ASM at LAMDA
Spring 1(Jan - Feb), 2026
The Project
I began my second rep at LAMDA as an ASM on the show A Dead Dog In A Suitcase (and other love longs) - A new Beggars Opera
I worked closely with my year-mate Sonny, we were both ASMs for this show, sourcing props, making props lists, setting lists and trackers, preparing the rehearsal room, and more.
My Approach
I started with a basic read through of the script to develop a basic props list that was then adapted as rehearsals began, props were added in the room, and Sonny and I had props meetings with the director and designer. We wanted to gauge what props they had specific designs for and what style they wanted them to be. We also had a props supervisor there to help us with any difficult pieces. I did multiple makes for the show and quite a bit of sourcing. My favorites being 12 knives they needed hung from the ceiling with hemp (and one for an actor to use), and 2 separate suitcases worth of fake money they wanted to look comical.
Bumps in the road
One difficult piece we needed to source was 4 suitcases we needed. Four people began with suitcases 2 with money, one with clothes, and another, a dead dog. The director and designer wanted them identical so they could be mistaken for each other and the comedy of errors regarding them would work smoothly.
The setting and. style of these suitcases made it difficult to find matching ones, multiple days and debates over how much of the limited budget we would be willing to spend occurred. But we eventually found 4 blue suitcases that were identical save for wear and stickers on one face, Ideal for both mixing them up and, if you know which is which, quick identification on stage without opening anything. An additional label of 1 through 4 was placed on them to ensure no mix up.
However in dim lighting things can still go awry, as such a separate plot for the suitcases needed to be written up for checking against after each exchange scene so the final reveal in which all 4 are opened went smoothly.
Final Product
The end result of our work was a successful show with too many props to count(85). And to make setting up a bit more interesting, we gave our lovely Punch and Judy their own props tables, to be checked as well as the ones backstage, to add in a few different gags thought the shows, and provide single use props and mics to actors. We also pre set multiple props and costume pieces across the set as the actors only left the space during the interval.
