A History of Contemporary Stage Combat 1969 - Today
1 Could you speak a bit about how you came to be involved in stage combat?
I have been interested in history since I was a boy, growing up watching movies such as Robert Taylor in Ivanhoe and Knights of the Round Table. That interest in history lead to my becoming a field archer in late 50's. Through this I met like minded individuals and I founded The Medieval Society in 1963.
We researched and practiced with weapons made by members who were talented craftsmen. This included swords with blades made from aircraft aluminium, which gave weapons that could be used that followed closely the weight and dimensions of the originals, giving better insight in to how they could be used. At this time there was not the access to accurate usable reproductions that there is now.
During this time I was working for Lilywhites the sporting store in Piccadilly, as a professional archer and ran their archery department
Over Christmas 1965 the London Palladium were going to stage the Robin Hood Pantomime, Babes in the Wood. Someone from the Palladium came to Lilywhites to purchase bows and arrows and seeking someone to teach the actors to shoot and also to stage an archery competition that was to take place live on stage, and so I became involved in the production. They also wanted to have fights and because of work I had been doing relating to the use of historical weapons and fighting styles I also took on the fight direction, working with the main characters using broadswords, flails and other authentic weapons. The rest as they say is history
1a- And what training was like when you first started?
There really wasn't any. If one went to a drama school such as LAMDA or RADA one would receive instruction in fencing, foil, epee and sabre and anyone considering fights for theatre film or TV, the base would generally be fencing of that style.
However being neither an actor nor coming from a theatrical background I did not follow that path. I believed that fencing at that time would not be a good style on which to base the mechanics and use of weapons outside of its scope.
I had been, as I mentioned, with The Medieval Society reproducing and using weapons that closely followed the weight and dimensions of the originals. Through this practice I had already started to conceive of a philosophy and principles of combat beyond the techniques of fencing.
We would occasionally train in the salle of a Professor Woodgains who was the fencing master at Goldsmiths College in South London. He had been a fencing master in the Cavalry, and I felt his style and use of the sabre was complimentary to how I was working with my own study. He also let us use our own weapons there as he was intrigued by the weapons themselves and how our practice was developing. With continuing practice my approach developed more fully.
When I was able to obtain access to period fight manuals, not an easy thing in those days, I saw that what I had discovered or rather rediscovered was found in many of them and told me I was going in the right direction.
2 What were some of the reasons for the founding of the SBFD?
I had come to know people who worked as what we would now consider fight directors, those who stuck out were Bill Hobbs, Derek Ware, a stunt man, Henry Marshall who was the teacher at RADA, Ian MacKay and others names whose names I can’t now remember.
I believe that at that time there was no official recognition in the business or within Equity for the type of work we did for Theatre film and TV or in Drama schools.
So the Society was formed as a body of those that worked in those areas.
2a How did you all band together to codify a stage combat system?
We didn't. At no point was there a unified system in place within the society. Everyone practiced and taught what they personally thought was important.
Most had come from a theatrical background, being trained and working as actors first and becoming involved in stage combat second. Their base was from the fencing taught at that time adapted to the context it was placed, whether for stage or screen.
While I, as I mentioned, approached things differently; I came from an understanding of why and how people would have fought in different periods and how the weapons they would have had, could have been used within the context they were in. Then adapt that to the theatrical situation. I would make use of what we now consider being universal principles underlying moment in general and combat specifically. My philosophy has always been Reality First, Theatricality second and Look everyone in the eye and don’t trust anyone.
Later the SBFD began certifying students in drama schools and even then, while there was a general agreement on what aspects a student should know and be able to do to pass the test, it was only broadly outlined, so teachers continued to instruct their students from their own philosophy and approach.
For example, for us the key principle in stage combat is sustained eye contact. This was not the case for other teachers, who either did not think it important or dismissed it altogether.
During my years actively teaching, principally at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The London Academy of Music and Drama, The Drama Studio, UK, The Arts Educational School, The British and European Studies Group; I would not examine the students of other teachers, as there were important aspects in their teaching with which I disagreed.
However during that time the other teachers would assess the students I had taught.
There were moves over the years to more tightly define things but the differing philosophies and approaches continued among the members. A change in focus of the organization from fight direction to fight teaching lead in around 1996 to the SBFD changing its name, to The British Academy of Dramatic Combat.
Also there were internal disagreements that lead to people breaking away from the BADC to form separate organizations; including the BASSC and later the APC. Each group follows and emphasizes its own approach to stage combat and philosophy.
Recently my son Jonathan, along with Jonathan Howell, Rodney Cottier, Kristina Soeborg, have founded The British Guild of Stage Combat, to allow them to pursue more fully the teaching and practice of stage combat under the principles and aspects they hold to.
3a. What are some of the most important innovations you have seen develop in technique or fight direction?
No innovation as such. However the move from what was very much a fencing based approach to what we now call stage combat and what I have striven for myself, which was to make use of combative principles and to use historically accurate
Another would be aspects such as eye contact. As I mentioned I have always used eye contact, it is the key element in our approach to training and the performance of fights. Initially almost no one used eye contact or even thought it important. Now almost everyone at least acknowledges eye contact as being important even if they don't actually apply it.
3b What advances would you like to see?
To see more truthful and engaging fights that come from the context of the story they are part of and are intended to further, while using appropriate weapons and technique. Fights emphasizing the philosophy and principles what we hold to.
I believe that those I have taught over the years, some of whom have themselves become teachers and Fight Directors have adopted this, Jonathan Howell, Geoffrey Alm, Michael Cawelti, Mike Loades amongst others.
While those that most closely follow the tenets that I hold, my son Jonathan. Rodney Cottier, Kristina Soeborg work to do this and to deepen and expand the approach I began, as they continue on the journey I started all those years ago.
4 How have you seen the role of the fight director change since you have been practicing?
The significant changes would in the titles applied to the role and the concept of the part stage combat plays in a production.
Changing titles such as fencing or sword master, Fight choreographer, fight co-coordinator or fight arranger to Fight Director.
I always considered myself a Fight Director, someone who directs the actors through the situation that the characters are in when the violence takes place, rather than a person whose only job was to come up with and teach a sequence to moves to the actors.
Another change has been that actors and directors appreciate the contribution a Fight Director should make to the whole story rather than just the technical aspects of the "fight".
Understanding that fights do not just happen from nowhere, so one needs to view the action from the context it develops in and why it happens. There is also the personal aspect of not only understanding what the character should do but more importantly the abilities of the actor and what they are capable of; also to work through a personal connection to bring these abilities out of the actor.
Of course this is not universal within the business but I have been fortunate enough to have had a good relationship with all those I worked with throughout my career.
In 1993-94 with my increased involvement with the Royal Armouries Museum as their Creative Director I stopped teaching at drama schools, which my son then taught at. Once I moved to North Yorkshire to be closer to the Museums location in Leeds, I continued to work for TV and Theatre, my Armouries commitments permitting, on many productions and projects at The West Yorkshire Playhouse and for Opera North, amongst others
I don’t consider that I could have had a better person to perpetuate what I have done than my son Jonathan, and if this doesn’t prove it ( see attached picture. it was taken when Jonathan was about 9) nothing will…
P.S.
I was lucky to not only be a fighter but an archer, horseman, falconer and researcher of history, all of which feed in to my first interest, of how things would have been done and that feed into and informed my work as a fight director
