Prop: World War I army-issue condom in pouch.
Appearing in: “To the Green Fields Beyond,” Writers’ Theatre.
When Writers’ Theatre prop designer Sara Walsh read the script for “To the Green Fields Beyond,” about eight British army soldiers on the eve of a life-threatening World War I battle, she came across the word “bag,” a nickname for a condom. She then set off on a challenging search to find a vintage prop (or a facsimile) that would work in the production.
“I did research and found this was the first war when soldiers were issued condoms by the army, but it wasn’t talked about a lot,” said Walsh. “I think it was for the same reason people don’t want to give condoms out in high school today, because it says you’re assuming they [the recipients] are going to have sex.” (In the play, the arrival of a prostitute turns that assumption into a reality.)
Walsh found an actual World War I-era condom on eBay that “looked like a loose sock, but maybe it had lost its elasticity,” she said. The item was selling for $16 and Walsh figured she could eventually buy it for $30, maybe $50. Being more than she was willing to pay, Walsh decided a contemporary version might work better instead.
“I assumed the condom was made of sheepskin,” she explained, “so I went to the drugstore and found there are still sheepskin condoms today for people who are allergic to latex.”
But in the end, a decision was made that changed the prop hunt. Director Kate Buckley decided that the soldier in the play, Mo (portrayed by John Roberts), wouldn’t have to take the condom out of his small army-issue canvas pouch. Roberts hands the condom case to Duff (played by Dan Waller), a naive solider who is first to have sex with the prostitute. (The action takes place in a tent, so it is not seen by the audience).
So instead of buying a condom, Walsh scrounged around army-navy surplus stores, where she found a vintage carrying case that would be the right size.
Walsh says: “The stores smell musty but musty is fine because it means the stuff is old and that’s what I wanted.”
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“To the Green Fields Beyond,” playing through April 3, Writers’ Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct., Glencoe, $45-$55; 847-242-6000.