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The Director vs. The Fightmaster |
| In the world of theatre, it is well known exactly what is expected of a | However, in the case of stage combat, we're talking about another kettle of fish entirely. The director is taking a scene out of the production and handing it over to another... Try baring your stomach to an unknown surgeon. Given the degree of self that a director vests in a production, the feeling is akin. The following events are drawn from several productions and many of the same situations arise again and again, but none of the experiences are fabricated or exagerated. | |
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| The presuppostions arrive at the first production meeting... | ||
| The AD found this guy who claims he knows theatrical combat. I really should take the time to do the fights the way I want them, after all, I had a semester of stage combat just 10 years ago in college. Sigh, OK, I DO NOT HAVE TIME to work these fights, and they are a real pain. I'll just let him deal with them. |
More often than not, I work with directors who simply have no idea what they've got once they've hired me. It is frustrating for me to spend energy trying to educate them in how to manage me without overtly appearing to be telling them how to go about it. | |
| Who is this guy? Just by the titles, I can't tell a blasted thing about him. I mean, just look at them... |
| OK, he's smiling and nodding in the right places. Maybe he's worked with a guy like me before. |
| Well, then, talk with my AD about rehearsal schedules. You've got 3 weeks before we open so things are fairly tight, but we'll squeeze out enough time to let you teach them a couple of moves. | 3 fights plus a 22 combatant melee. Sure... Right... Christ, I've gone blind... | |
| First combat rehearsal. Fight Captain has major attitude because they had a weekend workshop in stage combat and thinks that they should be doing the choreography and the lead could only look less coordinated if he walked on all fours. | ||
| Oh, man. OH, MAN! How am I going to make this guy look good? Why doesn't a director *EVER* do an audition fight? They wouldn't cast a dancer without an audtion dance... OK, I'm not going to be able to choreograph something to use on my demo tape, but what can I do to make it look good... Maybe I can get them to take my name off the program. | ||
| He want's how many rehearsals with my leads? No way. He can have half that many. The stairs for the fight won't be done until production week, and *no* he can't have the house for that amount of time during production week. Can't they practice on the stairs out back? | ||
| An actual production meeting: | ||
| This is how I perceive the character... The fight should be, you know, not too serious. You know, I want intensity, but sort of light. Can you make it tricky with surprising twists? | This is how I conceive of your perception... He wants me to create a dramatic but non-serious fight. Tricky. Twists. He doesn't want Hamlet, he wants Curly Joe? | |
| Hey, have you got a minute? I've a fight story roughed out and some ideas about set and props. I'd like you to make certain I'm headed in the right direction. | ||
| Um, yeah, hang on a minute... OK. Look, I don't really have time to go over this with you right now. I trust you. Oh, did I mention blood? I want lots of it -- yeah, real bloody | ||
| Blood. Cripes, I better find costumes... Maybe the AD has someone who knows how to make blood bags. | ||
| Well, the cosume design has been done for some time, but we won't actually have anything built until production week. The lead's costume is rented, so you can't get anything on it and he has to be careful not to rip it. | They're fighting in what? Wait... No, no... Don't get upset. Oh, man. Ok, look, I at least am going to need no-skid on those heals. And I presume they can't fall in the fishnets, right? You know the director wants blood? | |
| Just remember, it's a | ||
| Well, I can get you a blueprint, but things like the steps are being built over in the scene shop across campus and we plan to rent a truck for load in. I've got nothing like that here in the rehearsal hall. You'ld better talk to the construction master. He's pretty protective of his territory. | How soon can we get some of the actual set pieces to allow the actors to rehearse? Um, OK. How about these steps? There are some safety considerations and some of the flats are going to need to be re-enforced hollywoods instead of canvas if we're going to have people running into them. | |
| I've ended up watching a dress rehearsal where a bit of violence which could or should have been cleared me (as fight director) appears and I havn't been asked about it at all... Sigh. Should I try to be helpful? | ||
| For more information email the Ring of Steel at rosteel@umich.edu |
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