Do you know anything about the history of stage combat (when it began, ect.)?
Answer Hi Kristle, I don’t really know much of anything specific about the history of stage combat, per se. Plays have had fights, swordplay and physical contact practically since plays began. Of course, in the “olden days” (such as in Shakespeare’s time – around 1600), all actors were men and most men were fairly well versed in combat and swordplay of various types. I’m not sure if we actually know whether there was any particular training in stage combat at that time, or how choreographed stage fights were, but I’m sure there was some planning as well as some injuries. In more recent times there has been increasing emphasis on the care choreography of stage combat, which includes everything from a simple slap to a full fledged swordfight or fist fight or the like to “making love” on stage – in short, anything which requires precise physical choreography to ensure the safety and security of the actors and realistic looking contact. Surely “fight choreographers”, “stage combat director
