Safety

Columbia University encourages its students’ creative endeavors and strives to make sure its students are performing in an environment as free from risk as possible while creating performance-based work. This document provides students the protocols for use of look-alike weapons (“prop weapon or props weaponry”) in a production. No document can cover every circumstance, since fight choreography is developed for a particular production and is unique to its specific needs. This document seeks to outline issues common to the vast majority of theatrical combat and/or “threat”-based scenarios that use prop weaponry, as well as to provide resources to obtain, use, and care for prop weaponry. Remember the common-sense adage: “when in doubt, ask.” 

The Theatre Program does not maintain a stock of prop firearms. The only option for use of prop guns are wooden cut outs that we have available.

Real Weapons

Real weapons are weapons manufactured with the intent and ability to harm another person. Real weapons include but are not limited to actual guns (pistols, rifles, flintlocks, etc.), sharp knives, martial arts weapons, daggers, swords, and bows and arrows. Real weapons are not allowed in any Columbia University building nor are they permitted in any Columbia off-campus activity.

Disabled guns, defined as guns initially manufactured to fire any type of projectile that have been modified to an inoperable state, are not allowed in any Columbia University building nor are they permitted in any Columbia University off-campus activity.

Do not use a sharp blade for any sort of fight scene or struggle. Do not dull a sharpened blade; doing so can lessen its tensile strength and can cause the blade to shatter.

Live ammunition, blank firing cartridges and loads, paintball or airsoft pellets, or anything else designed to be capable of being fired are not allowed in any Columbia University building nor are they permitted in any Columbia University off-campus activity.

Prop Weapons

A prop weapon is a weapon manufactured to give the illusion of authenticity without the actual ability to harm anyone in the intended perceived fashion. PROP WEAPONS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TREATED AS REAL WEAPONS, AS THEY MAY STILL BE CAPABLE OF CAUSING INJURY.

Prop weapons include, but are not limited to: guns, knives, swords, spears, bows, arrows, crossbows, and clubs. Everyday objects including, but are not limited to: pencils, lamps, rolling pins, etc. may also become weapons when staging combat scenes, and the protocols regarding weapon safety must still be employed.

Cap guns are not permitted in Columbia University buildings as they are considered a pyrotechnic.

Schapiro's Production Management must physically inspect the actual weapon in its performance-ready state. This means that if you are renting theatrical weaponry, you will need to rent the item(s) BEFORE you know whether the university will approve its use. It is therefore advisable to rent only from reliable theatrical prop weapon suppliers, to decrease the likelihood of its being rejected.

Guidelines for Proper Use and Care

Prop weapons can cause unsafe situations and harm if they are not used and cared for correctly. Please use the guidelines below to ensure the safety of all project participants.

General

1. Treat all prop weapons like real weapons. Handle all prop guns as if loaded. Treat all prop knives as sharp. Be especially conscious of the point on bladed weapons, as they can still cause penetrative injury. Prop weapons can cause severe harm or worse and should be treated with respect.
2. A responsible member of your production team – preferably a Stage Manager or Props Master – should be designated as the person in charge for ensuring proper safety practices with the prop.
3. Find a secure place to lock your prop when not in use inside and outside of rehearsals.
4. When transporting your prop weapon make sure it is not exposed. If possible, keep it inside of a lock box inside of a bag during transport.
5. It is crucial that your prop is cared for and maintained. Always inspect weaponry before and after every rehearsal and performance. Perform regular cleaning and maintenance on the props as recommended by the supplier. Do not use a damaged prop.

Rehearsal and Performance

Pushing artistic boundaries is your charge as a Theatre student. However, do not let that attitude prevail over proper safety measures – make your production, literally a “safe place to fail”! If you don't know how to make an illusion safe, seek out appropriate help, which could include hiring a professional fight director or stunt coordinator; working with personnel who have training and experience; and/or finding a creative solution to the storytelling needs that doesn’t include a prop weapon.

1. At the start of rehearsal, you must hold a safety meeting where all individuals involved in the production are informed that there will be a prop weapon in use, which individuals will be handling it, and how it will be used. At the beginning of the rehearsal in which the scene(s) will be rehearsed where the prop is used, you must hold another safety meeting should occur where all members are informed that there will be a prop weapon in use, which individuals will be handling it and how it will be used in the scene. If the plan changes, you must hold another safety meeting to update the cast and crew.
2. If a prop weapon in your performance is used in a threatening or combative manner, a fight choreographer with an SAFD certification must be assigned. A fight call must take place before every performance with all cast and crew involved in the scene.
3. When a prop weapon is not in use keep it securely and safely locked away at all times.
4. The actor will be responsible for the prop weapon and it's whereabouts for the duration of a performance. When the performance is complete, the actor must immediately return the prop weapon to the responsible party and secure it until it is needed again. The prop must not be preset on a prop table or left on a prop table after use. It must either be worn by a responsible party or promptly locked up.
5. While the prop weapon is in use, the user should never point the prop weapon at anyone or themselves. While staging never aim a weapon directly at the face, head, or body of a performer or directly at audience members.
6. Always aim off line, either up- or downstage of the victim.
7. Do not let the disarmed weapon become a trip-hazard later in the fight. Do not let a disarmed weapon slide towards the audience.
8. Never leave a prop weapon unattended, including on prop tables.
9. At no time should there ever be any horseplay with a prop weapon.

Safety Common Sense

The first rule of safety: “when in doubt, ask.” Understand what makes a rehearsal or performance safe and do your best to act in a professional manner.

Safety begins long before your rehearsal or performance. It is the responsibility of each member of your team to educate themselves and one another about safety and to arrive to rehearsals and performances on time, well rested, and healthy.

Accidents are caused by negligence, lack of awareness, and lack of foresight. It is important to stay alert, understand the potential dangers, and be able to recognize the safety hazards in advance.

Follow your instincts. If it feels unsafe, it probably is. And if you think something is unsafe or someone is acting in an unsafe manner, say something. By calling attention to the safety hazard, it gives your stage managers, director, crew members, and fellow actors a chance to reevaluate the situation.

Safety must be your first concern, making a great piece of theatre is second. Everyone wants the show to be great, but it is never worth risking the injury or death of anyone involved. Take care of one another.

Prop Weapon Usage Notification and Approval Process

To use a prop weapon for any rehearsal or production in a Columbia University space, Theatre Program approval is required, and obtained by following the steps below.

1. Discuss the interest in utilizing a prop weapon with Production Management as soon as possible.
2. Review this page with every member of the cast and crew.
3. Have a representative from the production (Production Management, Director, Stage Manager, or Prop Master) complete the Prop Weapon Request form
4. At least two (2) weeks in advance of the date of the first use of the prop weaponry in rehearsal, submit the form to Production Management.
5. The Theatre Program has authority to approve or disapprove use of prop weaponry. If Production Management reviews and approves your proposed use of prop weaponry, an appointment will be set up with the student representative to inspect the prop weapon.
6. Production Management will visually inspect the prop weapon to determine that it is considered a prop weapon and will confirm your understanding and acknowledgement of receipt and review of the Safety Guide to Using Prop Weapons.
7. Should any aspect of the Prop Weapon use change, prior approval is immediately revoked. A new acknowledgement will need to be completed and re-submitted. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.

• In the event of an unexpected incident during a performance the Stage Manager will make the initial call on whether it’s appropriate for the show to continue. 
• The Schapiro Crew Member on Duty must be made aware immediately. The Stage Manager, consulting with the Schapiro Crew Member on Duty, will determine if there is immediate danger and if the show can continue safely. 
• The Schapiro Crew Member on Duty can override the Stage Manager, if there is cause. 
• If there is immediate danger, the show must stop immediately and either the issue is addressed or all patrons and production team vacate the space.
• In the event of danger, Public Safety must be notified immediately. The Schapiro Crew Member on Duty will focus on evacuating the audience members while the Stage Manager will be responsible for overseeing the production team’s exit. 
• If the show can continue safely, the Stage Manager, consulting with appropriate members of the Production Team, will assemble a response plan to complete the production. The Schapiro Crew Member on Duty will liaise with Production Management and any other appropriate parties, including Public Safety, as needed.

During rehearsals, the Stage Manager has the authority to dismiss actors who are ill, be it prior to, or during the rehearsal. The Theatre Department has equipment that can be provided for cast members to remote into rehearsals over Zoom, and we encourage you to make use of this technology in order to keep everyone in the room healthy if there is a concern someone could be contagious.

Should a cast member fall ill prior to or during a performance, the Standard Operating Procedures on Injuries or an Incident during a Performance should be followed.

In any case of illness, please notify Production Management as soon as possible.

If the illness constitutes a medical emergency, particularly if it has a rapid onset, administer first aid and ensure that any unsafe condition is corrected. If professional medical assistance is needed, call 911, immediately notify Public Safety, and follow the Standard Operating Procedures for Injuries.

It is strongly recommended that each production prepare an Illness/Covid Safety Plan prior to beginning rehearsals. This plan should identify the following:

• Any activities or moment in the show that would be high risk for the spread of an infectious disease (examples include close contact, kissing, shared food, etc.).
• Any measures being taken by the company to mitigate those risks beyond what Columbia's own protocols require.

Additionally, as part of the Illness/Covid Safety Plan, the company should prepare a contingency plan for how the show would proceed in the event that one of the following occurs:

• An actor, crew member, or creative team member falls ill during the rehearsal process.
• An actor, crew member, or creative team member falls ill during or prior to tech.
• An actor or crew member falls ill during or prior to a performance.

While we certainly hope that none of the above scenarios happen, having a plan in place in case they do is very helpful in providing a framework to work from in a time-pressured scenario. 

• Exit signs may not be covered. Additional Exit Signs may be added for sight line issues, pending Production Management approval.
• There must be 42 inches of egress to fire exit doors at all times during the production. No scenery, person, chair, or curtain may obstruct the exit.
• All scenic elements must be flame proofed.
• No flame, water features, fake snow, sand, dirt, glitter, confetti, or other small particles are permitted (venue & NYC law restrictions).
• The use of carbon dioxide and/or liquid nitrogen (dry ice) is prohibited in accordance with requirements as set by the NYFD.