Modern Commentary
I had envisioned the theatre as just having boxes and boxes of communal props. I don't know if that's a real thing. But in this comic strip, they're there so a guy can go from "Let's do a skit where we're pirates" to being onstage with an eyepatch and Jolly Roger within a few minutes.
But yeah, Brisbane's parents are absent. He expects them to be absent. - Terrence