What is A Fight Director?
A fight director is a specialist that is hired to stage any violence that occurs on stage. The staged violence could involve weapons, such as knives, swords, or whips but, most times is unarmed combat, such as punches, slaps, and even falls. A fight director works with the director of a show to decide on the best way to tell the story of the violence to the audience. Then by working with the actors a safe and effective fight is put together for the production.
Romeo & Juliette AZ Opera, Tim Trumble photography
Should you hire a Fight Director?
Along with the true threat of injury to both actor and audience is the effect of badly staged combat. Many times right in a truly climatic, dramatic point in a play there is some type of violence. When the violence looks fake or dangerous to the actors instead of the characters, the result can be laughter or a withdrawal of the audience from the world of the play. So, if you have any type of fall or slap, all the way up to something like a large sword fight, absolutely!
Article on Fight Direction for Arizona Opera
The Fight Director’s Best Friend: The Fight Captain
Set Up an Appointment Today!
“It is both a blessing and a curse that art imitates life and life imitates art. The modern American forms his world view based off what he sees in media of all sorts. By taking the time to put realistic encounters in what you do, you educate people to real possibilities, real dangers and yes, real dreams. While it is true that a story of the completely fantastic does indeed convey an idea to the audience (an idea of the world inside our minds), a story of the truly believable allows people to walk away with a greater understanding of the world around them. All great stories have conflict, even if it is a conflict of ideas. Keep showing the world not just that conflict exists but, how, where, and why it happens. By butterfly effect you will touch a whole world and make differences you will never know.” Shannon Stallard, A.C.T. Martial Sciences
Hand to God- Stray Cat Theatre
