‘Tique of the Week is an Austin-wide search for unique and interesting antiques. With dozens of antique shops around Austin, one-of-a-kind items from the past are not in short supply. Each week we’ll find a new favorite item and feature it as our “‘Tique of the Week.”

To find this week’s theatrical ‘Tique, we didn’t have to look too far, because it came from one of St. Edward’s University’s own theater students.

Theater Arts Major and senior Jacqueline Harper received an antique stage screw as a gift from her uncle.

“My uncle collects tools for a living and he randomly mailed me this stage screw,” Harper said. “He had pretty perfect timing because the week I received it I also found out I was cast in my first college play.”

Sometimes sold as corkscrews in antique stores, stage screws like this one were originally used to help hold scenery in place while constructing stage sets for theatrical productions.

This particular model of a stage screw most likely dates back to the early to mid-1900s. A model similar to this one was patented in the United States in 1914 by Paul Witte.

In a time before power tools, these cast irons screws were driven directly into the stage floor by hand using the key-like handle at the base of the screw. The conical design of the screw thread allows it to have the best grip while doing a minimal amount of damage to the stage during construction.

Since stage screws of this size typically no longer fit in with modern scenery, these tools have since been slimmed down and improved. Modern screws now have a welded post on the side to get a better grip while designing and building stage scenery.

These palm-sized tools have been helping actors and stage crews alike to make plays and other productions run smoothly for nearly 100 years, and remains a vital tool at nearly every theater carpentry workshop.

Though small in size, this week’s stage screw ‘tique may not have ever been a headliner, but it once served in some important supporting roles onstage.