Хлопушка лежит рядом с реквизитом.

In Russian, the present-tense verb to be is usually omitted. So Russian often says something like X [is] in/at/near Y without a verb meaning is.

But here Russian uses лежит, which literally means is lying. That adds a physical image: the object is in a lying/horizontal position, not just existing somewhere.

So:

• Хлопушка рядом с реквизитом. = The clapperboard is next to the props.
• Хлопушка лежит рядом с реквизитом. = The clapperboard is lying next to the props.

Russian often chooses verbs like:

• лежать = to lie
• стоять = to stand
• сидеть = to sit

where English would often just use is.

Хлопушка can mean different things depending on context, including:

• a party popper / cracker
• a clapperboard used in filming

Because the sentence also contains реквизит (props), the most likely meaning here is clapperboard.

So the context strongly suggests film or stage equipment, not a holiday noisemaker.

The expression рядом с means next to / beside.

It works as a fixed pattern:

• рядом с + instrumental case

So:

• рядом с домом = next to the house
• рядом с машиной = next to the car
• рядом с реквизитом = next to the props

You should learn рядом с as a chunk, not as separate words you can freely rearrange.

Because рядом с requires the instrumental case.

The dictionary form is:

• реквизит = props / stage properties / equipment

After с in the expression рядом с, it becomes instrumental singular:

• реквизит → реквизитом

This ending -ом is a common instrumental singular ending for masculine nouns.

Compare:

• стол → столом
• театр → театром
• реквизит → реквизитом

Because the subject is хлопушка, which is a singular noun.

• хлопушка = singular
• therefore лежит = singular, third person

If the subject were plural, you would use лежат:

• Хлопушки лежат рядом с реквизитом.
  The clapperboards are lying next to the props.

Yes, хлопушка is feminine.

You can tell from the typical dictionary ending -а:

• хлопушка = feminine singular noun

It matters because adjectives and past-tense verbs would agree with it.

For example:

• Новая хлопушка лежит рядом с реквизитом.
  The new clapperboard is lying next to the props.

• Хлопушка лежала рядом с реквизитом.
  The clapperboard was lying next to the props.

In the present tense, the verb лежит does not show gender, so you do not see feminine marking there.

Yes, you could, but the nuance is a little different.

• рядом с реквизитом = right next to / beside the props
• около реквизита = near the props / by the props

So рядом с usually suggests closer, more immediate proximity.

Also notice the grammar changes:

• рядом с
  • instrumental → с реквизитом
• около
  • genitive → около реквизита

Both are correct, but they are not built the same way.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, though the neutral order here is very natural:

• Хлопушка лежит рядом с реквизитом.

You could also say:

• Рядом с реквизитом лежит хлопушка.

This version puts more attention on the location first, almost like:

• Next to the props, there is a clapperboard lying there.

So the basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis shifts.

Usually реквизит is a collective or mass-style noun meaning props as a category, not just one individual object.

So in many contexts:

• реквизит = props / stage props / film props

That is why English often translates it as a plural noun even though Russian uses a singular form.

If you want to talk about a single prop item, Russian often uses other wording, depending on the object.

A helpful stress guide is:

• хлопу́шка лежи́т ря́дом с реквизи́том

Approximate pronunciation:

• khla-POO-shka lye-ZHEET RYA-dam s rek-vee-ZEE-tam

A few notes:

• х sounds like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
• ж sounds like the s in measure
• unstressed о is often pronounced closer to a in natural speech

Yes, in many situations you can. Russian often omits is in the present tense, so:

• Хлопушка рядом с реквизитом.

is completely understandable and natural.

But adding лежит gives extra information:

• it tells you the object is lying
• it sounds a bit more descriptive and visual

So the version with лежит is more specific than the version without it.