Hi, we just did Bonnie & Clyde in December, and we MADE our own Tommy Guns out of foam, cereal boxes, and PVC pipe. With some paint and black duct tape, they looked SUPER real on stage. They cost next to nothing to make, the kids enjoyed making them, and they looked great! They are a bit light, so kids will need to practice with them so they look heavier/more realistic.
We also did something at the start of the show to make audiences feel comfortable in light of all the gun violence happening nowadays. During the curtain speech, we brought the prop guns out, told the audience what they were made of and even fired a cap gun so that the audience would know what to listen for. Our admin was supportive of this, and the parents and audience members were really amazed at how real the foam Tommy Guns looked. There's even a great YouTube video on how to make them :)
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Lisa Dyer
Henrico VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-13-2018 21:00
From: George Ledo
Subject: (Prop) Tommy Gun for CHICAGO
The best place I have found to rent weapons exclusively for theatrical use is Weapons of Choice in Napa, CA. They have two models of the Thompson "tommy" gun. Their web site is weaponsofchoice.com
One of the things I like about them is the amount of additional information (weapon handling, safety, etc.) on their web site, which can be found in the Extras tab on their menu.
You may not be able to visit them from your school computer, since many schools block words like "weapon."
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George F. Ledo
Set designer
www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
www.georgefledo.net
http://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20
Original Message:
Sent: 03-13-2018 19:45
From: Mark A. Zimmerman
Subject: (Prop) Tommy Gun for CHICAGO
Who among you has used a (prop) tommy gun for your productions of CHICAGO? Do you still have it? Did you rent/purchase it somewhere?
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Mark A. Zimmerman,
Theatre Director
Akron School for the Arts
Firestone Community Learning Center
470 Castle Blvd
Akron, Ohio 44313
Troupe 5570
mzimmerm@apslearn.org
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