The Astana Opera Prop Shop talks about the difference between an ordinary ceramic or glass jug and a jug created by prop makers and why it is sometimes impossible to use real objects in a performance, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
An important rule in creating props is that the props must be durable and as lightweight as possible, and Astana Opera knows all the secrets to achieve the set goals. Interesting things are created here: from simple masks to the armour of batyrs and knights, from cups to intricate goblets, from daggers to firing cannons, and much, much more.
“I would say that the largest prop shop in the country is ours at Astana Opera. The shop craftsmen are always on the lookout for innovations, mastering new achievements in the field of stage equipment, the use of various technologies and new materials. They have already mastered many technologies of artistic processing of materials, in particular, papier-mâché, embossing, clay modeling, wood carving, painting, and sculpture. The lively imagination of young employees and the advice of experienced craftsmen contribute to the professional and active work of the shop,” Raikhan Kokilanova, head of the Astana Opera Prop Shop, who has about 40 years of experience working with props, said.
In ancient times, when the first theatre was opened in Greece, the warriors’ broken armor was collected, restored and used in the performances.
“It may seem ridiculous, but sometimes we work with ‘garbage’,” Raikhan Kokilanova said. “In rare cases, our employees bring old things from home to the shop, thereby giving them a ‘second life’. Certainly, we order the necessary materials for manufacturing, but it also happens that you can also use your unique item,” the head of the shop said.
In the work of all the opera house workshops, it is important to comply with the designers’ sketches and reflect the historical era, to ‘reconstruct’ real household items, costumes of the time presented in the productions. This is facilitated by the study of relevant literature, old photographs and paintings. For example, if a set designer or stage director says that a sword needs to be made for a performance, the shop staff will clarify whether this sword will be functional. It is very important whether the main character gets it out of its sheath during the performance or not. What material it will be made of will depend on this. For example, it can be made of a thin sheet of titanium, the lightest in weight, so that the sword will not hang very low and not drag the entire costume down or restrict movement.
“The more difficult the task before us, the more interesting it is to work. Here we show ourselves in a new way, doing what we love. As the opera house’s repertoire expands and we prepare for new productions, we improve. “What the eyes fear, the hands do,” Raikhan Kokilanova said. Set designers give the craftsmen the opportunity to show their imagination. As noted above, the technology for creating props is carried out according to the set designers’ sketches and the approved scheme of the future production. The props are usually ready a few weeks before the premiere, so that there is time to make additions and corrections and to use them in the rehearsal process.
The shop also does the repairs of props from the productions from the current repertoire. The prop makers work closely with the opera house’s restoration and scenic shop and participate in the final execution of large set elements.
In addition, senior students from the capital’s art universities have internships in Astana Opera’s workshops, and the most talented, promising young guys stay here to work.
To date, 10 prop makers work in the prop shop. In particular, Yerzat Yelshibayev, Gulbaram Kapusheva, Nurbolat Nurmangaliyev, Madiyar Mukishev, Aigerim Rakhmatulina, Rauana Ramazanova, Makhabbat Sarbayeva, Inkar Akhmetova, Askar Manarbek, Dagys Baidol – they are all professionals in their field. A number of them have already proven themselves not only in the opera house, in Kazakhstan, but also abroad.
“I would like to add to the aphorism “The theatre begins with a hanger” that not only artists and stage directors take part in the work on the production, but also invisible warriors, that is, us prop makers. Now everyone will know this,” the head of the prop shop Raikhan Kokilanova summarized.
