Stage Combat: Fisticuffs, Stunts, and Swordplay for Theater and Film

Description

This comprehensive guide to stage combat demonstrates how to safely achieve realistic and compelling fight scenes for theater and film. Whether you're a beginning student or a seasoned professional, Stage Combat is your essential guide to devising safe and effective stage action, fight choreography, and physical comedy. It provides in-depth instruction on everything from basic falls, rolls, and tumbling to punches, kicks, hair pulls, and head slams, as well as the advanced handling of weapons. Starting with essential fundamentals like actor safety and movement awareness, Jenn Boughn walks readers through hand-to-hand combat techniques before moving on to basic drills for the quarterstaff, European rapier, Japanese katana-style swordplay, and more. Complete with illustrations and step-by-step directions, this book is a must-have for any actor spoiling for a fight—or the appearance of one.