Open Forum

We are beginning rehearsals for The Man Who Came to Dinner this week, and I'm having little luck coming up with a wheelchair for this production. Anyone have one to rent or have ideas about creating one?  Many thanks!

I was lucky that our local community theatre has one that we use from time to time, but I did look into buying one on Ebay. They are out there. You might also see if there is a prop shop in Ohio. I know that there is one in Chicago and they may be able to rent and ship one. Since it is essential to the show, you may have to spend some money to get one.

Since you're looking for a "period" wheelchair, I'd suggest a prop rental house first, and eBay second. Or, you can try local nursing homes and hospitals, which often have old pieces (sometimes very old pieces) stored somewhere that they just haven't tossed out.

Another possibility is to ask around your community: maybe someone has an old one in the attic or basement that they don't know what to do with. I've seen it happen more than once.  :-)

Call your local colleges and any community theatre with prop storage.  The wooden wheelchair needed for "The Man Who Came to Dinner" was used until WWII, so they show up in a lot of plays.  

If you're looking to purchase instead of rent I'd check vintage thrift stores in your area. You should have, hopefully, one or two that work almost exclusively with vintage materials. We have one here called White Dove and is run through Hospice of the Valley. Maybe check with the local Hospices in your area to see if there is something similar. Good luck!