On Jan. 24 and 25, Asbury students have the opportunity to take part in a stage combat workshop organized by members of Asbury’s theatre department. The workshop will be led by Robert Borwick, a fight director certified by the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). All Asbury students are welcome to attend the workshop, which spans two days at Asbury’s Greathouse Theatre.
Throughout the workshop, students will learn a variety of skills that relate to stage combat such as falls, trips, faints, pushing and pulling, slaps, punches and more. The goal of the workshop is to allow students to learn skills related to combat scenes and apply them to visual storytelling.
Borwick has been part of the SAFD for over 30 years, a non-profit organization “dedicated to promoting safety and fostering excellence in the art of stage combat” and has taught stage combat since the 1990s. He hopes that he can share his expertise with students on the importance of learning about stage combat skills and safety.
“I will be teaching basic fundamentals of unarmed staged violence with an emphasis on safety and storytelling,” said Borwick. “My goal by the end of Saturday is for participants to have an appreciation of the art form, some skills and methods of learning to take with them, and a short sequence of staged violence that might tell a good story to the audience.”
While stage combat might not be the first thought actors have when picking up a script, knowing what to do when a fight scene shows up is vital for actors.
“As an actress, I have had that dreaded feeling when I read the words ‘They fight’ in a script,” said Catherine Gaffney, an adjunct instructor at Asbury University. “‘Oh no,’ I think, ‘What will that mean? Will I have to fall? What about my physical limitations? Will it look dumb?’ and more. After studying stage combat, I have the skills to stay safe, and stay in character, while keeping up the illusion of being in harm’s way.”
Safety is a major reason why Hannah Clark, a theatre major, is excited about Asbury hosting their first stage combat workshop.
“As a theatre major, I value safety when doing any physical actions with actors on stage, so it is smart that we finally will have someone come in to properly train us with that. I also have loved doing combat since I was young and have been suggesting this to our faculty for years now. I’m happy it finally is able to happen before I graduate.”
Beyond safety, the workshop will help students learn how to tell a story with their bodies when on-stage violence is involved.
“Our job is to make the illusion seem real. Bob Borwick will show us how to do that effectively through technique, timing, non-verbal communication, impact sounds and reactions,” said Gaffney.
While the workshop is primarily focused on providing skills for theatre students, non-theatre students are still welcome to attend.
“Non-acting students should come if they want to act. I do not teach violence. I teach acting and storytelling. I would lose every real fight I might ever have. The violence, to me, is reserved for the world of the play and should not be violent in reality,” said Borwick. “I often tell my students what one of my movement teachers, Daniel Stein, told me: I am not interested in getting an emotional response from the actor, I am interested in getting an emotional response from the audience. I want to change their breathing. I do not wish for actors to cause harm to another or themselves. I want them to learn skills to tell great stories that move the audience.”
The workshop will cost $25 for Asbury theatre majors and minors and $35 for non-theatre Asbury students to attend.
Photo courtesy of SAFD.
