What Your Students Need to Know

This month, we’re diving into the world of stage fight. If you dream of directing an action-packed present like The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, or Treasure Island, then you definately’ll must take care of stage fight along with your college students. But stage fight is extra than simply swordfights and gunslinging. There are tons of performs and musicals that embody many various kinds of stage fight: punches, slaps, hair pulls, slow-motion fights, knife fights, discovered weapon fights, journeys, slips, falls, lifts, and extra. Wait — falls and lifts rely as stage fight too? Definitely!

The mere point out of stage fight can evoke many emotions in pupil performers: pleasure, nervousness, silliness, and even worry. If you intend on operating a stage fight workshop along with your college students, or for those who’re doing reveals with even the briefest moments of stage fight, that you must be certain that your pupil performers are feeling assured in addition to bodily and mentally secure always. Here are some issues that your college students have to know earlier than beginning stage fight work:

1. Students have to know the duties that go along with doing stage fight.

We go into this intimately in our article Stage Combat 101: Before You Even Begin. Be certain to take a look at the giveaway, which has an incredible printable tip sheet for college kids. The highlights embody: 

• The first rule of stage fight is security first, security final, and security all the time.
• Stage fight should all the time be carried out precisely as it’s choreographed each time. Never improvise stage fight. 
• Stage weapons could be damaged or broken or trigger bodily damage with improper dealing with. Always deal with stage weapons with care and respect.
• If a pupil is caught goofing round throughout stage fight directions or with a stage weapon, they are going to face penalties (comparable to being faraway from the combat completely). 

In quick, college students should show respect, care, maturity, and trustworthiness with the intention to be permitted to take part in stage fight. If a trainer, director, or combat director doesn’t really feel {that a} pupil has displayed the traits essential to do stage fight, the coed is not going to be forged in a task that entails stage fight or allowed to take part in stage fight workshops.

2. Students should be knowledgeable.

In your audition notices, make sure you embody if a task entails stage fight, and what sort of fight (unarmed, knife, sword, and so forth.) might be carried out. Have copies of the script obtainable forward of time so college students can learn via it and see precisely what the function entails, comparable to whether or not the character is the aggressor or the sufferer, and what number of fights are concerned. This method college students could make knowledgeable decisions about whether or not they really feel bodily succesful and mentally comfy auditioning for a task that requires stage fight. 

Note: This can be a helpful approach for any roles that contain romance or delicate subject material comparable to loss of life.

It’s additionally a good suggestion to offer college students advance discover if you’re planning on doing a stage fight workshop or unit in school. Not solely will they be capable of put together upfront so they’re dressed correctly (sneakers, exercise garments, lengthy hair tied again, and so forth.), they’ll make an knowledgeable resolution on whether or not they really feel comfy collaborating.

3. Students have to know they’ll advocate for themselves.

If a director or combat director asks a pupil to do one thing that the coed is aware of they can not bodily do or that feels unsafe, the coed is allowed to talk up and let the director/combat director know (both publicly or privately, relying on the coed’s selection). Let’s say your director desires a pupil to fall to their knees on the stage, and the coed has a previous knee damage. The pupil can actually ask to not do the transfer, or to do an alternate transfer, or request to put on a pair of knee pads. In quick, if one thing feels unsafe, don’t do it!

Students don’t want to clarify the rationale or disclose previous historical past or trauma when requesting to not do a transfer that they really feel is unsafe. An excellent combat director will discover a substitute transfer or workaround. Be conscious {that a} pupil might really feel comfy whereas auditioning or through the early rehearsal course of, after which uncover within the second {that a} specific transfer or sequence is uncomfortable for them. We encourage lecturers and combat administrators to be versatile and understanding if these conditions come up.

Click right here for a free printable pupil worksheet.