It’s Creative Careers Week and we are talking to Scottish Opera staff to hear all about their career paths and love of working in the arts. Marian Colquhoun, Head of Props at Scottish Opera, tells us how she arrived in her dream job.
I didn’t actually study art at all at school and in fact, I was told that I had no aptitude or talent for it! Until I was about sixteen, I was convinced that I wanted to study music professionally. However, I was far too shy to be a performer and so I became attracted to the idea of working backstage in the theatre. For a very long time I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do backstage.
I studied Joint Honours Scottish Literature and Theatre Studies at Glasgow University. Whilst there, I volunteered backstage on several University productions and loved the practical, artistic nature of the work. I went on to study a BA in Technical and Production Art at the RSC and became completely obsessed with Prop Making. I then moved to London where I worked for a wide range of Prop Making Studios and West End theatre companies before moving into Opera at the The Royal Opera House and English National Opera. I was in London for eight years before I was given my dream job of creating a Props Department at Scottish Opera.
There really isn’t a typical or a predictable day working in a Props Department - no two days are ever the same. Every morning without doubt I look at the Props List for the next show and have a little panic! I then look at the list of props makes and check in with my Prop makers to make sure that they are happy and confident in what they are doing and that they have all the materials they need for what they are making. I meet with my Stage team to make sure that we are successfully managing the prop requirements coming out of the stage rehearsals. I also work closely with the Designer and the rest of the Scottish Opera workshops to ensure we are realising the stage design ideas correctly. I spend much of the rest of my day attending rehearsals, buying and sourcing props and managing the hiring/borrowing of props from our own stores.
Being a Prop Maker requires many skills including sculpting, mould making, painting, metal work, sewing, carpentry, fibre glassing, upholstery work, dyeing and photoshop skills.
I love that no two productions are ever the same and that I am constantly being challenged by whatever design content we are being asked to produce for the stage. We are learning with every new prop asked of us and we grow as a team with the experience of every set of rehearsals we enter into. This can be exciting and scary at the same time. The best thing about my job is watching my team flourish as their talent and confidence grows with each new production.
My favourite thing that I have ever made is a giant teapot and saucer from the Royal Ballet’s Alice and Wonderland which was designed by Bob Crowley. The Scottish Opera Props team are always making incredible Props, my current favourite being a Candy Floss forest for this year’s Elfingrove. The Queen’s fairy head pictured is a costume prop that was made for Sir David McVicar’s Falstaff. It was originally sculpted in clay, moulded and vac formed in plastic to make it lightweight. It was fabricated and painted before it was finished with the addition of hair and costume pieces.
My advice for anyone wanting a career in Prop Making, or any creative industry, is to take the time to learn your craft thoroughly and be prepared to work harder than you thought possible. At college we were taught that talent is not something you are born with but something that comes from hard work and practice. Be curious, be prepared to keep learning and most importantly believe in yourself.
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