Detailed Prop List

Basic Set:

White Pop-up Pavillions as Wings.

Curtains/Veils:

Dark blue or purple back curtain behind the Shell Throne.

Altar: low, white, simple Plinth style . Construction thoughts: Use a conference table as the base for this. Make a cardboard cover for the top and front, and supporting legs. Paint cardboard/top and legs gray, then use sponge in blue/black/pink/yellow to make marbled effect (as we did in Forum). Make sure the table is strong enough to hold Venus' body after Mercury kills her.

Before the altar are rugs, pillows, cushions, low benches, etc.

Incense burners:

Side tables: two on each table. Light just before audience is seated; put amber, frankincense, and celtic woods incense in the burner as the music starts for the overture.
Ready for the altar -- large incense burner with several pieces of charcoal in it. should be lit backstage at the end of the prelude so it can be on the altar at the beginning of the second act.

Candles/candlelabra:

Side tables: Food service should be lit by candle-light if at all possible. Several multi-branched candelabra if possible. Use Pat's deer lantern, others.
Center altar: One large pillar candle, rose or blue in color but no fragrance except perhaps beeswax. Check with Williams candles in Diamond Springs to see what they have. (Note: Long's Drugs has exactly what we need.)

Roses:

On the main altar in Part 1. Several arrangements, perhaps a rope of roses.
Crown of roses and jasmine for Venus's hair for parts 1 & 2
Small arrangements of roses and jasmine on the food tables
See also Venus's staff.

Audience is seated on low benches, pillows, beanbag chairs, etc., close enough to one another to be a group, but separated enough for the food servers and actors to move among them and interact with them.

Against the sides of the room, on tables covered with white tablecloths, platters of finger food (chocolate, brownies, lemon bars, dried fruit, divinity, etc.) are set, covered with white napkins. Also are pitchers of wine, plastic wine glasses, jugs of lemonade, etc.

Prelude:

"Royal" Chair in which Venus can sit to open the play. (If the venue doesn't have one, we can use one of Pat's dining room chairs.)

Staff of SOL: at least 5' high, gilt with a solar disk on top. Disk should be covered with gold holographic wrapper/paper, with a focused spot on it to make it gleam and sparkle. Construction thoughts: Use a 5' dowel or closet rod, painted. Perhaps we can use the shower-curtain-rod Pat has. Bird-Scare topper? Foam Core Is Your Friend.

Probationer Sashes: Gold (use one of the metallic synthetics, 2 yards per probationer. Probationer togas/chitons should have a loop on the shoulder to thread the sashes through, to keep them from falling off and being awkward.)

Part 1:

Venus's Throne: An oyster shell, as in the Botticelli picture. [Construction notes: We could make a quite nice one using a lawn chair as a base and a big sheet of cardboard. I was also considering getting a circle chair from one of the thrift shops and using it. Also considering making a "fan" from a sheet.]

Staff of VENUS: at least 5' high, gilt, with jasmine and roses entwined upon the whole length and rose, blue, and green ribbons fluttering from the top. Construction thoughts: use a dowel or closet rod, or perhaps one of the shower-curtain rods Pat has. Real Roses and jasmine if at all possible.

Altar Dressing: Rose, blue, or green pillar candle. Incense bowl with charcoal; myrtle & amber incense; roses in vases (see above for construction and detail notes)

Candles and incense: on the side tables, candles should be lit by stagehands during the blackout just before scene opens.

Probationer Sashes: Irridescent rose, blue, and green (same construction as gold ones, use something really cheap from Jo-ann's discount table)

Food and drink to serve

Part 2:

Staff of TAURUS/MERCURY: at least 5' high, Caduceus at top. Construction thoughts: Use a 5' dowel or closet rod, painted. Rubber snakes?

Fake Knife for Taurus to kill Venus with.

Probationer Sashes: Orange; in a tidy pile behind Venus' throne to be handed out later.

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