Oh, the trials and tribulations that best the life of a theatre producer.

Mr. Dusty Hind, who fills this role for the Jabulani Repertory Company, found himself handling a delicate task, made even more so by the current furore over guns in Bermuda, as he attempted to complete arrangements for the staging of this week's repertory offering, `Death Trap', at The Princess Hotel in Hamilton.

The classic comedy thriller calls for a gun to go off onstage so, during a visit to the UK, Mr. Hind duly purchased stage prop `guns' and as the plot demanded "a loud bang, flash and smoke'', he also had to buy blank bullets.

Passing through the now stringent security checks at Heathrow, he attempted to take an official aside and explain the nature of the guns and why he was carrying them.

"I realised it could look very damning, but just as I was trying to explain, the outline of the six guns showed up on the X-ray -- and I was immediately surrounded by four security guys and hustled into a nearby security room!'' After about ten minutes of intense questioning during which time his cases were "taken apart'', Mr. Hind was allowed to proceed on his way to New York.

There, he declared the toy guns to US Customs, explaining that he was in transit.

His troubles were not over yet, however. Finally arriving home in Bermuda, and declaring the guns to a local Customs official, Mr. Hind says that "she immediately ran over to the chief Customs man and he was so concerned he called the Police.'' By 4.45 p.m. the Police Department had taken possession of the guns and taken them to Headquarters at Prospect. They are now back with Jabulani "under lock and key'' but Mr. Hind, who was once a police officer himself, says it may be a good idea to warn everyone that "for three successive nights once a month, there is going to be a very loud bang resounding through the Princess Hotel.

Somebody might misinterpret it -- and start sounding off!'' He emphasises that the barrels are sealed off: "It's absolutely safe and cannot be discharged.'' The man who actually has to fire the gun is Richard Fell, who plays the role of Sidney in Ira Levin's Death Trap. Set in Westport, Connecticut, the spine-tingling action centres around a well known dramatist who is conducting a university seminar in the art of play writing.

Comedy thriller `Death Trap' sure to please Asked how he would describe the thriller -- without giving the plot away -- Mr. Fell smiled and launched into the following narrative: "Death Trap -- a thriller -- two acts -- one set -- five characters -- juicy murder in Act I -- unsuspected developments in Act II -- sound construction -- good dialogue -- laughs in all the right places -- highly commercial.'' It turns out that these are the precise words with which Richard Fell launches the play. "He is reading the script just presented to him by a youth who is attending his seminar.'' Mr. Fell would elaborate no further on the plot, other than to emphasise that Levin's play is "beautifully written with lines that are absolute gems. It's a play that is not just a thriller, but also it's full of wit, sarcasm, there's a zany quality that's completely `off the wall' at times.'' With fellow actors and technical crew already hinting that Death Trap is going to be another huge personal success for the versatile actor, he agrees that "it's a great part!'' Although the play is set in America, Mr. Fell says he is making no attempt to play Sidney as an Ameri can. "He could just as easily be a visiting British writer. In fact, when Michael Caine did the film version, the script referred to `cousins in England', possibly to suggest just that.'' For Richard Fell, himself a highly esteemed director, it is the first time that he has worked with director Patricia Pogson.

"I've enjoyed working with her. She has a very different approach to what I've been used to, but her method works in the development of the various characters in the play. It's been an interesting experience for me.'' Mr. Fell is warm in his praise of the other members of the cast and says they have established a real rapport during rehearsals (which began as far back as August).

"My wife, Myra, is played by Annette Hallett and I love her interpretation.

She plays her as being very astute, very much the homemaker. I feel very comfortable working with her -- except that we seem to share the same sense of humour and we've had some trouble with `corpsing', but we're trying to get over that.'' Jens Hansen, who plays Clifford, the would-be writer, is described by Mr. Fell as "perfect for the part. He looks like he just stepped out of a college campus, a typical blue-eyed, blond collegiate! I can't say much more than that about his character, because that would give the game away!'' Jeanette Freestone takes on the role of the Dutch medium, Helga Ter Dorp.

"She is playing her as a very likeable grandmother. She's a gentle medium, eccentric, certainly, but a gentler approach than is perhaps the norm in this role.'' Completing the cast is Dal Tucker as the lawyer: "This is a cameo role and Dal is doing a splendid job. I really enjoy the seven-minute scene I have with him. I think it works because there's such a contrast in our characters.'' Back on the subject of the infamous gun episode, Richard Fell ad mits that the first time he had to fire it at rehearsal was a nerve-racking business. "I have a big speech just before. Now I know that speech backwards but because I was so aware that the gun had blanks in it for the first time, I found I couldn't get my lines straight. All I could think of was firing the gun and knowing it was going to make a very loud noise indeed. It did, too!'' `Death Trap', the third offering in Jabulani Repertory Company's season of Cocktail Theatre will be performed in the Gazebo Room of the Pembroke Princess this Thursday evening through Saturday, and repeated once each month through the end of March. Tickets for the show are $20, or a combined dinner/show package can be reserved in advance at The Princess (telephone 295-3000).

TRAPPED! -- The cast of Jabulani Repertory Company's comedy thriller, `Deathtrap': Richard Fell, Jens Hansen, Jeanette Freestone, Annette Hallett and Dal Tucker.