What your fight director will need before the first rehearsal:
Give your fight director as much information as early on as possible. This of course will include your vision of how the scene should progress, but also any specifics you have on nearly every aspect of the show as it can relate to the scene in question. Here are just some of the things about which the choreographer will [or should] ask:
– the set – Do you have a complete ground plan and elevation plan, with all platforms and steps clearly marked? How much of a rake will there be? Are you expecting any “fancy” elements in the fight? Swinging from a rope, jumping up on a bench, climbing a wall? Are you including fog? Water or oil based? Are there stairs? Handrails? How are they secured?
– the lighting – Mood lighting for a fight is wonderful, but will it have enough contrast so that the actors can safely see the weapons? Where are the dead spots in the lighting plan? Where are the spots on stage where the lights might be blinding them. How low will the fixtures hang? Any footlights?
– the costumes – What will the footwear be? Rubber soles? Will there be gloves? hats? cloaks? jewelry? jackets? puffy sleeves? belts? sashes? tight fitting or loose? What about undergarments? Any item being borrowed or rented and must not be damaged?
– makeup – wigged? prosthetics? oil or water based makeup?
– the props – What weapons will be used? Are there any items not considered weapons which might be handled during the course of the fight? Is there room in the wings for weapon housing? Are there any liquids in the scene? Will blood be used? How will cleanup during the show be handled? Will there be any break-aways?
– the sound – Will the fight be underscored? If so, the fight director will need a copy of that music before the fight can be choreographed. Will any of the fighters have to wear body microphones? Will the set be mic’d? Where is the exact placement of each pick-up, especially floor mics
– the director – What kind of violence do you want to see? Some movements are comic-book, some are gruesome, some are graphic, some are emotion charged. Are you going for hyper-realism? Or do you want a “stylized” fight? What exactly does that mean to you? How much blood do you want the audience to see, if any. What do you want the characters to have learned by the end of the fight? Where do you want the audience emotionally to be at the end of the fight?
– the actors – Previous fight training, physical limitations, relevant injuries, mobility requirements, and comfort with particular actions. These should be discussed privately and only as necessary for safe choreography
– the rehearsal schedule – How much time has actually been allocated for teaching, practicing, and maintaining the fight? Will understudies need separate instruction? What happens if the choreography cannot be completed safely within the available time?
Avoiding Technical Surprises
One of the most frustrating parts of tech week is watching actors struggle with costume surprises that could have been anticipated weeks earlier. I know that most theatres don’t have the luxury of providing finished costumes early in rehearsal, but there are some things the actors need almost immediately. The actual footwear to be worn in performance should be available by the end of the first week of fight rehearsals, if not sooner. Rehearsal clothing should also be as close a match as reasonably possible to the eventual costumes. Long skirts, tight jackets, loose sleeves, capes, and even the placement of a belt can interfere with movements that worked perfectly well in rehearsal clothes. Discovering these problems during tech week is both frustrating and unnecessary.
The same principle applies to the set. Carefully review any additional strengthening that will be required for balustrades, stairs, wall units, platforms, and anything else that actors may grab, climb, lean against, or fall onto. Keep in mind that the fight director should not be responsible for designing or installing structural safety elements. That’s the technical director’s job. Swinging from a rope might be very exciting, but fight choreographers aren’t trained riggers and certainly shouldn’t be expected to design or install specialized rigging systems. (By the way, neither might your technical director.) If the production requires that kind of work, bring in someone with the necessary expertise.
Although perhaps counterintuitive, a set with many levels is not particularly fight-friendly. Every step, platform, and change in elevation introduces another consideration for the choreographer, especially when actors are moving quickly, backing away from an attack, or concentrating on a weapon. Even something as seemingly minor as the type of flooring can determine whether a particular movement is practical. A floor that is too slippery, too rough, or too unforgiving may require portions of the choreography to be changed or abandoned. For these reasons, I strongly recommend involving the fight choreographer as early as possible in the development of the ground plan. It’s much easier to move a staircase on paper than to discover during rehearsal that it is in precisely the wrong place.
Preparing the Actors
Not every actor is comfortable with physical violence, even when everyone understands that the action is simulated. Some performers have little experience with stage combat, while others may have had an unpleasant experience in an earlier production. Still others may simply be uncomfortable with the idea of striking someone or being struck, and that apprehension can interfere with the trust they need to develop with their partners.
Unfortunately, actors are often reluctant to express these concerns. Nobody wants to be thought of as a “wimp,” especially when the rest of the cast appears perfectly comfortable with the material. So keep a weather eye out for the actor who becomes unusually quiet, hesitates before a movement, or seems reluctant to commit to the action. These may be signs of uncertainty rather than carelessness or insufficient effort.
The solution is not to push harder. Give the actor an opportunity to approach the material slowly, in a spirit of exploration and cooperation. Explain exactly how each illusion works, what the partner will do, and why the action can be performed safely when the agreed technique is followed. Encourage questions and make it clear that expressing discomfort is not a failure. The actor who says, “I’m not comfortable with this,” has given you information you need, and that concern deserves to be addressed before proceeding.
Trust is not something that can be demanded. It develops as actors discover, through careful and consistent rehearsal, that their partners will do precisely what they have agreed to do. With patience, many initially apprehensive performers become confident and capable actor-combatants. Some may even discover that they thoroughly enjoy the work. But that confidence must be earned, not imposed, and no actor should be pressured into performing an action that remains unacceptable to them.
There is also an unpleasant reality that everyone involved in staging violence needs to understand. Good training does not eliminate the possibility of injury. It reduces risk, sometimes dramatically, but accidents can still happen. The responsibility of the director and fight choreographer is to make that risk as small as reasonably possible, and to recognize when an action cannot be performed with an acceptable degree of safety. If a particular effect cannot be achieved safely, change it or eliminate it. No moment of theatrical excitement is worth an avoidable injury.
Choosing the Fight Captain
It is unlikely that your fight choreographer will be available for every rehearsal and performance. Most productions will therefore need to appoint a fight captain, usually an actor in the cast, who is responsible for maintaining the choreography in the fight director’s absence. During rehearsals, the fight captain may supervise the practice of established movements, help actors retain the choreography, and identify problems that need the choreographer’s attention. Once the show opens, the captain will ordinarily check the weapons, run the nightly pre-show fight call, and report any problems that develop during the run.
Depending on the choreographer and the needs of the production, the fight captain may also be responsible for notating the choreography, providing the stage manager with updated copies, rehearsing understudies, and helping train replacement actors. These responsibilities can be substantial, particularly in a production with several complicated fights. But the captain’s authority has an important limitation: the job is to maintain the choreography, not to redesign it. A fight captain may correct an actor who has drifted away from the established movements, but any actual change to the choreography must be authorized by the fight choreographer.
Because of these responsibilities, I generally prefer that the fight captain not be one of the principal actors. Ideally, the captain should be someone well versed in stage combat who participates in relatively few of the fights. The reason is simple: it’s hard to watch a fight when you’re in the middle of it. The captain needs to observe the entire sequence, recognize when distances or timing have begun to deteriorate, and notice small changes that the performers themselves may overlook.
Don’t be in too much of a hurry to make the appointment. Most fight choreographers will want to get to know the available personnel before selecting someone for the job. A good fight captain must understand stage combat, certainly, but must also be dependable, observant, diplomatic, and capable of working comfortably within the choreographer’s methods. The position requires judgment as well as technical knowledge. A poor match between captain and choreographer can undermine the very consistency the appointment is intended to preserve.
When the Production Needs a Dedicated Assistant
In a major fight show, the choreographer may require an assistant well before the first rehearsal. In such cases, the fight captain may not be a member of the cast at all, but rather a dedicated member of the production team working closely with the choreographer and stage management.
This arrangement allows the captain to take a much more active role in preproduction. The captain may attend design meetings, serve as liaison between the choreographer, stage manager, and other departments, and help coordinate the practical requirements of the fights. The assistant may also need to learn every part of every fight, assist with partnering actors during auditions, conduct warm-ups before fight rehearsals, and help maintain a complete record of the choreography.
Working with the props department, the captain may help establish weapon storage, handling, and transfer procedures, inspect equipment, and report any damage that requires attention. During the run, the captain conducts the pre-show fight calls, supervises the maintenance of established choreography, and communicates any concerns to the fight choreographer. At strike, the captain may also assist with the final inspection and inventory of the weapons.
In a production with extensive staged violence, this can be a demanding assignment, and it should be treated as a genuine production responsibility rather than an honorary title handed to whichever actor happens to know something about sword fighting. Whether the fight captain is a cast member or a dedicated assistant, the essential purpose remains the same: to preserve the choreography, protect the performers, and make certain that the work established in rehearsal remains consistent throughout the run.