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Stage Combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other production media including film and television. It is a common field of study for actors and dancers and is closely related to the practice of stunts.
History
Aristotle is quoted as noting that "conflict is the essence of drama". Although the physical enactment of combat was not a feature of ancient Greek or Roman theater, traditional dances such as the pyrrachia served a similar purpose, being mimetic representations of combat techniques performed as public entertainment.
European stage combat has an extensive history reaching at least as far back as the Elizabethan era. It is speculated that Richard Tarleton, who was a member of both William Shakespeare's acting company and of the London Masters of Defence weapons guild, was among the first fight directors in the modern sense.
The tradition extends even further in Asia. Stylized stage combat has been a staple feature of traditional Japanese (Kabuki tachimawari), Chinese (Beijing Opera) and Indian performing arts for centuries.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, fight scenes in touring theatrical productions throughout Europe, the British Commonwealth and the USA were typically simple combinations of well-known, generic routines. At about the same time, fencing masters in Europe began to research and experiment with "ancient" combat methods with weapons such as the two-handed sword, rapier and smallsword, and to instruct actors in their use. Notable amongst these were George Dubois, a Parisian fight director and martial artist who created performance versions of several historical combat systems including those of the gladiators and of rapier and dagger fencing. Egerton Castle and Captain Alfred Hutton of London were also involved both in reviving antique fencing systems and in teaching these styles to actors.
By the mid-late 20th century, due partly to the confluence of theatrical disciplines being taught at drama schools around the world, these two "streams" had combined with skills drawn from professional wrestling, mime, modern fencing, Asian martial arts and similar disciplines to form the basis of modern stage combat.
There continues to be a steady rise in standards, sophistication, and audience expectations for stage combat, especially in cinema; for example, a comparison of combat in early Star Wars films to their sequels two decades later demonstrates a dramatic difference in the level of complexity and realism. The rise in quality can be observed in live performance and film throughout the entertainment industry. Though exceptional historical examples exist, such as the famously spectacular skills of Errol Flynn and Bruce Lee, it is chiefly within the last 25 years that advanced and complex physical combat has come to be a widespread and in-demand aspect of popular films.
Techniques
Stage combat training includes unarmed combat skills such as illusory slaps, punches, kicks, throwing and holding techniques; theatrical adaptations of various forms of fencing such as rapier and dagger, smallsword and broadsword, as well as the use of other weapons, notably the quarterstaff; and more specialised skills such as professional wrestling and different styles of martial arts. However, stage combat can include any form of choreographed violence and the options are limitless, depending on the dramatic requirements of a script and the creative choices of the director and fight director.
The over-riding concern is for the safety of the actors and audience. This requirement has led to the adaptation of many standard martial arts and fencing skills specifically for performance. For example, many basic sword attacks and parries must be modified to ensure that the actors do not bring the points of their weapons past their partner's face or otherwise inadvertently risk the other actor's health and well-being. Likewise, whereas their characters may be trying to violently twist each other's limbs, slap, or punch, or grapple, and engaging in vicious unarmed combat, the actors must operate at a high level of complicity and communication to ensure a safe, exciting fight scene. Considerable professional judgement is called upon to determine what technical level may be appropriate for a given performer, taking into account allotted rehearsal time, and the expectations of the director.
The combat phase of a play rehearsal is referred to as a fight rehearsal. Choreography is typically learned step by step, and practiced at first very slowly before increasing to full speed. Even stage combat is risky, and it is preferable for actors to have as much training and experience as possible. A "fight call" or a brief rehearsal before the show is performed each time, is set aside for the actors to "mark" through the fight to increase their muscle memory.
A show which includes a great deal of fighting will typically be trained and supervised by a professional fight choreographer and will also include a fight captain, who runs fight calls and ensures that actors are remaining safe throughout the duration of the show.
"Realism" in fight choreography
Fight choreography can vary widely from true realism to outright fantasy.
In general, the realism and historical/cultural accuracy quotients are decided by the dramatic effect desired by the director and the fight choreographer.
For example, the Hong Kong based fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping is famed for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Matrix trilogy, in which the often unrealistic fighting techniques are complemented by directorial techniques such as bullet time. Ching Siu-tung is particularly noted in the field of Hong Kong action cinema for his use of graceful wire fu techniques.
By contrast, films such as The Duellists, fight directed by William Hobbs and Once Were Warriors, fight directed by Robert Bruce are widely famed for their gritty, realistic combat scenes.
The Star Wars films, the fights for which are choreographed by Nick Gillard, tend to portray swordsmanship techniques drawn from existing martial arts, but are performed with fantasy weapons such as lightsabers or The Force, whereas the action featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy employed specifically designed fantasy weapons and fighting styles.
Fight choreographers note that an unusual aspect of live stage combat, such as in a play, is that audiences will reject violence if they fear the actors are being harmed: for example, if an actor is really slapped in the face, the audience will stop thinking about the character and worry about the performer. Audiences may also fear for their own safety if large combat scenes seem to be out of control. Therefore, stage combat is not simply a safety technique but is also important for an audience to maintain uninterrupted suspension of disbelief.
Stage combat training
Modern actors typically begin learning stage combat during their training at drama school. Most drama schools in the USA, Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand offer basic stage combat training courses, typically supervised by certified fight directors and/or stage combat teachers. Numerous training workshops are also offered around the world, incorporating more advanced and/or diverse methods of stage combat. The majority of stage combat trainers also specialize in some form of sport combat, usually fencing or martial arts, and it is common for a private studio or acting school to teach both actors and competitive athletes.
A primary institution for stage combat in the US is the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) which provides training and offers a widely-recognized certification for actor/combatants. It should be noted however that just like there is no offical "certification" for being an actor, there is no official "certification" for becoming a fight director or performer.
As of 2005 East 15 Acting School, London now offers a 3 year BA Honours Degree in Specialist Performance Skills (Stage Combat). It is the only program of its kind in the world and only 16 students are taken per year.
Other stage combat classes can last from two days to six months, often specializing in a single skill per course, or designed specifically to prepare the actor to test for certification with a particular stage combat school or society.
External links
- Academy of Theatrical Combat, The - Los Angeles, CA
- Society of American Fight Directors
- British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat
- Preferred Arms
- Sydney Stage Combat School - Sydney, Australia
- East 15 Acting School
- Action Film Workshops
- Miguel Andrade Gomes - Portugal
"Stage combat"