Open Forum

This year my high school students selected a very unknown comedy piece for their competition one-act.  It centers around a park and the characters that interact with each other daily as they run/jog.  At the end of the piece, tables turn, and the group is held up by a comical would-be-robber.  The robber is supposed to have a gun; with all of the gun issues happening in schools, I'm a bit afraid of using a prop gun on stage.  I've voiced this concern to my kids and we've tried to work out a few solutions.  It's impossible to edit out the gun--it becomes almost the "talking stick" at one point near the end.  The most effective solution we can think of is to use a clear squirt gun that is very obviously fake.  

Any other suggestions?  

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Kallie Cochran
Lewisburg WV
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We used a realistic-looking pistol in our one-act last year. It was a drama that dealt with domestic violence and two scenes involved a character getting shot. We did not receive any complaints. I ran everything by the principal first, including showing her the gun we wanted to use. Just to be safe, I also showed the gun (it was plastic) to the Student Resource Officer to make certain we weren't breaking any law.

Since your's is a comedy, you could go even more ridiculous and use a supersoaker, a rubber band gun or homemade gun made out of odd items - maybe a Pringles can for the barrel.

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Ken Buswell
Drama Teacher
Peachtree City, GA
http://mcintoshtheater.org/
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I would think that you should refer to your district's rules regarding prop weapons, usually there are very stringent protocols to follow, with good reason. The weapon prop must be carried by you at all times, and I think whoever is running the festival needs to be aware of the weapon you're using, and that the prop only be given to the stage manager right at the time of the performance, and returned to you immediately after. If the student has the prop (i.e. they're bringing it from home), then you should meet them immediately as step off the bus/car/whatever, since even facsimile guns are not permitted on most school campuses. I would check with your district chair or your district's manual governing the use of weapons, but definitely be aware of the rules and work way within them, for the safety of your production, your school's name, and the students.
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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Hillsborough County Schools
Ruskin FL
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I fully believe in teaching my students at the highest level I can, and sometimes that means weapons. I have two protocols I follow.  All weapons, when in storage, are behind two locks: one door, one padlocked cabinet.  When they are being used in a show (or in a class project), they again get locked behind two locks: the booth door and a filing cabinet in the booth. It only comes out for final rehearsals and perfs. Students must use some sort of rehearsal prop any other time.  Second, I contact both the principals and the security staff. I let them know which kind of weapon is being used and always restate protocol #1.  I actually do this for swords, knives, staffs, and any gun.  I hate when a great scene or show is ruined by something pulling the audience out of the world we try to create.  We use a lot of airsoft guns (minus pellets and air).  So many programs in a school have dangerous, or potentially dangerous things, and we are no different.  I believe we are far better off teaching our students to be responsible, rather than acting like they can't handle things.