We were also present in New York for talks with Actor's Equity concerning actor safety in the workplace. There was also the addition of a new category of advanced student, named the Advanced Actor Combatant. These individuals were honored with special certificates when they were able to pass six of the eight weapons styles while keeping them all current!
The administration also saw fit to add two new weapon styles to the list that had stood for many years, knife and single sword. There were also internal changes within the SAFD. The new Executive Committee met in Las Vegas, and hammered through a long agenda of finances, and policies and procedures. As President Dale Girard stated at the time,. In time, however, everyone will notice a greater efficiency of operation, better communication with the overall membership, and a higher profile in the professional and academic communities.
Expanding the site many fold, and adding interactive elements, the site got 10, hits within months. We also continued to raise money for the Equity Fights Aids fund through donations, and percentages of profits from workshops across the nation.
It concentrated on basics of the many other weapon styles in our repertoire, and was inaugurated this summer by Fight Masters Drew Fracher, David Boushey,and J. Allen Suddeth. It was recognized as the only other official SAFD training program in the country. This year digital video classes joined the already complex schedule headed by award-winning DGA filmmaker A. Dale Girard, J. Allen Suddeth, and k. Jenny Jones made up the faculty up in Maine.
Finally, this year we invested Brian Byrnes into the College of Fight Masters, and said farewell to founding member Fight Master Joseph Martinez, who stepped down to pursue other interests.
He has now become a Fight Master Emeritus and will continue to share his talents with us through the years. Many drama departments at the University and College level have committed themselves not only to following our guidelines, buying expensive but safe prop weapons and mats, and also to hiring our Certified Teachers.
To that end, we honored those institutions who have continued to support the SPT over the years. Letters of commendation, and framed certificates were sent to over 25 Universities and Colleges around the country who have hosted the "fight test" since its' inception in See the complete list.
SAFD officers made some significant internal changes. Treasurer Julia Rupkalvis worked to update and improve our financial situation. She and new Secretary Angela Bonacasa,, created a database of members, dates, tests, and other information that streamlined our lines of communication for years to come.
We are getting closer than ever to making permanent changes in AEA contracts for actors, fight captains and fight directors all across the country. For the first time in history, we have members. Even a short drop-in session or two can give you a grasp of what may be involved in performing a fight and then you can decide if you want to do more and get better at it, making it part of your acting skill set.
Most courses are designed around specific skill levels from beginner courses to those aimed specifically at advanced students. The first people to visit the Independent Drama stand will receive a free voucher for a Combat Lab which is a weekly drop in session open to all levels of students with different themes every week.
Why do I need it? John Lennox : I would say the two major points would be the illusion of the hits, and the acting of the fight. Likewise, even if all of the hits actually appear to land, or the misses are covered well and they use knaps to make great sound effects of impacts, but the actors have dropped character and are not committed to the scene, then I again will no longer believe that this is a real fight.
Langsner : Aesthetically, the fight needs to mesh dramaturgically with the rest of the production elements and of course with the story itself. Langsner : Safety is the first priority in fight direction. Every technique has built in safety procedures designed into it.
Also, remember that we create the illusion of violence, not actual violence. I often say that stage combat is much more a combination of ballroom dance and sleight of hand than it does any actual combat discipline. Nothing is gained by trying to get a performer to attempt a move that is beyond them, or that they do not have the time to learn to execute properly.
Lennox : Constant rehearsing. Practice makes perfect. The moves are rehearsed for as long as possible at slow speeds to get the properly executed moves well into the muscle memory. Once that is there, we pick up speed a bit. Once that is sound, we pick it up a bit more. By the time we reach performance speed, they should have done it scores of times. If given enough time on a job, I will work for several days with the actors training them in combat with the style they will use in the production.
The history of European theatrical combat has its roots in medieval theatre , and becomes tangible in Elizabethan drama. It is speculated [ citation needed ] 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. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, scenes of swordplay in touring theatrical productions throughout Europe, the British Commonwealth and the USA were typically created by combining several widely known, generic routines known as "standard combats".
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fencing masters in Europe began to research and experiment with historical fencing techniques, 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 fencing styles based on gladiatorial combat as well as Renaissance 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. Martial arts movies emerge as a distinct genre from the s, popularized by Bruce Lee and Sonny Chiba from the s. Informal guilds of fight choreographers began to take shape in the s with the establishment of The Society of British Fight Directors , to More formal training was established with the formation of the Society of American Fight Directors in In , the first all-female stage combat theatre company since the 19th century was formed: Babes With Blades.
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 knives ; and more specialized 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 limited only by safety concerns, and the ability of the participants involved. As a note, most of these techniques are drawn from actual fighting techniques, but modified to be safer for actors.
For example, although there are a number of ways of creating the safe illusion of a slap to the face which is obviously something that could really be done in combat , none of these involve making actual contact with the victim's face. 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.
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