The fight director’s actual job duties will be whatever you agree on. If the person you have in mind is a full-time professional, your budget may only allow for one day of his or her time. In that case he will only be able to talk to you by phone to get a feel for the show, choreograph a fight beforehand, and then take one of your rehearsal slots to teach the fight to your actors. The assumption here is that your actors already have basic fighting skills or that there is someone on staff or in the cast who is a competent fight instructor and can follow up with specific technique coaching after the fight master has gone.
At the other end of the spectrum, perhaps you have a huge budget or have found someone willing to work for much less. In that best of all possible worlds, the fight choreographer will provide input during design conferences and auditions, train all of the actors in the required stage combat techniques, choreograph all of the fights and re-design them as needed during the rehearsal process, provide copies of all fight notation to the stage manager, procure and inspect all of the weapons, train the technicians and actors in their maintenance and use, review all matters that might affect the safety of the actors and audience as it relates to the fight, hire outside specialists for any special effects beyond his own capabilities, designate and train the fight captain, establish the fight call protocol or perhaps even run the fight call himself. In a word, be there for every rehearsal and performance to baby every possible contingency related to the fight.
I’ve worked at both extremes and every possible combination in between, and of course it’s better to have the time to really work with the actors than not. But just as in every other aspect of mounting a theatrical production, there is no right or wrong, merely compromises and realities that will affect who you can hire and for how long.
If at all possible, a test hire is a good way to evaluate a prospective combat director. It won’t cost you much, perhaps a hundred bucks, and you’ll learn more than any resume can tell you. Many a time I have led a two-hour course in unarmed stage combat for a drama class before being hired as the choreographer. The director and I got to know each others’ working styles and be able to check for any red flags.
I know that you may not have the chance to do that, so if you are stuck with going by someone’s CV, at least call as many directors on that sheet and ask them how he or she was to work with. Your fight person not only has to be good, but also needs to be a good fit with your style of work.
There are some things that your fight person may not be qualified to handle. Most will not have much if any training in firearms, explosive effects, tumbling, lifts, intimacy coaching, fly rigging, falling from heights – all those really fun things that can get you in trouble in a hurry. Fight folk tend to be a bit cocky, and very few of the ones I’ve met like to say “I don’t know how to do that”. Make sure that the skills of your hire match your needs.
Once you’ve found someone, you’ll need to set the ground rules before you can agree on a price. What exactly do you need from this hire? Which scenes do you need her to choreograph and which do you merely need him to observe? How many rehearsals will be required? How many tech and dress rehearsals do you want her to attend? How many design meetings are there going to be? Are all of the actors already trained, or will a separate schedule for skills training be required? Who is going to provide the weapons? Who pays for the damages?
When both you and she agree on those items, she’ll be able to come back with a cost proposal. You should have a number ready as well.
Your theatre may never have hired a fight person before, so you may feel at a loss as to what you should offer. The best advice I can give is to compare the position to a dance choreographer for a musical. The skill level and the teaching capability should be the same for both, so the stipend should be about the same as well.
What do the titles mean?
As you look through resumes, you might get a little overwhelmed by the different designations given for jobs performed that relate to stage combat.
Fight Master –
For the Society of American Fight Directors, this is the highest level of experience and competence recognized by that organization. An SAFD Fight Master is an expert in every aspect of the field, is a teacher of teachers of stage combat, and has many years of experience in choreographing for major theatres across the country. There are only a couple dozen individuals in the country so recognized
Outside of (and pre-dating) the SAFD, the term is used more loosely. Before stage combat became a discipline of its own, sword fights were created by fencing instructors, and the common honorific is to always refer to the fencing instructor as maestro (“teacher”), therefore the term fencing master. In other words, the go-to guy who has experience in both competing in and teaching of sport fencing. It was only natural that the term be modified to include the broader range of moves needed for stage. So fight master is sometimes used in the same way as properties master; the person ultimately in charge of that aspect of that show.
Fight Director –
A little less egotistical sounding than fight master, and better describes the nature of the actual duties that were performed. The fight director is in charge or all aspects of the violent actions in a show. He or she answers only to the director, but maintains total control of the fights.
Fight Choreographer –
Sometimes the term fight director seems a little too elevated, making it seem as though the position is the equivalent of that of the director of the show. For that reason, many prefer to use fight choreographer in program listings. This makes great sense when compared to a dance choreographer in a musical. Both have to design and choreograph the moves, and will probably have to spend some time in teaching the choreography to the actors. Most people use the terms fight director and fight choreographer interchangeably, although there are many who use fight choreographer in a more limited sense of meaning that the person choreographed the fights but did not involve him/herself in training the actors.
Fight Designer –
This one isn’t as common, but it does show up on occasion. Usually it means that the fight guy wants to be acknowledged as a theatre professional on par with the set designer, lighting designer, costume designer, etc., in other words a true theatre professional with artistic input as well as technical skills. Although this is exactly the case, to the general public is sounds as though the person only laid out a general blueprint of how the fights should end up, rather than being directly involved with having the actors perform the fight.
Assistant to the Fight Director –
Just as it sounds, although the specific duties will range widely depending on how much latitude he or she is given by the fight director. Usually the assistant has notated the fight and worked with the actors while they are trying to memorize the fight. He or she will also act as the intermediary between the fight director and the props master, set designer, and costume designer when specific details have to be worked out. As the position is essentially clerical and administrative in nature, stage combat experience is not necessary.
Fight Captain –
This is a different job completely than that of the assistant. The fight captain runs the nightly fight call, drills actors in technique as needed, and makes sure that the weapons used are in acceptable condition prior to each performance. As this position is very hands-on and requires a good deal of knowledge of stage combat and needs to be in attendance for all rehearsals and performances, it often goes to one of the more experienced members of the cast, but one who is not in any of the major fights.
Certified Instructor –
For the Society of American Fight Directors, this designation indicates a practitioner who has been tested and approved by the organization to teach stage combat techniques and to create fights that meet professional safety standards. The certification is skills-based: it verifies that the instructor understands the mechanics of safe theatrical combat and can train actors to perform those techniques reliably. It is not, and cannot be, a certification of artistic creativity or dramatic imagination. A certified instructor can demonstrate how to build a safe fight; how that fight ultimately serves the story remains an artistic decision.
Certified Actor/Combatant –
For the Society of American Fight Directors, it is someone who has successfully passed one or more of their courses of instruction in stage combat, and demonstrated a reasonable competence in the skills of that course.
These titles can be useful in understanding a résumé, but they should not be mistaken for guarantees of artistic ability or practical competence. Titles and certifications describe training or recognition within an organization; they do not necessarily indicate how well a person will function within a particular production.
Please be clear on this: to be “certified” only means that the actor took 30 hours of instruction and then passed a test. They learned some techniques, they learned a fight, and then they successfully performed the fight one time in front of a fight master. It does not mean that the person will remember those techniques three months after the test, and it certainly does not mean that the person is capable of teaching others to fight on stage. They were not judged on their teaching or choreography skills. This last caution cannot be overemphasized. Too many times a director will breathe a sigh of relief when he sees that one of the cast is “certified”, thinking that all of his fight worries are over and there is no need to look for a fight choreographer.
But even if you are just looking for fighters for your show, don’t let the certification allow you to overestimate their skills. Remember that taking any class – acting, singing, fighting, what have you – can help hone skills, but one can take a class and not become skillful. I have dealt with fighters both certified and not, and certification is never a guarantee of competence.