Well, we've got three young women playing Romeo, Benvolio, and Tybalt, and the only guy in the class as Mercutio (because that was a long part and he could memorize lines also, and because the other two girls wanted to get to kill someone. Twisted group.) Anyway, we're not wearing costumes or anything - it's just a five minute scene - but the other three have to have swords. One girl shows up with a plastic toy knife, about five inches long. The other girl has a tinfoil-covered cardboard 'broadsword'. And the guy comes in with a genuine, four-foot arm saber that his father or grandfather had! Now that was an interesting scene, especially since he was the first to get 'killed'!
Anyway the really funny part was that this was at a homeschool co-op with rather, er, strict rules about guy-girl contact, a dress code, all that stuff. It was in the rules that unrelated teenagers of opposite genders were not supposed to engage in physical contact. And the scene we were doing required my character to help the 'mortally injured Mercutio' off the stage. (Mercutio was play by the guy, remember). My mother (who taught the class) had to reassure us that this was a special case, being theatre. Oh, that was fun...
In the interest of full disclosure I should perhaps confess that I was protesting too much when I said I wanted to follow the guidelines...
Just so you know... one week before they go on... the group has opted for getting out of the way. So, now the two fight... there are three who break it up... and the other 15 get out of the way before they return to standing around and looking at each other...
LOL I think this is why I always got the lead parts in high school...not because I was any good...just because I was dependable and could memorize things incredibly well. Also, I came into my rather sedate family like a tornado from the day I was born...I have a lot of energy! LOL Everyone used to do relaxation exercises before play practice. Not me. They found it better if I ran a few laps around the school! LOL