Posted by Flashbulb Member Riaan Smit

Riaan Smit, Prop Hunter Extraordinaire 

I do love Sam Shepard. Man can that guy write a great story! But, boy can he get colorful with the relics and curios that fill his plays props lists. He holds no quarter when it comes to A Lie of the Mind. When I say this play has props, I mean it has a boatload of props! I don’t see myself as so much of a prop builder. I am not the handiest man around, but I can sure be crafty and resourceful. I am a prop-hunter. Like Indiana Jones, I hunt the internet and the streets of New York for treasures the script demands. My quests have taken me to the most bizarre corners of Etsy, and lofty towers that house the Irish Embassy. There are many challenges a prop-hunter most face, a limited budget, very specific artistic visions, and that looming shadow over all mortal souls, time. But, a good prop-hunter above all else, never gives up. He rises to the occasion when these forces come to bear against him. He stares that price tag dead in the zeros and he says, “I’ll find a way”. A GREAT prop-hunter however, recognizes his limitations, and knows that two prop-hunters are better than one. For a production of this magnitude, it is a necessity. Together we have overcome hurdles that would have left us both lying flat on our faces if we were to take them on alone. The finish line is close, and we are keeping a great pace to finish victorious! See on opening night, December 5th!