Here is a printable list of tips for making the best protest poster!

1. Plan ahead by

• Checking what you are allowed to bring (can your sign have a stick?)
• Use a painter's stick or yardstick
• If you can't use a stick, try a large fake flower with a firm but flexible wire
• Measuring is helpful (use yardstick and pencil)

1. Supplies

• Hit the dollar store or craft store
• Use cardboard or foam board
• Write and draw with something permanent
• Sharpie
• Paint and Stencils
• Sticker on letters
• Make sure you have the letters you need!

1. Other Tips

• Use 2-3 inch lettering
• Make extra posters for others
• Hitch a ride on the shoulders of a grown-up

Props for "Thoroughly Modern Millie"

*ALL PROPS HAVE SINCE BEEN SOLD TO ANOTHER SCHOOL. SORRY.

POISON SPRAYERS
I bought 3 Nickelodeon Green Slime squirt guns at Walmart and painted them copper color to act as poison sprayers in the hotel hallway scene and again when the girls go to the laundry. (Click photo to enlarge).


JAIL SIGNS
I cut out two dozen signs from scraps of 1/4" Masonite paneling. Then on our "Parent Blitz" Saturday, I had a parent volunteer paint numbers on the signs: (Click photo to enlarge).


Here is the bit in the jail. We just played it in front of our black traveler: (Click photo to enlarge).


TYPING DESKS
Our director wanted to use every girl that auditioned in the chorus, so she asked for 13 sets of rolling desks, typewriters and telephones for the secretaries. I stole some nasty old school desks from our school maintenance supply. Below, the desks are torn apart to be recycled as "typing desks". Each will get a steel frame welded to the bottom along with four caster wheels.


The plastic seats are painted black before the new desk tops are added to them:


TYPEWRITERS
The crew constructs fake Underwood Typewriters out of thick styrofoam covered in vinyl, which a rod added for the drum, and later, a piece of typing paper:


CANDLESTICK TELEPHONE
We drank a dozen "Fuze" sports drinks and sawed off the tops of the bottles to form the piece of the telephone that you hold up to your ear:


Then the other part of the phone that you speak into was made from plastic Dixie cups. My crew paints the mock candlestick telephones:


The hook for handing up the ear-set was made from a shovel holder from Home Depot. The telephones are painted black, almost done:


Now here are some typewriter scenes in the show. First, the secretaries enter, rolling their desks: (Click photo to enlarge).


Millie attempts to take dictation. Notice her fake candlestick telephone and the fake typewriters on all the girls' desks: (Click photo to enlarge).


Millie is on her candlestick telephone alone at her desk as the other two discover love-at-first-sight: (Click photo to enlarge).


And the final product. My phone and typewriters may have been quick and rudimentary props if seen up close, but keep in mind that in our 600 seat proscenium theater, our audience is at least 30 feet away. Click photo to enlarge:


*ALL MILLIE PROPS HAVE SINCE BEEN SOLD TO ANOTHER SCHOOL. SORRY.

Vintage 16mm Film Camera

I have an old 16mm camera in my prop room. It's rather heavy, but it has a great look to it. Here is a picture of it. Notice the dollar bill to show you the size of the camera. There is also an 8mm home movie camera shown. (Click pics to enlarge).


This is the other side of the 16mm camera. It has a hand strap on the bottom and a cool film-winding crank on the side.


Dana Lowell
Designer - Sloan Theatre

Highly Stylized Throne Chair

Click photo to enlarge:
This is a scene from the world debut of the youth version of Starmites the Broadway musical called "Starmites Lite". I designed the set and lights here at Sloan Theatre. Look at Diva's throne room turntable upstage-right. You will see the cool science-fiction/fantasy style chair.

Here is the chair as it looked when I rented it from Triad Sceneshop. It was very dirty and very rusty. But you could tell someone put a lot of time into welding it together, possibly for a Shakespeare play. It came without a swivel base, so I built one out of one of my lighting booms.

I cleaned it up and spray painted it chrome color. When I returned the chair to Triad Sceneshop, I decided to include my boom base. However, if you use this chair, be sure you U-bolt the base to a platform like I did, or the chair might tip over.

Here, the manual turntable is revolving to reveal Diva and her Banchees in her throne room. You can see the throne behind her. (Click photo to enlarge it).

Please don't call me about this sci-fi/fantasy throne, it is stored in the Triad Sceneshop furniture storage room. Thanks, Dana

Giant pretzels

And they look delicious! Oversized pretzels with sequins on them to make them sparkly. They were originally used in "The Producers." I'll give them to you in exchange for a couple of tickets to see your show. (It's not like I have a need for huge fake pretzels.)

If you don;'t make too many cruel comments, I'll post the photo of them backstage. (I don't have an actualy action shot of them on stage - dang!)

"Rock" barbell

Exactly what it sounds like - 2 big fake rocks on a stick that we used as a barbell in "Once Upon a Mattress." If you want it, it's yours to keep! (No take backs. There's not enough room in our garage to keep this kind of thing.) And it's FREE! (But it would be really nice if you offered me 2 tickets to see your show. Just sayin...)

"Bamboo" Bench

I bought this interesting faux-bamboo bench at Garden Ridge because I thought it was perfect for Anna's bedroom in "The King and I", (Click photo below):
But then I painted the legs gold and used it in more of a Deco setting in "Thoroughly Modern Millie", (below):
***I donated this bench to Triad Stage Sceneshop.  You can rent it from them.