We have had to do this a couple of times, most recently for "Thoroughly Modern Millie". In part it depends on how believable they need to be, how much of it is seen, how close to the audience, etc. For example, you will have a different product if it has to open and pages turn on stage during a scene than if all that happens if the newspaper is held up to see a headline.
Basically, we have set up our own newspaper covers and pages in Microsoft Publisher. Certainly other programs can work, also. Headlines are easy, and pictures can either be those you take yourself or copyright-free images found online. The internal text of articles usually is just a bunch of gibberish. I've even taken old essays and just cut and pasted them in to fill it out. We usually size the paper to fit 11X17 paper.
After the pages are laid out, you need to print out each page individually. At this point, if it is important that pages can turn without being too stiff or bulky, I have used a local print shop with a large scale printer to print it for me on larger paper. If that is not important, we do it ourselves in house. Basically, you create a newspaper sandwich with a sheet or two of paper laid across where the seams between the pages are and glue the whole thing together. So, side by side front and back on the bottom facing out, then a layer of glue and the internal stabilizing paper, then more glue and the inside pages side by side facing out. With the layers of paper holding it together, it usually reads as thick enough for a daily edition without any more internal pages. If you need a Sunday edition, you would have to add more. Also, remember to make multiple copies to get you through your entire tech rehearsal and performance period.
I hope that's understandable and helps. Good luck on your production!
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Amy Bussey
Stuarts Draft VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2014 21:49
From: Hannah Barnes
Subject: prop newspapers
I'm a week away from dress rehearsals and my prop master has failed to come up with a prop newspapers. Anyone have a brilliant idea on how to make these for a production? We are doing Curtains the musical and we need the Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and two others that I am not thinking of at the moment. I noticed that there are some websites that actually make them but I think that might be too late for that. And that would be expensive probably.
Arg! help!
thanks
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Hannah Barnes
Morgantown WV
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