TEENAGERS were armed with imitation guns to make their school play go with a bang.
Trinity School, in Shirley Park, hired 30 life-like weapons to give its modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V a gritty edge.
Andrew Godfrey, head of drama productions at the £13,000-a-year school, told the Advertiser: "I think because the weapons were in the context of the piece it was OK to use them; it seemed to fit in with the scene of modern warfare.
"We were very careful with the guns and counted them in and out after each night, to make sure there were none missing.
"We also obviously spoke to the children beforehand about using them, but even though they are real metal there was no way they could hurt themselves if they tripped over or something.
"The students enjoyed using the props and no parents commented on us using the guns. The company we got them from also made us sign a disclaimer; there were very strict rules about using them."
Dapo Agiri, a Year 10 student, played the role of Exeter, King Henry's uncle and right-hand man.
He said: "The school hiring the guns for our production has made the battle scenes really exciting.
"I love acting and this is a fantastic role which I have really enjoyed.
"I am even going to use one of the speeches for my Lamda drama exams."
The play, which took three months to produce from start to finish, will be followed with a production of Pirates in the summer term.
Mr Godfrey added: "Henry V went really well, and the audience seemed to really enjoy it. The themes in the play are still very relevant today which is why I thought it would be a great play for the students to do."
The guns were hired from Bapty and Co, which has supplied weapons for the Batman and Die Hard films.
