Stage combat

With the advent of cinema and television the term has widened to also include the choreography of filmed fighting sequences, as opposed to the earlier live performances on stage.

Actors famous for their stage fighting skills frequently have backgrounds in dance, gymnastics or martial arts training.

Display of martial aptitude is a natural occurrence in warrior societies, and ritualized forms of mock combat often evolve into war dances.

Richard Tarlton, 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.

Egerton Castle and Captain Alfred Hutton of London were also involved both in reviving antique fencing systems and in teaching these styles to actors.

[6] During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, scenes of swordplay in touring theatrical productions throughout Europe, the British Commonwealth and the United States were typically created by combining several widely known, generic routines known as "standard combats", identified by names such as the "Round Eights" and the "Glasgow Tens".

One of the more celebrated fight directors who emerged in this time was Paddy Crean who revolutionized stage combat, specifically sword play, for the silver screen and theater.

During the early part of the Covid 19 Pandemic, several organizations made strides in distance/virtual training, including international virtual workshops.

[11] 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.

Attacking actions in stage combat are extended past the performance partner's body, or aimed short of their apparent targets.

Likewise, whereas their characters may be engaged 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.

For stage combat, all edges should be dulled and points blunted so that there is no risk of severe injury if someone is accidentally stabbed.

In addition, weapons that are used, and not just for show, should be certified as combat-ready, thereby preventing any accidents involving blades accidentally breaking off.

Modern quarterstaff choreography has also integrated the techniques of the bō staff from the Japanese martial art Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, which originated around 1447.

[citation needed] Replicating Asian martial arts on stage is often an imitation of their cinematic representation, and often involves creating the illusion of high level skills that the performers themselves do not possess.

The Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company, helmed by Qui Nguyen and Robert Ross Parker, have built a genre in part around the staging of elaborate martial arts derived fight scenes.

Pan Asian Rep produced Shogun MacBeth twice, which transposed Shakespeare's play to feudal Japan, with the appropriate style of swordplay.

Also adapting the same play to a Japanese setting, Ping Chong created a stage version of Kurosawa's Throne of Blood.

Used for slashing rather than stabbing, this weapon is used in plays set in this period like Shakespeare's Macbeth and is also seen in fantasy epics like Lord of the Rings.

LLyg The Sword and shields used in stage combat are commonly round and are strong enough that they can be used as a defensive and offensive weapon.

Elements of unarmed combat include slaps, punches, kicks, grabs, chokes, falls, rolls, grappling, among others.

Fight choreography can vary widely from true realism to outright fantasy depending upon the requirements of a particular production.

One school of fight choreographer thought says that an unusual aspect of live stage combat, such as in a play, is that audiences will react negatively to even simulated 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, instead, worry about the performer.

The Star Wars films, the fights for which are choreographed by Bob Anderson & Peter Diamond (Episodes IV, V & VI) and Nick Gillard (Episodes I, II & III), tend to portray its lightsaber combat using swordsmanship techniques drawn from existing martial arts, but performed with fantasy weapons such as lightsabers or the Force, whereas the action featured in The Lord of the Rings also choreographed by Bob Anderson employed fantasy weapons and fighting styles, designed by Tony Wolf.

Ching Siu-tung is particularly noted in the field of Hong Kong action cinema for his use of graceful wire fu techniques.