From couches to handbags, all the Walnut’s props are finally home

Props to the Walnut Street Theatre! America’s oldest theater, founded in 1809, bought the location they’ve rented at 3340 Frankford Avenue to house its Scenic and Properties Shop. They hope to expand the shop and make it a production center to serve the greater Philadelphia performing arts community.

“We look forward to the possible future collaborations this additional space creates within the local artistic community,” said Walnut president and producing artistic director Bernard Havard.

Slipping into something more comfortable

The property is 85,000 square feet, and owning it means permanence for this important part of the theater. The company originally housed its Scene Shop in what was once horse stables at 953 North Front Street (from 1984 to 1996), then moved to the Frankford Arsenal (through 2007). Since then, the Props Shop has been in its current location, but took up much less room (the wardrobe department was in the theater’s Walnut Street home, but will now move to the larger space as well).

“We were quickly outgrowing our space as our productions got bigger, and as we did more and more, we needed more space,” said production manager Joel Markus. “We were kind of bursting at the seams at the Prop Shop.”

New partnerships

The theater has shared its resources with other companies for years and plans to expand its efforts. The theater also hopes to rent space to other nonprofit performing arts organizations in the region.

“We rent to theaters now as best we can,” Markus said. “We try to do it affordably. We know theaters don’t have resources. We’re interested in collaborating with theaters and storing their stuff. We’re trying to make it a community.”

Markus said it will be beneficial to centralize the stage properties collection and set construction. “We’ll be able to see our inventory better,” he said.

Sofas to underwear

And how much inventory is there?

“It’s impossible to count. We have everything – not only suits and dresses and shoes, but handbags, undergarments, and stuff like that. We’ve got it all,” he said.

That happens when saving and reusing items is a priority. What isn’t saved, like scenery, is sold or given to other theaters and organizations. “Sometimes we do a modern show and sometimes a period show. Musicals are a whole different beast,” he said. “So we accumulate, but we reuse when we can. It helps everybody when we reuse.”

In addition to reusing items, Markus said a goal is to organize the inventory electronically. “That way, if somebody calls for a sofa, we can send them not only colors and dimensions, but digital images,” he said. It will also make it easier to sort items and find them quickly.

When asked if he ever wore anything from the Prop Shop (as in many cases, theater professionals perform several functions, including performer), he said he hasn’t, but “I do wear many hats.”

And he can now do so, literally and figuratively, with ease.