Props Design

Props and puppets for Fordham Splinter Group's Spring 2025 production of Into The Woods (Props Designer)

Production photos by Sylvia Sonenstein, additional photos taken by me

This production, while also being the most prop-heavy show I had ever worked on thus far, was an opportunity for me to go beyond realism and let my imagination run wild. I leaned hard into the "fairy tale" of it all, with key props being formed literally from the pages of storybooks themselves. Milky White is (in the shape of) two different Jack books, and several other props are made out of pages of the characters' very own tales.

Milky White puppet (performed by Ava Winkelman)

Constructed using foam core, paper, and hot glue.

Jack's hen and golden egg

Constructed from air-dry clay around an aluminum foil center

Feathers were hand-cut and glued from pages of Jack and the Beanstalk

Cinderella's Birds puppet

Paper airplanes from pages of Cinderella, attached to a broom with clear twine. Performed by Kori Dezena-Andrade as the Narrator

(Rehearsal photo)

Single bird puppet

Paper airplane from page of Cinderella, used for scenes with only one bird

Fairy tale flowers

Paper flowers made from the pages of Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Jack and the Beanstalk, respectively

Witch's staff

Constructed from a pre-made staff and fake vine

Brown "replacement" cow

Made of cardboard, cotton cloth, and a small hardcover book, with paint used for detailing

Props for Fordham Splinter Group's Fall 2024 production of Spring Awakening (Props Designer)

School notebooks for the boys

Stickers were hand-drawn with paint marker on blank sticker paper and cut out.

Details on each notebook:

Melchior: David Bowie lightning bolt to match a pin on Moritz' costume
Moritz: scattered mixture of all of the smaller stickers to reflect his frazzledness at the start of the show
Ernst: cat to signify his domestic aspirations, green carnation and lavender as queer symbols
Hanschen: matching green carnation with Ernst, books to represent his academic focus, and small grapes to specifically reflect his interest in classics
Otto: subtle ocean sticker based on Otto's "Touch Me" solo, smileys in consultation with actor
Georg: music- and piano-themed stickers to reflect his musical pursuits

Additional paper props for the production

Props for Fordham Splinter Group's Spring 2024 production of Tuck Everlasting (Props Designer)

Platform used to slide the prop toad on and off stage during scenes (constructed by me)

Props for Fordham Splinter Group's Fall 2023 production of Godspell (Props Designer)

"Turning water to wine" stage magic trick where water and wine (cranberry juice) are scooped out of the same bucket (which started the show upturned) in the same scene

Props for Fordham Splinter Group's Spring 2023 production of 9 to 5 (Co-Props Designer)

This production embraced a retrofuturism aesthetic, which, with our limited budget, was executed through fun patterns and bright pastels throughout the show's design

The "Xerox machine" (designed and constructed by me)