DRAMA 743 — Stage Combat: Armed

1 credit
Fall
Mark Olsen

This class introduces the discipline and skills of armed stage combat, a non-violent theatrical martial art that simulates attack and defense maneuvers within a highly regulated set of technical safety demands. It relies upon precise targeting, expert timing, alert and careful partnering, controlled energy, and the ability to convincingly enact the illusion of violent intention, urgent survival actions, and calibrations of pain – all within a container of shared protection and consent. Early work in the course is dedicated to developing the precision and safety features of simple foundational unarmed stage combat techniques. Later in the semester, those techniques will be applied to the enactment of safe and effective stage fights.