[SML] Prop weapon policies for academics

[John McAfee]

I require a dedicated student weapon wrangler and a contract that details exactly how the weapon is used and where it is placed and stored at all times, along with a blanket safety guidelines form.  The contract is signed by the management team, weapons wrangler, the actors who wield weapons, and actors who are in scenes with weapons.  The guidelines form is signed by anyone who handles the weapon.

I haven’t yet had a show that has required a gun fired on stage or fencing or anything like that, so I don’t have extensive training required, but I do require every person who touches a weapon to go through a safety workshop where we discuss things like pointing the weapon off-axis and to treat every gun as if it is loaded.

For guns, I require the weapon wrangler retrieve the weapon from me at the top of show and return it to me after.  When they get it from me they check in front of me that it is not loaded (and can’t be loaded).  At my institution, there’s a tradition of warm-ups that cast and crew participate in.  I have told the weapons wranglers that once they get the weapon from me it must always be either backstage or in the playing space during the show, and if it is backstage it should be in their sight (within reason), so they may not get the weapon, preset it, and then go to warm-ups in another room.

For non-guns that could be construed as real weapons (rapiers, foils, realistic prop knives), I still require the wrangler but I am a bit looser on the “must be in sight.” Usually the wrangler is one of the SM team, which makes rehearsal process a bit easier because they are authorized to manage the weapons.

I don’t have restrictions per se, but I require approval from three faculty members for the use of a blank firing weapon and a dramaturgical justification about why it can’t just be a sound effect.

I reached out to our security team and asked if they wanted approval or wanted tape on barrels or anything like that and they said they trusted my judgment…  I still give them a courtesy email if a gun is to be used and let them know the call times for the rehearsals and shows.
At a previous institution, the security team required neon tape on all barrels at all times including during shows.  But they didn’t ask to inspect the weapons or anything like that.

On the whole, the process is much stricter than I think is necessary, but a few years ago we did The Tempest and it was the first show post-COVID that included weapons (quarterstaves and rapiers essentially used as costume pieces and briefly brandished) and the reaction from the students was strong.  They wanted very specific and clear contracts and hierarchies to manage what I thought of as essentially a non-weapon.  This led me to talking to some of them about guns and what would make them feel safe if we had a show that included a gun and I built our contracts around that.

My safety guidelines document is essentially cribbed from Emerson College.  The University of California Performing Arts Safety Manual is also a good resource.

We don’t have any film here, so I don’t have any additions there.

John


> On Apr 10, 2025, at 5:43 PM, Dougherty, Jim via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> 
> For those of you working at schools – what are your policies around the use of prop weapons, particularly firearms?
>  
> - Do you require training?
> - Do you have restrictions on what types of props are allowed?
> - Does your policy only include theatrical use, or does it address use in film shoots too?
> - Do you have restrictions on where they may be used?
> - Who has to sign off?
> - Any other specifics or questions to consider?
>  
> Our primary goal is participant safety, both during the show and after should they ever handle actual firearms.  Liability concerns are also real.  We’re looking into our policies and want to match best practices for both safety and theatricality.  We’re also looking to have policies that might be applied to both theatrical and film use.
>  
> Feel free to email me directly with further questions or information while keeping as much helpful stuff on-list as possible.
>  
> Thanks!
>  
> - Jim Dougherty
> Production Manager
> Middlebury College Theatre Department
> jdougher at middlebury.edu <mailto:jdougher at middlebury.edu>____________________________________________________________
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