Church Basement Ladies
Prop Master / Scenic Painter
September 2022 - October 2022
Church Basement Ladies is a show very heavy in the prop department, especially with props resembling food. The 'Bars' played a large role throughout the show as the ladies were always utilizing them to keep busy. I constructed them by fitting a piece of foam to a 9x13 aluminum pan to make sure the size is accurate. I then cut each foam sheet into 6 pieces, making sure to keep them in the same spot so they fit back in the pan. finished by painting each piece to look light a brownie with the lighter sides resembling crust, and darker sides to show the fudgy center.
The most difficult prop to create was the wedding cake featured in the final scenes of the show. When doing my research, I discovered pillar wedding cakes and knew I wanted to create one. I began with three different-sized styrofoam cake rounds that I covered in spackle. While the spackle was still wet, I inserted three PVC pipes into the bottom layer, then stacked the two smaller layers on top. Once the spackle was dry, I filled a piping bag with joint compound and piped the fine details on, similar to how you would traditionally decorate a cake. After the cake dried, I covered it using white satin spray paint to give the frosting effect.
Once the cake was completed, I spray-painted a wooden circle using a white gloss color, then added a pink ribbon around the edge to match the color of the ribbon on the bouquet. After the cake was fully assembled I decided to add fake pink roses that were lightly sprayed with the satin white color to tie everything together.
During Act I, the ladies refer to their cooking bible "The Joy of Butter" and utilize it during one of the dance numbers. I created this by taking a thick phone book and attaching pieces of cardboard to the front and back covers, as well as the spine, to give the appearance of a hard-covered book. I then painted the title and a picture of butter on the front and spine.
Lefse is a potato flatbread, similar to a tortilla, that is referenced multiple times during Act I. In order to create this I cut foam sheets into circles, then painted them a very pale brown. After the paint dried, I used a sponge to apply a darker shade of brown to give them a cooked appearance
To create the lunch meat, I cut yellow foam sheets into squares to serve as American cheese. I then cut more foam sheets into ovals and painted them different shades of pink to represent ham and turkey.
The Krumkake cookies were especially fun to make. I started by taking felt sheets that were pre-colored a warm brown and painted a cross-hatch pattern in a darker brown. I then cut each sheet into squares and rolled them to form cones. I glued the free end down to make sure they did not unravel, then glued them together to prevent them from being thrown around onstage.
During the opening number, the director wanted Signe to be making meatballs onstage. Since the bowl they were in was not transparent, it was decided to have them pre formed. They were created using salt dough that was rolled into balls, then baked in the oven for a few minutes to harden the outer edge. I used multiple shades of pink, brown, and some green to give them the raw meat appearance.
One of the gags during the show is the lasagna that the pastor's wife makes, so I decided to make it look odd and slightly unappealing. I started by fitting a piece of foam to a 9x13 pan and painted it red, leaving the center unpainted. While the red was still wet I painted the center a cream color and slightly blended the edges to give the melted cheese effect. I finished by sponging some brown all over it to give it a cooked appearance.
On the cabinets, I used the technique used on the floor for The Odd Couple set, but instead of waiting for each layer to dry, I painted them immediately after the first was finished to create a softer effect. The goal when creating the floor was to make it look like linoleum. We went with white and blue checkered tiles and added muted blue and gray colors with a sponge to give it a dingy look. The walls were based a very light yellow. Once they were dry I added water to a darker yellow and used a dish sponge to paint the walls to add some texture.
