#stage combat

[junpeininj4]

Have to train inside during the winter months. Occasionally during the summer months as well, as the police can get weird if you run around in a public park and recreate a scene from Highlander

[shakespearenews]

Matthew Macfadyen as Hal and David Harewood as Hotspur at the RSC in 2005

[savemeryangoslingsavemeeee]

I got to talk about the fight choreo in The Fall Guy for my stage combat class and it did a lot for me. Specifically the scene in the club. Not only is the choreography there a lot of fun, but they also do a good job of hiding any potential errors with special effects in a way that fits the scene so well. It also does really well with balancing out a group fight. Often times it’ll be like a “one at a time” situation but everyone in the scene stayed consistently engaged. The fight choreo also flowed super well. Over all a grand time

[chroniclesofatboy]

rehearsal swords - she kills monsters, qui nguyen

stage managing this show has been SO fun!!

[gameo-archive]

"My George cameo in 2 parts. 🥰 I had to cut out about a minute at the beginning but there you go. I asked how he got to study drama and some fencing tips #DeadBoyDetectives #RenewDeadBoyDetectives"

Did you study drama? How did you decide what to do?

Part 2

"I just started fencing! Do you have any tips?"

Featuring a brief Scottish accent at the end. :)

[waltzoftherapiers]

Another HEMA concept that I think could be interesting applied to stage combat is over-parries

An over-parry has strategic affects in a fight, but also the character beat aspect of it? The bigger the over-parry the more desperate the move looks

[le-sapphic-artist]

Roman: next time someone bothers me, I’m going to fake bang my head on the nearest surface until they go away

[whatislifebesidesrehearsal]

Director: While we were at intermission i got some swords in the mail

[michaelbaileywriter]

Station Identification Time

Who Am I? I’m a writer originally from Falmouth, MA who now lives in Oxford, MA with my awesome wife Veronica, two dogs, and four cats who don’t like to let us sleep in. After 15 years with the Falmouth Enterprise, where I worked as a general and political reporter, blogger, and editor, I left the news industry to focus on my creative writing. In addition to my novels (more on that in a…

[junpeininj4]

So I started medieval stage combat a few weeks ago, after a friend dragged me to a show at the local renaissance faire And we started talking to the group doing the fencing, and what was I supposed to do, NOT fight them? 

And now I’m part of the crew. 

It opened this big can of worms, because part of it all is to look at least somewhat historical accurate, and when I asked how to best approach this whole reenactment thing, they said something terrible. “Just imagine someone who actually lived back then, and try to translate what that would mean for your kit.”

Oh.

Brother.

You can’t TELL me shit like that.

So now I am supposed to write FanFic about the real world, which it turns out is rather dense in regards to the lore, and my hyperfocus for small, niche, minute little things is trying to comprehend A THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY AND SOCIAL POLITICS IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE!

A Europe, by the way, that wasn’t quite as streamlined and culturally united as it is today, AND IT IS NOT, but a Europe where Germany was not even a thing, instead being seven Kingdoms in a trenchcoat larping as Imperial Rome. While being mostly ruling over territory that was never touched by Rome, because we killed them when they tried. 

And now I have this guy called Ulfrick, who is living somewhere in the county of Holstein-Pinneberg, works as a bodyguard for a merchant of the Hanseatic League, is secretly gay, and… enjoys music I don’t know the sound of. Eats food that is unfamiliar to me. I don’t know where he gets his clothes from, or his weapons, and which weapons that would be. What he would do for fun, in which currency he would pay for that. Which parts of the world he would know about, or would be able to travel to. How he would look at the world.

Because I am strange when it comes to the characters I invent, I feel like I owe him to find out. 

And that is… beautiful, and intimidating. It feels like eating an elephant, but it also feels like unearthing more and more little details about a new-found friend.

I guess it’s time to become an expert in medieval history.

Let’s go.

[disappointingcabbage]

Stage combat questions

[thestarlightsapphic]

Feeling Safe on the Stage

Mentions of staged intimacy in the form of hugs/embraces, stage kisses, and briefly on intimacy coordinating for more intense staged intimacy. Mentions of staged violence and staged fights

As someone who doesn’t like physical touch, that is pursuing a theatre career where there is quite a bit of physical touch, it can be pretty challenging to navigate sometimes. For myself, I find it difficult to come across as convincingly physical (hugs/embraces, stage kisses, hand holding, etc) when my first instinct in those moments is not really comfortable. Feeling comfortable and safe on stage is so key and important to me, and it’s important for me that others feel safe executing certain scenes on stage that may bring up some discomfort or questions of safety. Especially when it comes to blocking any forms of violence or intimacy.

Of course, if you have boundaries for yourself, you should never feel that you have to cross those boundaries! Many directors are willing to work with your boundaries and you may be approached by the stage manager or director before/after casting asking what your boundaries are for stage intimacy! I’ve been asked several times when offered a role/call-back if I’m comfortable with performing a stage kiss, or what my limitations and expectations would be on how to perform one. Be honest with yourself and don’t push yourself for a role!

For me, I’ve learned that I have a lot of walls that go up. And those walls become ever apparent when I invite physical touch. Physical touch has never been my thing, but based on my personal boundaries, I am willing to perform certain actions on the stage. There are many factors that go into helping me feel safe to perform those actions though, so I wanted to talk about some of the ways that you can help yourself know that you are safe on the stage.

1. Intimacy Coordinators

Intimacy Coordinators are the amazing people who help to block any form of intimacy on the stage. A coordinator I worked with even stepped in to block a simple arm gesture where the other actor would gently brush my arm with his hand. The intimacy coordinator typically will work with the involved actors in a private setting, and will ask all participants what they are okay with, and if there’s anything the coordinator should be aware of for each individual. Their job is to make the blocking as comfortable and effective on stage as possible. Believable for an audience, and safe for the actors. It makes the action feel like choreography, rather than actual intimacy. These are some of the BEST people to work with if you’re nervous about a scene, because they will work with you to ensure you are comfortable. Talk to your stage manager about intimacy coordinating and communication if you are unsure about how blocking will be handled for a scene that is causing you a bit of worry! Your stage manager is your advocate and will pass on the request to the director!

2. Connection/The Power of HOLD

I’ve had some intense scenes that I’ve had to perform on stage. One of those scenes involved a choreographed fight scene with rapiers. Which also involved some choreographed punches and elbows and all sorts of other embellishments. My scene partner and I, before we engaged in any form of choreographed combat, would take at least 5 minutes and connect. We actually did some trust exercises occasionally, which were quite fun. We would walk through the choreo slowly without our rapiers, and would do a fight call with our choreographer at a slow speeds. Eye contact and communication with my scene partner was crucial. I needed to be able to trust that we both were solid on our choreography, and ALSO that we were in sync enough to catch on if there was a slip up!

My partner and I actually did encounter one mistake that led to a minor injury, but because we were both in sync, we were able to HOLD and stop before anything major happened. I miscalculated a distance and ended up taking a hit to the face accidentally. I called for a HOLD and the scene immediately stopped. Which also, for you, is a good reminder that in any scene. Especially in moments of staged violence and combat, and even in intimacy, you ALWAYS, have the power of HOLD. If you ever feel unsafe in a scene, or you KNOW that a scene has lost control, you have the power of HOLD. Confidently and loudly shout HOLD and the Stage Manager or Director will take over. All action around you should come to a halt. This call can also occur during set transitions, dances, etc. Any situation that involves immediate danger is a call for a HOLD.

3. Your Stage Manager

This one might be biased, because I also am mainly a stage manager, but you’ll probably have noticed that I have mentioned their name already quite a few times. Yes! Your Stage Manager is your #1 Advocate. If you’re having an issue with another actor/production member? Talk to your stage manager. Someone is making you feel unsafe/uncomfortable? Let your stage manager know. As a stage manager myself, I am not afraid to confront someone that is hostile or uncomfortable. Conflict management and protecting cast/crew is my job and I will gladly do it. Your stage manager is there to help you, and is there to help you to do the job that you need to do! The stage manager should be able to listen to you and find the best possible strategy to handle the problem. They are the direct form of communication to your director, producer, designers, etc. But unless you give them permission, your business is your business. They are not going to bring up your conflicts to the director unless absolutely necessary. If you want confidentiality when talking to a stage manager, you only need to ask for it. Trust your stage managers though, they are your best resource.

4. Finding What Works for YOU!

When I do a stage embrace or a stage kiss, or any form of staged intimacy, my first instinct is always the walls going up. However, I’ve figured out some little tricks that really help me to better perform these actions on stage. For me, I have certain people that I’m more comfortable hugging than others. And my scene partner during one of our connection talks, learned that one of those people has an association of roses for me. So, I asked very politely if he was comfortable with me using an essential oil stick that smelled like roses to associate the sensation with someone that I was extremely comfortable with. It worked so well, I could clearly envision the person in my brain during our scenes and it helped me to not freeze up on stage and not have like. 10,000 walls go up.

That is just one example though and I have others for when that trick doesn’t work, but really, find what works for YOU! Research and learn about what is helpful to make you feel in a sense, connected with your scene partner for those difficult scenes! My theatre professor shared an experience where she focused on her scene partners eyes, because she said he had kind eyes, and those kind eyes made her think of safety and warmth. So she would conjure up that image for herself to be able to find that chemistry on stage.

For a different purpose, in my rapier scene, my partner and I to establish chemistry and sibling-like tension in our scene, each came up with a unique secret in our heads with the ultimate goal being to try and figure out the secret of the other person. So what we would do, is improv lines during our practices with this back and forth question and answering, and try to figure each other out! And then in our actual scene, we would bring that energy into play with our real lines. It genuinely made our connection much more fun and engaging!

5. Understanding Your Limits

Finally, coming to a close, please never feel the need to push your boundaries! You should never have to push past your limits, ever. You especially should never feel pressured to perform a scene that makes you uncomfortable. If you have values as an actor that you want to keep, talk to your director/stage manager, or even have a section on your resume dedicated to your values as a performer. If you aren’t comfortable with stage kisses or intimacy, you are allowed to feel that way, and you are allowed to make your voice heard on your discomfort. I also would recommend having a spot on your resume for a show where certain roles have those scenes. For example you could formulate it as:

I (am/am) not comfortable performing a (stage kiss/other form of staged intimacy) and (would like/would not like) to be considered for any roles that involve these actions. I am willing to speak with a director or stage manager further on my boundary.

Don’t be afraid to speak with the director/stage manager further if approached! If they really want you for a certain role, they might be willing to work with you on finding a solution. Hear them out, but don’t feel pressured if you still aren’t sure! You can always walk away at the end of it all.

This was an extremely long post, and I’m sure it’s not absolutely perfect, but I appreciate it nonetheless if you’ve gotten this far! If anyone ever has any questions or wants to converse about the theatre industry, please don’t hesitate to contact my inbox or DM’s! Thank you so much for reading and hopefully in some ways this information was helpful?

[kultofathena]

Hanwei – Practical Side Sword

The Practical Side Sword manufactured by Paul Chen uses the same hilt as the sharp version from Hanwei (SH2203), but carries a sparring blade designed for safety. Side sword sparring, in both sword and buckler and sword and dagger modes is becoming increasingly popular with many proponents among the ranks of the various Renaissance societies.

[dannyisinspace7]

Stage combat really makes you realize where the bones are in your body. Like I do a stage fall and I’m just thinking “huh I didn’t know there was a bone there”

On the other hand I’ve only been doing this for two days and I’ve almost destroyed my knees so

[s0fi114]

i dont like it when my mom talks mean to me

I feel like a 7 year old after “drawing too loud”

i didnt wanna sword fight with someone when they were boxing cuz thats bad

:(

i wanna die but i dont wanna lose her