Morgan Yeates
Technical Director and Properties Artisan
Animals
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Plautus Turtle
The first step with this turtle was to create the legs and head; I created a positive out of Plasticine and then created a plaster mold. I used super flexible silicon to cast the head and legs. It is very challenging to paint silicone when you do not have any silicone paint, my solution for this was to completely spray the entire silicon piece with Spray Mount 77 and let it dry over night. After it dried I was able to paint the pieces with acrylic paint and did not have any problem with it peeling off. The final step was to install the Servo motor, power pack, and receiver in the turtle shell. Once this was complete we had a turtle that moved its head throughout the show.
Chicken
This chicken was created with a ten dollar budget. The internal frame was created with Popsicle sticks, batting, and wood glue. The frame was then covered with turkey feathers. The head and legs were made out of air dry modeling clay that was wrapped around wire so it could be attached to the frame.
Cat
This prop was made for a German Expressionistic play; the director wanted it to have the face of a human and the body of a cat. I found an old stuffed animal and created a humanistic face for the cat out of air dry modeling clay. The cat also had to be dropped onto the lower level and "walk" off stage. The way this was accomplished was to sew lead weight into the feet and it was pulled offstage by a fishing line lead that was tied to it.
Bird
This bird was made of sticks and pine needles that I found on the ground outside. It was a gift that a man made for a woman out of thing he found in the forest.
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