Stage Combat in the Pandemic #3c: Swords (broadswords)

Me, Brian, and Geoff performing at CO RenFaire, 1998. I like to call this pic “Broad’s Swords.”

We have this lovely little collection of hand-and-a-half broadswords at Metro, and before now I’ve never had the time to bring them out and play with them in class. But now that I’m shifting the course curriculum a bit and making the semester more about having long weapons in our hands (easy social distancing), I thought I’d go ahead and fit them in this coming semester.

Broadswords are a bigger, heavier, thicker-bladed, and earlier type of sword than the rapier, though many of them tend to be no longer. The ones we have at Metro aren’t heavy, solid-steel, enormous longswords or claymores, though—they’re built a bit lighter than most I’ve used and learned on; they are about the same length as the rapiers (though obviously the blades are much wider), and the hilts are your basic cross hilt and with a grip that’s easy to use with one hand, or the hand-and-a-half technique, where you steady your hold with your off hand on the pommel. This will be a lot of fun and will be an easy segue either from or into the lightsabers, which can also be used one handed or two.

Plus, our broadswords make this gorgeous chiming sound as they clash together, with proper stage combat technique of course. We haven’t really used these weapons hardly at all, so if you’re a Metro, CCD, or UCD student, you won’t want to miss this iteration of the class—I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to use them again, if we go back to “normal”…

There’s still just 5 people signed up. Register now!

Stage Combat in the Pandemic #3b: Swords (lightsabers)

Honestly, need I say more?

We had lightsaber day once in class in the BeforeTimes. This is the 9-cut drill from Japanese swordsmanship and it’s super cool looking.

Okay, okay, here’s the deal: there are still only 5 students signed up for MSU Denver’s stage combat class next semester. I’ve been regaling you with the things I’m adding, changing, and planning for with the pandemic rules in mind, and the class is looking like it’s going to be a heckuva lot of fun.

One of the changes I’m making is I’m going to mainly do weapons work, keeping our safe distance and etc. So I’m adding staffs back in to the curriculum, as I mentioned, and we’ll be doing not one, but three kinds of swords!

My technique for cool looking lightsaber fights for stage are not based on the Star Wars canon styles, but on Japanese katana technique. I do this for several reasons, the main two of which have to do with the fights needing to look real (instead of a twirly non-fight dance like in episode 1), and that originally? Star Wars is a combination of a western and a samurai flick, and the “elegant weapon for a more civilized age” lends itself very well to katana technique.

Also, katana technique is much more versatile—anyone who’s an anime fan can then use the basic style for any sort of Japanese-looking fights, and the drill is based off of actual swordsmanship/martial arts, as opposed to a fictional or purely theatrical system. Learn lightsabers from me and that’s not all it’s useful for (though it’s some of the funnest).

How can you resist? Let’s get more masked avengers signed up, so we have these experiences! What are you waiting for?

Stage Combat in the Pandemic #3a: Swords (Rapiers)

One of the coolest weapons to learn in the field of Stage Combat is the sword. In my not-so-humble and professional opinion, the rapier is one of the coolest looking and funnest (I’m also an English professor–that’s totally a word) swords to learn, too. It’s also most likely the sword you’ll find you’re using onstage most often in any number of productions–other types aren’t used nearly as often as rapiers.

Perfect social distancing. Plus gloves are required when using rapiers.

Rapiers are the swords you use in Shakespeare, in Three Musketeers, in Moliere stuff… even in some Restoration comedy they’ll use the very slightly earlier rapier. Fantasy worlds, too, like to feature the ornamental quality of the rapier, and for good reason. Rapiers are pretty, slender, and quick without being tiny and invisible onstage, and let’s not forget Princess Bride‘s role in popularizing them for theatrical use. Pirate flicks often use rapiers over cutlasses, too, because they look so cool.

We at MSU Denver are beyond fortunate that we own, in the theatre department, over 20 beautiful, custom made rapiers for use in class and in productions. This gorgeous and well made arsenal was constructed by the late, great Denny Graves; who in his life was one of the very best stage combat weapon makers in the country, and certainly in this state. He’s no longer with us, so our collection of Graves masterpieces is something to treasure, being irreplaceable and made like no other swords you can get anywhere these days. (Rogue Steel is a close second, so if you’re in the theatrical weapon market, they’re the ones to go with nowadays–I have two of their rapiers and I’m very happy with them.) But the fact is, unless you are the lucky owner of a Denny Graves piece, you won’t be able to work with them pretty much anywhere else unless you take my classes at Metro.

Plus, a 4-foot sword at the end of an extended arm equals around 6 feet of safe distance between you and anyone else. Win-win.

In a past Advanced class, the students adapted the opening scene from Romeo & Juliet into a pirate rivalry, cannons, Captain Hook, piecemeal costumes, rapiers, and all.

Stage Combat in the Pandemic #2: Staff Meetings

I’m writing these posts, lovely lurkers, for a few reasons: one is to share with my colleagues in the stage combat community what sorts of things I’m doing with stage combat instruction, with safety in the pandemic in mind. Masks and social distancing are the ways to guard against the plague, and as such, some of the things I used to teach (especially the types of techniques involving touch), will be tossed aside this year in favor of other, safer, things.

This year, I’m adding back one weapons system that I used to include as part of the regular syllabus (and it has a dedicated chapter in my book, Stage Combat): six foot staffs.

Chris and Wee Katie rehearse their pirate vs. ninja fight.

Since safe social distancing is six feet apart, I thought it was the perfect thing to once again teach in the beginning course at Metro. European style staffs of this type are called Quarterstaffs, and in the Japanese style (which I am most heavily trained in, from my years in Japanese martial arts) is called rokushaku-bo, or just bo staff.

Staffs are a super fun weapon to learn–I know it’s not nearly as commonly found in theatre as unarmed or swords are, but hey. It’s a pandemic, and needs must. Besides, “normal” theatre ain’t normal anymore, and won’t be anytime soon. So. Speak with projection, and carry a 6-foot stick.

If you’re a student at MSU Denver, UCD, or CCD, sign up for Stage Combat in the Pandemic this Spring semester. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.

Scott and Jordan used staffs, swords, and canned food as weapons for their fight scene from Waiting For Godot. Yep, you heard right. They also used their new-found knowledge of fake blood to help with verisimilitude.