Knives for West Side Story

[OldBlade]

I'm choreographing the knife fight scene in West Side Story for a talented local youth group. The Director would like it to be realistic and use 'real' blunted knives. I think this is too dangerous for untrained actors of 16 and 17 and would rather use realistic looking rubber knives. There has also been mention of retractable blade dummy knives but I've heard somewhere that these are not recommended any more for stage work because of the likelihood of the blade getting jammed.

 

Does anyone know what the recommendations or guidelines are for the use of knives on stage? Would you agree with my use of rubber knives are am I being too precious.

[paulears]

There is no problem doing it with proper kit - if - you are happy the cast are disciplined and mature enough, and the knives are suitable. My own experience is that for every mature one, somebody else will try to stick one in something, or try throwing them. That said, making some from plastic shouldn't be a problem - and the risk will be lower - but they can still hurt people. I saw some made from 6" plastic rulers, that from a distance were quite acceptable.

[kerry davies]

Your post says talented but untrained so I would go for the safest option available. Even plastic rulers can be pretty sharp if broken.

If you have difficulties locating mock rubber knives ask your local martial arts clubs, particularly the Aikido.

 

When we did R&J in modern costume I remember using short lengths of scaff pipe as swords, but with experienced pro actors. Why not think laterally rather than literally? It is theatre, after all.

[andy_s]

for a play set in the 50s featuring a "teddy boy" I made a quite reasonably realistic flick knife from a folding flick-comb purchased from a joke shop and some filler putty of the type used for airfix kits. I don't know if it would be robust enough to fight with, though, it wasn't necessary in this particular production.

 

With any staged fight, the safety is as much in the discipline and rehearsal of the performers (regardless of their professional or amateur status) as in the nature or material of the weapons used. As a 16yr old youth I was involved in an "elizabethan" production of R&J involving sword and dagger fighting - with proper stage weapons - for which we all received quite rigorous training from a fight director, and the fights were tightly choreographed and carefully rehearsed before each performance, with no mishaps. So I would say if you are confident in the discipline of the participants and in your own ability as a fight director then blunt metal would not necessarily be more dangerous than plastic which may shatter into sharp points ... I would imagine rubber weapons thin enough to look realistic might be a bit floppy, but I'm not really familiar with them ...