A properties, or prop, designer creates, buys or finds all of the theatrical property—props—for a production. Props are defined as anything portable onstage that does not count as a costume. Everything from food eaten onstage to curtains and other set dressing counts as a prop. Theatres sometimes hire prop designers as contractors for a specific show, but this job is often done by staff members in the production department. Prop designers need to be good at crafting and making objects. They sometimes create props needed for a special effect, such as a "breakaway" glass designed to shatter safely but dramatically onstage.