Fight Club! Stage Combat in the Classroom

Ever wondered how actors and stunt performers make their fights just so realistic? Then this is the workshop for you. Stage combat is fun, non competitive and an incredibly safe and sociable physical activity. We encourage students to work together in teams, build trust and communication skill as well as creative thinking and confidence when performing.

A fight is an integral part of the story telling process. So much so that a play or film could not function in the same way without it. A fight moves the narrative along catalysing plot and character progression. It can act as a climax, tying together the themes, events and characters in a dramatic conclusion. It may also provide a setting for major character development. In short a fight is a play in micro, and by understanding its construction, students can grasp an understanding of the play and or film as a whole.

Students will be taught a range of basic techniques and how to portray stage violence effectively. They will also gain an understanding of the basic principles of stage combat including angles, staging and misdirection.

Using these skills students are then encouraged to stage their own fights around a selection of scenes looking at how, where and, most importantly, why a fight happens and what effects it has on the play as a whole? They will be encouraged to perform for the group and by the end of a typical session students have staged both an unarmed and armed fight scene.

Workshops can be tailored around specific study texts with reasonable notice or taken simply as Drama/English enrichment.

Unarmed Stage Combat
Sword Fighting and Fencing
Shakespearian Theatre
Film Making
Dance and Physical Theatre
Clowning

For over ten years Squire Stage Combat has been working across the UK with students of all ages.

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

Squire was founded with a very simple aim; to introduce students of all ages to the exciting world of stage combat and physical performance. As a collection of martial artists and industry stunt performers we wanted to share our love of all things action with the next generation of performers. Through Squire Stage Combat and Squire Circus we have gone from strength to strength, working with schools, drama clubs and professional clients all over the country.

We have developed a full range of workshops designed and delivered by industry professionals. We offer taster sessions in traditional stage combat both armed and unarmed, themed parties based around Duelling Jedi or Lucha Wrestling as well as Circus Skills from our team at Squire Circus. Our work includes stunt shows and live fight performances, taster sessions/team building workshops, actor masterclasses, summer school activities and much more. With a diverse team of performers ranging from sword masters and pro wrestlers to acrobats and award winning jugglers we have something for everyone.

All our instructors are professional performers working within film, TV and theatre and amongst us we have credits from The BBC, ITV, Royal Opera, Glyndebourne, National Theatre, Lucha Britannia, Marvel Studios and HBO. We take great pride in having been an influence on hundreds of young actors, many of whom are now professionals in the own right and we are always looking for the next challenge.

Our workshops are fast, physical and fun. They can be enjoyed by everyone since the focus is activity rather than performance. No one is asked to get up on stage unless they want to and all the fights, falls and flailing are fake! After all “the first rule of fight club is NO ONE GETS HURT!”