The importance of keeping it simple So, about 7 years ago, I did a Halloween show with the Mystic Mercenaries. One of the scenes I was doing was as a violent patient who was brought out to socialize once a year as part of my treatment. I had on a straight jacket, but instead of […]
Continue ReadingPro Wrestling is Stage Combat
And you should learn some of it. I know this is going to send up warning bells of “BIASED OPINION!!!” since this is where I got my start. I mean, this is my Blog, so yeah it’s going to be my opinion, but follow me through on this. I’m not going to try to convince […]
Continue ReadingAll Gun Props are Dangerous
I had the fortunate opportunity to take the SAFD Theatrical Firearms Safety Course (and pass it). It was a two day intensive focusing on safely handling, caring for, and firing theatrical firearm props. It was an incredibly eye opening experience. For this post, I’m just going to focus on one specific aspect of that course, […]
Continue ReadingStage Combat is Work
This sounds obvious, but follow me on this one. Using the SAFD model, you need 30 hours of instruction to test for certification with a weapon style/discipline, then 10 hours to be able to recert in 3 years. It’s a model that lends itself continual training and improvement (more on that in a later post). […]
Continue ReadingDoes your show need a Fight Coordinator?
The answer is simple, but seems to get a lot of resistance by smaller theaters. “Yes.” If there is any contested physical action on your stage, you need someone there to be in charge of it. You need a Fight Coordinator because your actors will be safer, and the show will look better. It doesn’t […]
Continue ReadingWelcome
Welcome to Fightin’ Words!So who am I? Why are we here? Let’s start with the who. My name is Dominic, and I’ve been a stage combat performer in one form or another since 1999. I’m currently on my way to Actor Combatant status in the SAFD (more on that below), and just generally trying to […]
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