Props software is a shared digital system for running a theatre props department: inventory, status, packing, shopping, and handover in one list. It is not a generic to-do app with a theatre theme. It is built around the work of a props supervisor — knowing what is on the show, where it is, and whether it is ready.
If that sounds like a spreadsheet, it is — until tech week, when five people have five versions of the sheet, photos live in WhatsApp, and the printed props bible is already wrong. Theatre props software exists to stop that split.
What props software should actually do
A useful props management tool covers the jobs a department already does, without inventing extra admin:
- Props inventory software — search, photos, locations, act and scene, quantities, and status the whole team can see.
- Packing — containers that come from the same list, so load-in and strike are not a second file.
- Shopping — options and approvals attached to the item, not buried in a chat.
- Prep and repair — tasks with owners and due dates, with notifications when work is assigned.
- A digital props bible — the live list, exportable to PDF or CSV when you need paper.
If a product cannot keep the floor and the desk on the same list, it is not props tracking software. It is another inbox.
Spreadsheets vs props software
Spreadsheets are excellent at a table of names. They are poor at photos, permissions, packing crates, hire availability, and “who changed this last night.” Chat is excellent at a quick question. It is poor at being the record of a show.
Props software earns its keep when someone in the store updates status on a phone and stage management sees it without a hallway conversation. That is the test — not how many features sit on a homepage.
A short checklist
When you compare theatre props software, ask:
- Can the floor add a photo and change status without a laptop?
- Does packing come from the inventory, or is it a separate sheet?
- Can you invite stage management as viewers without giving them edit rights?
- Does the props bible stay in sync, or do you export once and hope?
- If you hire stock in or out, does that live in the same system?
Who it is for
Props supervisors and assistants need the list. Makers need tasks and notes on the item. Stage management needs a current picture without hunting. Hire houses need store inventory that is not the same as a single show’s plot.
One product can cover those jobs if show inventory and store inventory are related, not twins of two databases. That is why props hire software belongs next to the show list, not in a different login.
How The Props List approaches it
The Props List is props software built by people who work in theatre. Web and Android share one live list. A digital props bible is the inventory itself, with PDF and CSV export when you need a pack. Open beta is free to try.
You do not need to wait for a perfect rollout. Put one show in, see whether “is it ready?” gets quieter, and tell us what is still rough.