How Long Island high school theater crews seek out the perfect props 

The recent Malverne High School production of "Shrek" had its share of stars, including three swamp ogres of different ages. But there was a moment when something, not someone, took a star turn.

A 9-foot-long purple dragon puppet, with six performers operating it, flew around the outdoor stage while a performer voicing the dragon sang "Forever," from Shrek The Musical. 

"It’s a prop because actors operate it," says David Coonan, 42, an English teacher at Malverne's Howard T. Herber Middle School who directed the Aug. 16 show. "A prop, by definition, is something an actor handles. An extended definition is perhaps a piece of set dressing."

While theater is a standard part of education, preparing props — especially for big school musicals — can be a big part of school shows, involving teams who track down, borrow, rent and build. Malverne’s "Shrek" had 26 actors and about 150 props.

"We go through the script and see what’s necessary," Coonan says. "We come up with additional props or set design features."

Getting from conception to stage is a process, sometimes months long. 

PROP TEAMS

John Shorter, 72, taught theater arts at Manhasset High School, directing more than 60 productions over 30 years before retiring in the early 2000s. He started Ronkonkoma-based Prop Rentals New York about 12 years ago, growing it to about 5,000 props. Shorter works on 30-40 Long Island school productions and with over 100 schools nationwide each school year.

"It’s always a combination of things you create yourself and things you can find," Shorter says. "Schools don’t have a lot of storage space. They can create something. Then they usually have to get rid of it."

Lisa Levenberg, 55, of Hauppauge, a music teacher at General Douglas MacArthur High School and Jonas E. Salk Middle School, both in Levittown, typically directs four shows a year in her school district.

"I put a lot of importance on detail," Levenberg says. "The kids love having things that are authentic or that add to the look of the show. They take a lot of pride as do I. They want the show to look as professional as possible."

She says she has "a great team," but students help with props and bond in the course of productions.

"They’re like a little family, the students involved in the show," Levenberg says. "They’re supportive of each other and look forward to coming to rehearsals."

Coralie Alissa Mitton, 16, a junior at Malverne High School and Lakeview resident, has performed in and helped with props in various shows, including assisting with props for "Shrek."

"Props are a major but unnoticed part of a production," Mitton says. She goes through scripts to find props needed when and by whom, tracking them for each scene. What happens backstage, she adds, impacts what happens on stage.

"I started working with props my first years of being backstage because I felt like well-managed props could really reduce the amount of mistakes and chaos," she says, "and a smooth run cannot happen if organization backstage isn't there."

PROP CREATION IS ON

Putting together props is part scavenger hunt and part arts and crafts project. Schools sometimes find items on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, Shorter says. "They don’t always have time to search for everything they need," he adds.

Jacqueline Coonan, props mistress, set painter and a social studies teacher at Howard T. Herber Middle School, helps find, make and rent props. "I personally gravitate more toward the ‘imaginative’ shows, because they test how far my artistic skills, ingenuity and creativity can take me," she says.

David Coonan, married to Jacqueline,  says they begin assembling props in October for upcoming shows including "Once Upon a Mattress: Youth Edition" in January and a show to be determined for early March. He says Jacqueline leads a process that expands to students she "supervises and trusts with the creation of these pieces."

Levenberg is gearing up to start assembling props for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" Nov. 21-23 at MacArthur. The middle school is doing "Matilda Jr." Jan. 9-10. "We try to have everything ready to go two weeks before," Levenberg says.

Props often include out-of-the-ordinary items. Jacqueline made cutouts, signs, puppets and a backdrop for "Shrek" and created a "Seussical" set designed to look like a Dr. Seuss book.

Shannon Duryea, 45, a Wantagh resident, teaching assistant in the Levittown school district and parent of three children in the district and one who graduated, has made elaborate props.

"Art has always been my background and something I enjoy," Duryea says. "Being a parent, I see how much excitement my children get out of it. And I enjoy working with all the students."

She helped make a graveyard for "The Addams Family Musical" and mobile Christmas trees for "Elf," which she says both actors and students enjoyed.

"The kids get excited about being able to use props. It helps them bring the story to life," Duryea says. "When they feel good and are excited, the audience responds better to them."

For the safari scene in "Mean Girls," Duryea adapted painted cardboard, papier-mâché, and foam board masks she had made for "The Lion King."

"She was able to do it, not on the same scale as Broadway, but they looked fantastic," Levenberg says. "We couldn’t find anything to buy. She was able to make them."

HUNTING DOWN THE DETAILS

Mindful of show budgets, Duryea got people on Facebook Marketplace to donate objects for "Elf." "Once people found out it was for students for the shows, they were more willing to part with items," Duryea says.

"Annie" productions typically require candlestick phones, laundry carts and period wooden desks, which Shorter has. "The Addams Family Musical" productions rent crossbows and a bird that flaps its wings. Shorter has a prop motorcycle for "All Shook Up" and a Greased Lightning car for "Grease."

He provides razors that squirt blood and a barber chair for "Sweeney Todd" and printing presses, unique newspapers and old-fashioned cameras for "Newsies."

"Beauty and the Beast" productions typically include a rose that drops a petal via remote control on cue. "Schools all over the country rent that from us," Shorter says of mechanical roses with 21-inch-high domes. "We have a whole set of plants made of fabric and frames for ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’"

Shorter says thrones are popular, but all props need to be durable. "I look for things that are sturdy," he says. "I want to make sure it can take the wear and tear of kids."

David Coonan stores cleats, cups, fake flowers, books and other objects, renting to match props to time periods such as 1930s telephones for "Anything Goes."

"Being able to rent large items saves us a tremendous amount of time and money and it makes our shows look more professional," he says. "Every show, I rent multiple items. It really supplements what we can find and make."

Props aren’t just objects, but a means of telling stories along with dialogue, music, costumes and set.

"If a prop is used properly, it’s another piece of the storytelling," David says. "When we come down to production time, the students take over and make sure the props are where they need to be."