Creating the Toy Soldiers in Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
We spoke with Eric Brown, the Alley Prop Shop Supervisor, about making the toy soldiers and other props for AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. Central to the mystery of this Agatha Christie classic, the toy soldiers greatly contribute to the thrill of Summer Chills! Here’s what Eric had to say.
In the props department, (from start to finish) what does making the props for a show look like? Was making props for And Then There Were None unique in any way?
Our process for each show begins with reading the script and identifying all the furniture, hand props, and set dressing that is specifically called for. We then have conversations with the creative team to understand their vision for the show. We work in conjunction with the scenic designer to determine which pieces will be purchased, which need to be built, and which can come from our stock and be altered. This will vary based on the design of show and by looking at the scope and scale of it alongside our labor and monetary budgets.
Our goal is to have all items available by the start of the rehearsal period, either the actual prop or a similar stand-in. This gives the actors the time they need to work with the props and gives the prop shop the opportunity to react to notes that come out of the rehearsal process.
The build process tends to continue throughout rehearsal and into tech as new discoveries are made.
Can you share some insights into the specific materials and techniques the props team utilizes to create the toy soldiers for And Then There Were None?
We began by creating silicone molds of two different ceramic figurines to determine which one would best fit our needs. From there, we were able to cast the 100+ soldiers needed for the run of the show, primarily using plaster of paris. All of the soldiers were hand painted in our shop before going to stage.
What challenges did you encounter when making the toy soldiers?
Two soldiers need to be able to break during each performance when thrown to the ground. During our first tests, they were not breaking reliably. After troubleshooting and trying a few different methods, our final solution was to cut part way through the soldiers in two locations. This allows them to break reliably and is not visible to the audience.
Are there considerations to creating props that actors need to interact with during performances? How do you ensure both realism and safety in these cases?
Safety is the highest priority when using breakaway props on stage. We need to ensure that the materials used will not be a danger to the actors or audience. For And Then There Were None, we chose to use plaster of paris because it is soft and breaks relatively easily, but does not shatter across a wide distance.
In scenes where actors may handle the toy soldiers, how do you design and construct them to withstand potential mishandling or accidental damage during rehearsals and performances?
Once we determined that only two soldiers needed to break per performance, we decided to create duplicates from a urethane plastic. This material is very strong and does not break easily. We used the same silicone molds to cast these to ensure that all soldiers looked identical. That way, the only soldiers that are breakable are the ones that are meant to break!