Props at The Israeli Opera
I created in the props department of the Israeli Opera, first as an intern and then as a full-time prop maker. Working there was a wonderful endeavor. The objects I was able to create and the productions I worked on were beautiful and creatively satisfying. I learned so much from the team and gained incredible experiences and knowledge from my time there. Below is a selection of those props.
Bubble-burping birds, Alice in Wonderland; from simple, blue bubble machines, I created (and helped design) these birds that burp bubbles to inhabit a production for children to see the magic of opera. For Alice, we needed a lot of new props from scratch, so I was able to take ownership of many of the objects we created.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum's flowers, Alice in Wonderland; these flowers were used to play games so one side sticks and the other doesn't. The director knew what he needed the rackets to do, but not what they should look like.
I designed these flowers to match the costumes and fulfill the director's need. Made from badminton rackets, I extended the shafts and turned them into flowers that could volley the designed ball on one side and stick on the other.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, left to right: Flower Pillow, Bottom's Donkey Hooves, Titania's Diva Sunglasses, Black and White Newspaper
The Israeli Opera's version of Midsummer was set in a 1930's film studio. The magical, but period, design required careful and creative design work. I helped design and then created a set of two decorated pillows for Titania in the forest. I took complete ownership of creating Bottom's hooves, which took a few trials to make functional and comfortable hand holds for the soloists. I transformed Titania's sunglasses to finalize her diva look, and I altered a newspaper to make a 1930s-era, black and white New York Times.
A few more props I created for Alice in Wonderland, left to right:
A giant key for a giant door (hand for scale), an extra large sugar cube for the tea party, and a slice of three-layer chocolate cake that makes you grow.
La Cenerentola, the King's scepter
This was my first project with the Israeli Opera, and it taught me to be creative with my source materials for everything I make.
La Bohème, dead flowers
Nabucco, iron chains
?מה עושות האילות - "What do the deer do?" An opera for kids, based on classic Israeli children's songs
I designed and created several headbands for this children's show, including the pictured music notes and clouds and, not pictured, Eiffel Tower and Leaning Tower of Pisa, to help embody the attitude of the songs and enhance the environment of the show.