MILWAUKEE — Among the hundreds of slightly different chairs, dozens of different styles of cups and a handful of assorted bones and skulls stands the one man in charge of it all. Introducing, Jim Guy.
"It takes peculiar kind of person to be a prop person," Guy said.
He is the properties director at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. He has been a prop master for nearly 40 years, 22 of which have been in Milwaukee.
He's in charge of, "everything that comes on and off into that room that helps tell the story without words."
He's also the president of the international group called Society of Properties Artisan Managers.
While the acting, sound design, lighting and choreography are important, the props used in a show add character and texture that transport the audience and actors into a new world.
"You have to be able to look at an environment not only from a decorative point of view, but you really have to be able to pick it apart. This helps to tell the story this is a distraction."
It's no small feat. There are rarely computer generated special effects, which means Guy is in charge of making the impossible happen.
"We had a show in which there was a giant globe," he said. "It was like an 8 ft. inflatable beach ball, and we had to make that thing deflate in five seconds...We tried popping weather balloons and putting a vacuum on a giant balloon with a special fitting and sucking it back. There was a noise problem with that."
Until finally he came up with an answer.
"Installing the zipper off a scuba diving suit and having it remotely controlled through a series of pulleys… By the time the actor got to the line where the thing was suppose to deflate, it already started to lose form and went down in four seconds."
When everything went better than expected vs. when things got fiery and dangerous. Two tales from a 40 year career as prop master. @MilwRep pic.twitter.com/HOcobDcBTW
— James Groh (@JamesGroh_) September 16, 2019
For all of his success there have been failures too.
"(He) lit the torches up and walked them on stage," said Guy. "The flames got huge and started to work their way down the handles towards unsuspecting actor, and I had to send a stage hand out on stage- the very one that screwed up and made this happen. I sent him out, and he had to put them out with a fire extinguisher."
That's just one of the many mishaps he has experienced. However, that's all part of his job. Errors are expected.
"If they couldn’t make the seven bazillion dollar space shuttle work every time, what chance do we have with our nickel-dime theater budgets?"
That's why with each prop that is built, extensive thought is gone into what happens when the prop fails.
While many are drawn to the bright lights of the stage, Guy has always found his shining moments in his workshop.
"It's about the whole of the production."
He enjoys making it all come to life.
There is a lot to manage as a prop master. Everything from the style of chair to the threading of the pillow have to be specifically picked to make it seem like the actors really are in Victorian England or a 1950's apartment in New York City. Being that meticulous generally requires a long list of props too.
"Prop lists will go anywhere from two-three pages to 21 pages."
Over his 40 year career, he has learned how to manage it, though.
"Sometimes I got to work at which kid was born at which month, but I can pretty much recite a prop list from 10 years ago."
Of course, TODAY'S TMJ4 had to put him to the test with a show from five years ago.
"A little shrine to the guy in Duck Dynasty that had a mallard duck decoy with a bear and a bandana on, and there was a shrine to Dolly Parton."
At the end of the day, it's Guy's props that make the unreal seem real and turn a black and empty stage into a whole new world where anything is possible.
"Props help tell the story without the words."
