Of course, that is working from a major assumption: the organizers are going to use props that they already have. It makes financial sense. Props cost money, therefore, if you're using existing props you aren't spending money. Also, you're adding value to the props you have already purchased. Their repeated use makes the money spent on them justifiable.
However, props are not always expensive. There are many things that can be purchased cheaply and still make wonderful props. Three new props could cost less than $10, the price of a single balcony seat for most shows at the Orpheum. Sell an extra seat and you've paid for your props. Also, if you have storage room getting new props increases your production values. You never know what props you'll need in the future. So, with the endless possibility of new props it is unlikely to guess the props that will be used in the project. Dangit.
What to do?
Well, satisfy myself with guessing the types of props that will be used. While there is not a definitive list of prop "types" (or maybe there is, I don't know), I decided to organize props by categories based on stores you might go to or departments in a supermarket. What follows does not follow that analogy at all, but I liked the idea so I put it in anyway.
Weapons
Guns, knives, swords, and a variety of objects that you might find in a game of Clue. This category includes all objects intended to hurt or kill a person or animal. My mind just flashed on a cannon which is an object designed to kill many people at the same time. I think in most cases a cannon would be considered more of a set piece than a prop, but it could definitely be a prop. That would be pretty awesome. I know a guy who has a cannon. Maybe he would let us borrow it...
A weapon is quite versatile. Weapons can lead to dramatic fights where no one dies. Or everyone dies. Either way, fights are exciting. Weapons help heroes overcoming villains and weapons allow villains to murder victims. A weapon might be an insight into the past: a relic hung on a wall and taken down for dusting but otherwise unused. Weapons can be used for attack or defense.
This is the trick: When a weapon is brought into a play the audience wonders, "Will anyone die?" Given the darker nature of humanity there is often a desire that someone will die. The audience will be disappointed if no one dies. The weapons theatrical treatment needs to be carefully handled. If someone dies, when do they die? At the very beginning or at the climax? What about in the last seconds of the production? If someone is going to die, why are they going to die? Have you convinced the audience that it makes sense? Correction, they why should probably come first. Finally, if you're not going to kill anyone can you justify it to the audience. If you cannot explain the weapons lack of use (or misuse) the audience will be unsatisfied.
Still, even with these concerns I think a weapon is a highly likely prop.
Jewelry
Whether given as a gift, the object of a heist, or the focus of a character's ego, jewelry makes a wonderful prop to drive a story. Is there a downside? Yes, size. Jewelry is often tiny and difficult to see from a distance. A beautiful ring practically disappears on stage. In fact, in many cases it is the idea of the jewelry that is more important than the jewelry itself. That alone makes it a wonderful prop.
Sports Equipment
Soccer, baseball, basketball, hockey, football, rugby, tennis, bowling, etc. (I apologize if I missed your favorite sport). It's a little odd how different sports can quickly set different tones. For example, in "Dial M for Murder" a character is a tennis player. It wouldn't have worked as well if he had been a basketball player or a football player. I know, it's stereotypical, but I still believe it. With our preconceived notions about sports and their athletes, sports equipment can shape the direction of a show and audience expectations.
Also, some of it can be used as a weapon too. Just ask this guy:
Food
Okay, if I'm completely serious this one should be last. They are not going to use food as a prop. However, I've seen food used as a prop too many times to not include it on my list. Personal favorites are the candy bars used in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" and the cucumber sandwiches used in "The Importance of Being Earnest." I was directly involved in the latter as we discussed whether real sandwiches should be used; food and drinks are generally mimed on stage for good reason. After it was agreed they needed to be used it was a wonderful period of experimentation with how many sandwiches, how small they needed to be, could we make them palatable to the actor, and could the actor finish them in the allotted time without choking.
As a quick edit, I'm adding into the food category all the kitchen wares & housewares associated with food, cooking, and cleaning up after.
Electronics
Including phones, CD players, boomboxes (channel your inner Lloyd Dobler), radios, walkie talkies, turn tables. The list goes on and on. They make for a more modern play depending on the specific electronic device, and are easily obtained. That makes for great props.
And turn tables makes me think of...
Musical Instruments
I'm not going to make a list here, but musical instruments are such great props. Even better if you have an actor who can play it. I don't play well, but I still have taken my Mandolin on stage for wonderful effect. Holmes has his Violin. Sir Robin has his Piano. The cast of Company has the plethora of instruments. And of course, the best instrument prop ever: the blue french horn.
Hats
Probably more appropriate in costumes, I put hats by themselves because hats can be the essence of a character. Sometimes a good hat is all you need to make a character come to life. This is part of the reason we describe our different roles in daily life as the hats we wear.
Animals
I can't leave this blog post without mentioning animals. No, I don't mean real animals (though I have seen those on stage). I mean rubber chickens, animal puppets, birds in cages. Dead parrots. People and animals are so connected that having them on stage immediately makes people feel more honest. They have a cat? Of course they have a cat. Why wouldn't they have a pet?
And I think I will stop there. There are lots of other possibilities. It would be a Herculean effort to list all the possibilities. However, I'm fairly confident about the prop falling into one of the aforementioned categories. What do you think?
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