Shakespearean Stage Combat
This 7 week course will teach your child the basics of stage combat including attacks, defense, and acting a fight onstage.
Paul H. The Shakespearean Student
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(52)
What's included
1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours per weekAssessment
I am looking for growth, not perfection with this class, since a perfect performance is by definition impossible. If the students improve their form in fighting and do their best with their time, they will receive a digital badge upon completion of the class.Class Experience
This 3 part class goes in-depth into how to train for, rehearse, and perform a fight from a Shakespeare play. We'll cover fight safety, footwork, proper cuing, and selling the fight. I will also contextualize the fights in "Romeo and Juliet," (the play with more fights than any other in Shakespeare), to explain how the Elizabethans felt about violence, and what this play says about violence in our own time. The class will mostly be up-on- your feet demonstrations with me in front of the camera and the students mirroring my movements, but there will also be handouts, websites, and video presentations to help supplement what I say. Class Structure: 1: Proper Footwork/ Cuts We’ll cover proper stance and en guard positions We’ll practice advances and retreats We’ll show you how to do a lunge and the footwork involved. We’ll incorporate advances and retreats with simple high-low parries and cuts. 2. Week of March 26th: Parries and other defensive moves We’ll cover the 6 basic parries to stop an attacker’s blade. We’ll also cover ducking, avoidances, and 3. Fight Rehearsal We’ll assign roles for the fight between Mercutio, Tybalt and Romeo in Act III I of "Romeo and Juliet." The students will then get a fight script, and you can practice the fight at ½ speed. We will also explain the concept of Cue-Reaction-Action: A basic stage combat principle/process used to achieve a safe and dramatically effective sequence of events. We will discuss the importance of eye contact and cuing to ensure that the combatants know what to expect at all times.
Learning Goals
There are two main learning goals for this course:
Students will engage with the text of Romeo and Juliet by learning about the dueling culture of 17th century Europe, and by personating the characters of Mercutio, Tybalt, and/or Romeo. They will learn about the types of weapons from the period and how they were used.
Students will learn the basics of stage combat and enacting violence onstage, from the types of cuts and thrusts to the six basic parries. We will also cover basic footwork like advances, retreats, thrusts, and lunges.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Like my beginning stage combat course, real swords are not required for the class. Any arm-length object that the student can safely wield can stand in for a sword. If you have a real sword, I can help you improve your use of it, but again, not having one shouldn't prevent you from taking the course.
Supply List
Students will need a working webcam, and some kind of object to double as a sword, whether a pool noodle, dowl rod, curtain rod, or some kind of toy sword. Students should also dress in clothes that are appropriate to move in. Comfortable close-toed shoes, sweat pants or other athletic wear. Don't wear anything hanging down or too tight. Long hair should be tied back so it doesn't get in the way, and no hanging jewelry.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
This class is partially inspired by a video from the Folger Shakespeare Theater's fight choreographer: "How to stage a fight in 10 easy steps:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksmjeczatQU&t=455s
All the vocabulary I cover in the class is listed on the website of the Society of American Fight Directors: safd.org. I have posted their glossary on the course page and highlight the terms the students need to know.
Joined April, 2021
4.8
52reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Mary Baldwin College
Bachelor's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Ashland University
I have been trained by the Society of American Fight Directors and I take stage combat very seriously. We will constantly refer to safe guidelines to make sure the fights do not result in inury. I will insist that the combatants keep proper distance, cue each move so they know what to expect, and I will not tolerate any kind of horseplay or unsafe deviation from the fight. Reviews
Live Group Class
$17
weekly1x per week
55 min
Completed by 5 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
3-6 learners per class
