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MY SPACE<br />
.............................<br />
Paul Brown<br />
Head of Props and Scenic Workshop, Glyndebourne<br />
I’ve been Head of Props for<br />
15 years. It’s a position you<br />
keep hold of – there have only<br />
been six of us since the Glyndebourne<br />
Festival started in<br />
1934. But until this year, there<br />
was a big problem we had to<br />
deal with: there wasn’t enough<br />
space to do all the things we<br />
needed to do.<br />
That’s not an issue anymore,<br />
because the company has just<br />
had a state-of-the-art production<br />
hub built on site, and the<br />
whole of the bottom floor is<br />
dedicated to our department.<br />
We now have more than three<br />
times the space we used to<br />
have and the whole process has<br />
become much more efficient.<br />
We make stuff. Or rather we<br />
make, source, adapt and buy in<br />
all the stage props and scenery<br />
needed for the shows. And<br />
with all the Tour shows as well<br />
as the six Festival operas every<br />
season, that’s up to nine a year.<br />
And it’s not just the current<br />
season we’re thinking of. As<br />
well as working on repairs and<br />
maintenance for current shows,<br />
we’re planning two years in<br />
advance for future events. Each<br />
one has a different director<br />
and different designers, and we<br />
have to adapt to their different<br />
ways of working. It’s a good<br />
challenge to have.<br />
There’s no end to the<br />
variety of props we deal<br />
with, from huge things like<br />
giant chandeliers, period cars<br />
or three-metre-high peacocks,<br />
to tiny details like sugar-tongs<br />
and plastic ice cubes. The main<br />
eye-catcher in the assembly<br />
room as we speak is a 1940s<br />
Photo by Alex Leith<br />
....89....
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