Fiona MacLeod on hunting through decades of theatrical history for something to take home and love
The National Theatre hosted its first-ever public props sale this month, and being someone who cannot resist the promise of decades of theatrical history going for a bargain, I went along and came home with a genuinely baffling object I still cannot fully identify.
Why This Particular Sale Felt Like Genuinely Unmissable London Culture
The chance to own a small, tangible piece of production history that once sat on an actual National Theatre stage under actual professional lighting felt like exactly the kind of specific, slightly niche thrill I organise entire weekends around.
What The Actual Atmosphere Inside The Sale Was Genuinely Like
Wonderfully chaotic, with fellow theatre obsessives clearly on personal missions, several clutching very specific mental shopping lists while I wandered around with considerably less strategy and considerably more enthusiasm.
What The Mystery Object I Actually Bought Might Possibly Be
Genuinely unclear, some kind of carved wooden implement that could be a prop weapon, a prop tool, or possibly something entirely decorative that simply looked interesting enough to justify the impulse purchase.
Whether I’ve Actually Made Any Progress Identifying What Production This Item Might Have Originally Come From
None whatsoever, though I’ve begun a genuinely committed, low-level investigation involving old production photos and a worrying amount of my own free time.
What This Whole Sale Revealed About The Genuine Appeal Of Owning A Small, Mysterious Fragment Of London’s Theatrical History
Mostly that not knowing exactly what you’ve bought is sometimes half the actual fun, and that this specific object is now permanently, mysteriously part of my flat’s decor regardless of its original purpose. More London culture finds continue at bohiney.com.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
