll pass these things along.

(And there is always the possibility that I'll be told I'm getting too detailed with the head. In which case I'll just have to practice my sculpting skills.) It may have been easier in the end to just make a dummy, but with the other small props and "weapons" (fake axe, syringe & kitchen knife), we're hoping the borrowed one will save us some time.

Thanks again!