Some of the most thrilling performances on stage involve staged combat. For example, imagine Hamlet without the many battles that take place? Or Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance without the great swashbuckling of the pirates? Regardless of what type of performance, from comedy to tragedy, whether it be a play or a musical, there can be combat scenes involved.
Obviously real fighting on stage is unwise, simply due to the high level of danger that it presents to the performers. Theater is all about convincing illusions, and combat is no exception to this. With this in mind several techniques have been created by directors and choreographers that incorporate real combat moves from both martial arts and other fighting disciplines, but lower the danger level for the actors involved. These techniques have come to be known under the collective term 'stage combat'.
Among the more common stage combat types is stage fencing. Many of the moves and techniques that are utilized in traditional fencing are also used in stage fencing, but with modifications. For example, certain moves may be altered to keep a sword used from getting too close to the actor's face.
Fencing on stage makes use of a few different kinds of weapons. Included are the stage foil which looks like a normal foil, the dagger and the broadsword. Rapiers are sometimes utilized. Staged combat moves are used to correlate to the type of sword involved in the scene. For instance, fighters using rapiers will be more agile than people using bigger weapons. The swords used may be real or fake. Fake weapons are safer to use but it is more difficult to make them look authentic.
In most productions, the stage fencing routines are developed by the choreographer of the play or musical. For larger scale productions, or for routines involving many intricate techniques, a separate fight choreographer may be used. These choreographers are trained especially in stage combat, and are more skilled in developing flashier routines.
So, as it is done in a theatrical production, it is quite common. The scenes are designed to look dangerous and exciting, but they are the result of lots of practice, at different tempos. The moves can't change while the actors are on stage, as it is too hazardous to do something different than expected with weapons. But, if it is performed well, these scenes look marvelous and action-packed and like a real fight.
Craig started fencing after seeing the brief clips of Peter Westbrook winning the Olympic Bronze medal in 1984. Since then, he's been a compeitor, coach, organizational officer, and finally a happily married recreational fencer. Craig also runs the leading web site for the sport of fencing and is a credentialed Olympic reporter.
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