Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Prop Making

Beckie’s prop making skills are founded from her varied background, ranging from working in the art world to welding at her father’s garage. In earlier years she worked with a number of installation artists; Plunge Club, Spit the Fluff out Sister, (London) Fine Rats (Birmingham). She then worked as Stage management and propmaker for a number of years including four summers with the outdoor theatre company Midsommer Actors. She has learnt to use diverse materials that will be suitable for outdoor as well as indoor shows.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Riding Lights

Riding Lights Theatre Company worked in partnership with York Theatre Royal in 2007 on their production of ‘African Snow’. The horrific mask is a replica of a 19century slave mussel worn on the ships by the cook so they could not ‘steal’ any of the food they prepared. It was sculpted and cast with silicone and made out of resin and leather.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Children's Shows

The clouds, rocks and leaves on the tree were made for York Theatre Royal’s 2008 production of ‘The Rabbit and the Hedgehog’ using polystyrene, wire and soft fabrics. As well as being their propmaker, Beckie also painted the set and backdrop. Other children’s theatre productions Beckie worked on were ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ 2007. Shown here is one of her props- the giant cotton reel. Also shown is the frog puppet made for Nick Lane’s ‘Snow White’ in 2005 and used again in his ‘Red Riding Hood’ 2006.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Northern Broadsides

The plate of fish was for Northern Broadside’s 2006 production of ‘A man with two Gaffers’. The fish were lined so that real food could be put inside and safely eaten and washed out each night. The food is a mixture of latex, plastazote and soft fabrics. The trifle and fish bones were also for this production. The wooden crucifix was for a Northern Broadsides earlier production of Merry Wives of Windsor.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

The Railway Children

The food and cakes were props for The Railway Children, first performed in 2008 at York’s Railway Museum, produced by York Theatre Royal. Beckie also painted on the huge set which was designed by Joanna Scotcher and replicated a Victorian railway station.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Equus

The horse head masks were made for York Theatre Royal’s 2009 production of Equus, directed by Julian Ollive and designed by Lydia Denno. They were made from a mixture of leatherette, aluminium armature wire, leather and variform as they had to be light and cool enough to wear onstage and stable enough to do movement pieces in.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Cinderella

York Theatre Royal’s 2006/2007 pantomime. The bi plane was made mostly from polystyrene and was for David Leonards entrance as the baddie Barnoness Von Pratt in Cinderella. He carried its’ weight on his shoulders so it had to be lightweight and durable. It also housed a battery as the propeller spun round. The barometer was carved wood with a painted face, while the dressing on Cinderella’s coach was mostly fabric upholstered, stitched and the ever trusty glue gun.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Sinbad

York Theatre Royal’s 2007 pantomime. The Amulet was made for Sinbad. It contained magnets to hold it together once the two halves were ‘reunited’ in the story. The kitchen implements were made from foam and plastazote and were to be attached to one of Berwick Kaler’s costumes.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

York Theatre Royal Various

The space helmets were made for ‘Bouncers’ 2007 at York Theatre Royal. The kitchen sink backpack for ‘Jack and Beanstalk’ the 2001 York Theatre Royal pantomime. The lined, wooden sword box was made by Beckie for Les Liaison Dangereuses, York Theatre Royal 2001 and was made from Mdf , metal clasps and lined with velvet. She also painted the prop box.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

New Vic Theatre

The upholstered window seat, salad and the two tree trunks were all for the New Vic Theatre where Beckie worked as propmaker and scenic artist on Toad of Toad Hall and The Wizard of Oz'.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Early Work

The Tepees and costumes were for Midsommer actor’s outdoor promenade production of ‘As You Like It’ 1995 and Beckie also made hats and costumes for their 1995 production of ‘Hound Of the Baskervilles’. The donkey mask was for Midsommer Actor’s 1997 ‘Midsommer Nights Dreame’ made out of resin, leather and dressed with leaves to camouflage it. The scene was in the woods- on some nights the camouflage would work a little too well as we would hunt for ages to retrieve the head after the scene had finished. Daisy the cow was a college project and the street lamps were for ‘Saturday Night’ at the Bridewell Theatre.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Into The Woods

Two puppets were made for the Regent's Park Theatre 2010 summer season production of 'Into The Woods'directed by Timothy Sheader and Liam Steel. The puppets were designed by Rachael Canning who also designed and made the Giant for this production. The puppets were a chicken made from 'found objects' running on an old push lawnmower and a cow who was on her last legs; part skeletal, part driftwood. See her in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYvq_pDcVbw

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Corum Boy

The replica newborn skulls were modelled and cast in resin for York Theatre Royal's 2010 production of 'Corum Boy'. They were to looked aged as they had been buried for at least eight years. A propmaker's dream. The show was designed by Lydia Denno and Catherine Chapman.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Bagpuss

Birmingham Stage company's production of Bagpuss at Soho Theatre. The ballet shoe was an oversized version at 300mm in which the mice puppets 'rowed' across stage. The stilton cheese was to have a soft top and be hollow so the mice could hide in it. This was 500mm high.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Jack and the Beanstalk

Berwick Kaler's 2010 version at York Theatre Royal. Beckie made the UV puppets stars and moon, the smaller chicken puppet and cage and 'Damian' the Meerkat puppet

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Lord of the Flies

The boar was made for Regents Park Open Air Theatre's 2011 production of Lord of the Flies and designed by Jon Bausor. It had a detatchable head and open stomach from which its 'guts' could be pulled.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

My Family and other Animals

My Family and other Animal's adapted for stage by writer Janys Chambers and directed by Damian Cruden. Most of the animals in the production were to be played by puppets. Set costume and puppets were designed by Jane Linz Roberts. First performed at York Theatre Royal in 2011. A variery of style of puppet was used; marionette, rod and wheeled depending on the animal. Look North filmed Beckie for this show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6Yb4GdpZg

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

The Knife That Killed Me

A dead pitbull's head for the 2012 film based on the Anthony McGowan book, designed by Catherine Chapman and directed and writen by Marcus Romer and Kit Monkman. It had to have a moveable jaw. A combination of sculpting, casting and mixed media

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

The Feathered Ogre

Mask/headdress for the 2012 tour of the Feathered Ogre performed by English Touring Opera. Designed by Catherine Chapman

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Alnwick Castle Project/Paragon Creative

Installation work used at Alnwick Castle for Paragon Creative 2012

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

His Dark Materials

York Theatre Royal’s Youth Theatre produced ‘His Dark Materials’ late in 2012 using a lot of the original puppets designed and made by ‘Blind Summit’. A couple were missing so Beckie made ‘Ratter’the rat, the mouse puppet and a new puppet chameleon to complete the set.

Props | Scenic Art | Castings | Soft Props

Robin Hood and his Merry Mam

York Theatre Royals pantomime this year was Robin Hood and his Merry Mam designed by Charlie Cusick Smith and Phil R Daniels. Beckie started early on panto this year helping with the scene painting as well as making some buckles, badges adapting headdresses for the busy costume/wardrobe department. The major prop makes included the Olympic torch, made of fabric to match one of Ella J Kidd’s fantastic millinery creations, an oversized book with a hidden mechanism and pop out arrow and a huge cake to resemble the beautiful soaps in window of the Yorkshire Soap Company

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Riding Lights Props
Childrens shows
Northern broadsides
Railway children
Equus
Cinderella
Sinbad
York Theatre Royal
New Vic Theatre
Older shows
Into the Woods
Corum Boy
Bagpuss
panto
boar
puppets
pitbull
opera
paragon
dark materials
robinhood
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    Prop Making Home Page

  • Riding Lights

    Riding Lights

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    Children's Shows

  • northern broadsides

    Northern Broadsides

  • railway children

    The Railway Children

  • Equus

    Equus

  • Cinderella

    Cinderella

  • Sinbad

    Sinbad

  • Various York Theatre Royal

    York Theatre Royal

  • New Vic Theatre

    New Vic Theatre

  • Early work

    Older shows

  • Into the Woods

    Into the Woods

  • Corum Boy

    Corum Boy

  • bagpuss

    Bagpuss

  • panto

    Jack and the Beanstalk

  • boar

    Lord of the Flies

  • My Family

    My Family and Other Animals

  • Pitbull

    The Knife That Killed Me

  • Feathered Ogre

    The Feathered Ogre

  • Alnwick

    Alnwick Castle/Paragon Creative

  • dark materials

    His Dark Materials

  • My Family

    Robin Hood and his Merry Mam