Doug Cottrell Designs

Doug Cottrell DesignsDoug Cottrell DesignsDoug Cottrell Designs
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  • Theatre and Film
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    • Home
    • Theatre and Film
    • Graphics/Printed Props
    • Personal Projects
    • Featured Builds

Doug Cottrell Designs

Doug Cottrell DesignsDoug Cottrell DesignsDoug Cottrell Designs
  • Home
  • Theatre and Film
  • Graphics/Printed Props
  • Personal Projects
  • Featured Builds

Theatre and Film Work

I work as a props builder, buyer, and props master for theatre and opera productions. My work includes sourcing, fabricating, and managing props for productions ranging from contemporary comedies to large-scale operas. Drawing on a background in design and fabrication, I create practical, visually authentic objects that support storytelling while meeting the demands of live performance.


Alongside my work as a props builder and buyer, I continue to develop my scenic design skills through professional training, including the Set Design for Theatre workshop at Stratford's Off the Wall with Michelle Bohn.


More recently, I expanded into film production, working as a Set Dresser on the feature film Much About  Love. In this role, I supported the art department with on-set dressing, scenic preparation, and environmental detail, helping create believable spaces that enhanced the visual world of the film. My experience in theatre props translates naturally into film work, where attention to detail, problem solving, and visual continuity are equally essential.


Selected builds demonstrate my approach to period research, practical fabrication, material selection, and visual detail.

Cast of The Beaver Club at Port Stanley Theatre

Cast of The Beaver Club at Port Stanley Theatre

complete production credits

Three men on a boat

Theatre Aezir

Production Manager, Props Master, Bluebirds (upcoming production). Directed, Designed by Elizabeth Durand.


Production Manager, Farm Hall (upcoming production). Directed by Jeff Culbert.


Production Manager, Copenhagen. Directed by Elizabeth Durand.


Props Master, The Shark is Broken. Directed by Dylan Trahan. Designed by John Beverley.

Featured Prop: Lagavulin Whisky Bottle → View Build

Western Opera, Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University

Head of Props, Don Giovanni (upcoming production). Directed by Joel Ivany. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Head of Props, Sweeney Todd. Directed by Jennifer Tarver. Designed by Joe Recchia.

Featured Prop: Pirelli Flyer → View Build


Head of Props, Cosi Fan Tutte. Directed by Anthony Rodrigues. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Head of Props, The Magic Flute. Directed by Jennifer Tarver. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Head of Props, Die Fledermaus. Directed by Theodore Baerg. Designed by Joe Recchia.

Much Ado Productions / French Toast Films

Set Dresser,  Much About Love IMDB page. Directed by Shamim Sarif. Production Designer: Chloé Olson. Art Director: Antonia Sinn.

Cast of Hurry Hard at Port Stanley Festival Theatre

Odesa Theatre Company

Props Master and Set Decorator, Misery. Directed by Scott Smalley and Chris Smalley. Designed by Chris Smalley.

Port Stanley Festival Theatre

Assistant Designer; Props Builder and Buyer, goldfish, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Joe Recchia. 


Props Builder and Buyer, The Kitchen Witches, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Emma Burnett.


Props Builder and Buyer, Liars at a Funeral, Directed by Julie Tomaino. Designed by Eric Bunnell.


Props Builder and Buyer, Doris and Ivy in the Home, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Props Builder and Buyer, Dump Guys, Directed by Murray Furrow. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Props Expert, Perils of Persephone, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Eric Bunnell.


Props Expert, Bigfoot!  Directed by Murray Furrow. Designed by Eric Bunnell.

Featured prop: Bigfoot feet → View build


Assistant Designer; Props Expert, Hurry Hard, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Joshua Quinlan.


Props Expert, They're Found in Trees, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Props Builder/Buyer, Where You Are, Directed by Simon Joynes. Designed by Joe Recchia.


Props Builder/Buyer, The Beaver Club, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Eric Bunnell. 


Props Builder/Buyer, On the Air, Directed by Simon Joynes. Designed by Eric Bunnell.


Props Builder/Buyer, Wrong for Each Other, Directed by Liz Gilroy. Designed by Joshua Quinlan

  • Home
  • Theatre and Film
  • Graphics/Printed Props
  • Personal Projects
  • Featured Builds

Doug Cottrell Designs

London, Ontario, Canada

Copyright © 2026 Doug Cottrell  - All Rights Reserved.

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