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Don't Play With Guns.

    Jim Guy, Props Director at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre taught a full-day session on Firearm Safety for the Stage at the USITT Conference in Milwaukee. 
    His presentation was broken down into three segments.  First, he talked about the history of firearms from the invention of gun powder through the development of automatic weapons.  Next, he spoke on the use of firearms on stage, with an emphasis on backstage and on-stage Assassinssafety.  He concluded the presentation with a practical demonstration of safety tests using several weapons.  Due to space limitations, this article will only deal with high-lights of the Safety portion.
     Jim explained that a gunshot on-stage today, or even the brandishing of a gun on stage, has become a "dramatic explanation point."   Today's playwrites, directors and audiences have all been raised with guns on TV, guns in films, and yes, guns on the street.  It's a natural progression, for better or worse.  But many directors and others in theatre don't know much about guns.  They say, "It's only a blank pistol, so why worry?"  Well, we should all worry because blank pistols are only marginally safer than real firearms, according to Jim.  The list of actors actually killed by blank firing weapons is long, and sad.  Even most blank cartridges contain a wadding of some sort.  The wadding, often made of paper, is designed to keep the gun powder in the cartridge.  This wadding is expelled through the barrel when the gun is fired.  Burned and unburned gun powder is expelled as well, which can cause a nasty powder burn to the skin.  These concerns were graphically displayed in the last part of Jim's presentation. 
     It's very important to realize that even "blank" guns have a "blast."  Athletic starter pistols usually have a solid closed barrel, so the blast is to the sides, between the cylinder and the barrel.  Automatics usually have a blast slot or port on the top of the slide.  (And don't forget that the spent shell casings from an Automatic will be ejected, they will be hot and most certainly will land in the worst possible spot on the stage floor). Revolvers usually vent the blast out of the barrel.  In a production of Appomattox at the Guthrie Theatre, an actor enthusiastically fired a pistol into the air to announce the ending of the Civil War.  The director blocked the scene so that as he held the gun high over his head and fired several times, the blast was well clear of his eyes and ears.  Safely. 
     In technical theatre we try to make everything as real as we can make it.  But in order to do that, hard-and-fast safety standards have to be enforced.  Rule number one, whether on-stage or in the real world is, Treat All Guns As If They Are Loaded!  Permit absolutely no horse-play with any firearm.  Even if you're using a yellow plastic squirt gun as a rehearsal prop, it should be handled as a real gun.  Never point a gun "at" an actor!  Aim slightly away.   And absolutely never point it at the audience! 
     Weapons should never be set on a prop table or left in a dressing room.  A prop person, designated as the Firearms Master, should issue the weapon to the actor at the last convenient moment before their entrance and collect it as soon as the weapon is off stage.  It should be returned to the lockup and unloaded at the first opportunity.  Jim told of a recent "heavily armed" production at the Rep (Assassins, I believe) where the Firearms Master wore two or three holsters around his belt plus several shoulder holsters, just to collect and control all the guns being used!  Further protocol included the Firearms Master handing the firearm to the actor, and waiting until the actor says "thank you," before physically releasing the gun.  This same protocol was followed as the weapon was returned.  Someone in the class recommended that if, during a rehearsal with "live" ammunition in the gun, the Director, Stage Manager, Weapons Master or Fight Coordinator yells "STOP!" everything should stop immediately, and the person holding the gun should carefully and gently lay it on the deck.  Sometimes others can see something that may be missed by an actor "in the moment." 
     Other things to consider during the rehearsal period are back-up plans, like what happens on-stage when the weapon jams, or doesn't fire at all.  Consider ear protection if necessary.  The size of the load determines the loudness of the shot, and where the shot occurs on stage determines perceived loudness.  A weapon fired downstage of the Act Curtain will sound louder to the audience than one fired upstage, surrounded by drapes and set pieces.  Thus one could use a smaller load in the downstage shot.  And one final note:  Dry firing (that is, firing the weapon with no cartridge in the chamber) is definitely a "no-no."  It can stress the gun and damage the firing pin.  Ask the Weapons Master for permission.
     Anytime a firearm is fired on stage or in a rehearsal room, except during a tech or a performance, it should be announced loudly as: "Firing on stage!  Following three…1, 2, 3 (then bang)."  Gunshots draw lots of attention!  When planning to use firearms on stage, all "stake holders," need to be informed.  The first of these, depending on the weapon, is a licensed gunsmith who can warrant that the firearm is safe to fire.  Others may include Campus Security, Building Operations, House Management, occupants of adjacent rehearsal spaces or offices, and possibly the local Police Department and, in some jurisdictions, the Fire Marshall.  There may be Licensing and other Federal, State, Local, and Campus Laws and Regulations.  In off-campus venues, even which building a performance is held in may play an important role in the regulations.  You must be able to provide these people with a "plan" of how the weapons are stored, who is directly in charge of caring for and feeding them, who uses them on stage, when in the show they are used, and so forth. By the way, most theatres have a safety rule that weapons and ammunition are always stored in two separate locked containers.   Every question needs an answer.  
     The audience should be warned that there will be gunfire in the production through a lobby card and/or your curtain announcement speech.  Backstage signs should be posted as well.  Jim told of a temp security guard, who had not been informed about the show taking place, and hearing gun shots from outside a closed door, burst onto the stage while the show was in progress with his gun drawn.  He quickly re-evaluated the situation, seeing stage lights and people in period costume, and beat a hasty retreat.
     A situation that is so absurd as to not really need mentioning these days involves shots from the house.  I saw a production of Blood Brothers many years ago in London. This musical calls for an actor to approach the apron of the stage from the house, and fire several shots at one of the actors on-stage. I was seated in the second row, with a friend, who jumped straight up out of her seat and screamed at the sound!  Embarrassing? Oh yes. Foolish? Certainly.  In a theatre full of paying audience members who might well include off-duty policemen, military vets possibly with PTSS, people with hearing aids (who could be deafened by an unexpected loud noise), people with pacemakers (who could be seriously startled), and over zealous patrons with concealed-carry permits, I think the "shot from the audience" should be thought of pretty much as a "dead" issue.
     If you attended USITT (and have a username and password) you can access the USITT website (www.usitt.com), and download handouts from a session entitled "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!--Recommended Practice for Stage Firearms."  These handouts are a good place to learn more about the subject.  Please be careful with firearms on stage.  Remember that the show doesn't have to go on.
     If you need authoritative advice on Firearms for the Stage, Jim Guy can be reached at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre at jguy@milwaukeerep.com.  Jim is a recognized authority on firearms for the stage, and conducts training sessions nationwide.  And, he's very entertaining!   If you get a chance to see him, you should!  He admits to not being an expert on knives, swords, and other implements of destruction, but he could probably tell you a story or two about those weapons too. 

Colin Williams is a freelance stage manager, stage carpenter, and staging and lighting tech in Minneapolis.  He assists at the Guthrie Theater, Bloomington Civic Theatre, Theatre in the Round, Stages Theatre and Park Square Theatre, when not managing corporate business meetings and events around the country with his wife, Jenifer.