moves, the actors and the choreographer must fill the fight with an outside
life. To do this, the actors must decide on details about their characters.
What physical attributes or limitations do the characters possess? Why are
they in the confrontation? Do they want to be there? Are they scared, ex-
cited, showing off? Do they want to kill or simply humiliate their oppo-
nents? What is the playing field like? Is it evening, early morning, raining,
foggy? How does this affect the way the characters fight? These are just a
few of the many questions an actor must answer in order to give the fight
an inner life. At the same time the actors are doing this, the choreographer
must be thinking about how this fight fits into the overall concept of the
play. Why did the playwright put the fight at this point? How will the fight
add to the whole production? By researching the time period in which the
play is set and studying the entire play to find out the fight’s purpose, the
choreographer can give the actors a fully realized battlefield. At the same
time, the actors can arrive as the complex characters they are portraying,
giving the audience a glimpse into something real. The early fight scene in
The Princess Bride,for example, perfectly represents a technically easy
fight that appears to be something quite extraordinary, because of the per-
formances of actors Mandy Patinkin and Carey Elwes.
Fight directors are often asked about the historical accuracy of their
fights, and though historical accuracy is kept in mind, it is not the primary
focus for most choreographers. This is a theatrical art; therefore, “selling”
the fight to the audience is more important than creating a picture-perfect
replica of the past. Many fight directors will consult old fencing manuals
in order to construct a scene; Domenico Angelo’s School of Fencing,Gia-
como di Grassi’s His True Arte of Defence,and George Silver’s Paradoxes
of Defenceare particular favorites. Even when they use these resources,
however, modern production requirements inevitably outweigh historical
accuracy. Therefore, fight choreographers must be aware of what moves
may be unsafe on the modern stage (e.g., any move that drags a blade
across the face would be considered unacceptable) and what moves will be
most effective for the given performance.
Stage combat has become a significant feature of the entertainment
world. Not only can it be seen on the stage of live theater and in commer-
cial films, but it is also a major component of some of television’s most
popular shows. Many of the series of the late twentieth and early twenty-
first centuries—Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Xena: Warrior
Princess—contain a strong element of stage combat. With the increase in
popularity of stage combat, many schools have appeared that offer train-
ing in this theatrical art. The Society of American Fight Directors is the old-
est organization for stage combat directors in this country and is the best
place to find further information on this subject, including listings of certi-
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