Two teen actors in a school production accidentally had their necks slit when a prop used in a pivotal scene in their "Sweeney Todd" play turned out to be a sharp razor. The high school students from St. Kentigern College in New Zealand were brought to the hospital Wednesday for their injuries, but they were later discharged after treatment.
TVNZ reports that the show for the following night has been cancelled due to the incident, but the school head, Stephen Cole, is convinced no one is to be blamed for the accident. "It was an unfortunate isolated incident which we're of course very disturbed about," Cole said. He cited that the students and drama teachers have been using the prop since rehearsals in January. The razor was wrapped in "duct tape, foam and silver paper" to keep it blunt yet authentic.
Cole acknowledged that parents had some concerns about the school mounting "Sweeney Todd," which is a tale of a barber turned serial killer from the 1840s. The 2007 movie adaptation with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter depicted the death scenes violently. Below is a video of the throat-slitting scenes from the movie version:
CNN reports that the police and WorkSafe New Zealand are conducting its investigation of the school, but Cole believes they did not violate any health or safety standards. A police spokesperson revealed no foul play was involved. "It's not a criminal inquiry. In this instance the play is not the reality," he said per NZ Herald.
The audience was not aware that they were watching real blood gushing from the teens' necks during the performance and only got wind of the accident later. The families of the boys are getting support from the school, while the rest of the students participating in the play are also being offered counseling, per Fairfax New Zealand Limited.
Listen to the headmaster talk about what really happened to the "Sweeney Todd" school play in the audio interview below:
