JACKSON BERKLEY

In October 2023, I was commissioned to fabricate a set of new props for the upcoming regional tour of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. The package included a set of a dozen resin tea cups with saucers, a matching tea pot, a pair of large gold pocket watches, a pair of headphones, and a set of modular, record-filled milk crates that would frame the show’s DJ booth.

Nutcracker is a dance show, so all of the props had to be light and ergonomic, and be able to withstand falls and vicious movement. During the process of designing and fabricating the package, I shared progress photos and received notes remotely from the director, Jenn Webber, who was already on tour with the show.

For the tea set, we virtually auditioned several tea cups, saucers, and tea pots that I sourced from Amazon; once Jenn made a selection, I began the process of creating silicone molds for each item, then casted them out of white resin. I also used a resin cast for the pocket watches; for the DJ booth, I sourced free/cheap records from local vendors, and hired my colleague Erick to add scenic treatments before I began creating modular units via magnets that the SM team could easily set up while on tour.

The casting process was arduous and messy, but I was very pleased with the results once it came time to ship off the finished products.

Other notable moments from this project included: designing a custom “Land o’ Sweets” logo for the tea cups, then cutting into a stencil with my Silhouette machine; sourcing 90s boom boxes and speaker components from Ebay and local vendors; staying up all night on my roof, alternatingly pouring molds and applying coats of spray paint; receiving a crash course on the properties of various casting mediums; converting my Queens apartment into a prop shop for almost a month.