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Ashland Center for Theatre Studies

Past A La Carte Courses

Stage Combat

A week-long, 3-credit, graduate level course geared toward high school and community college theatre educators, covering an introduction to stage combat basics and choreographic techniques:

• Learn physical and vocal warm-ups in different genres
• Discover trust exercises, safety exercises, partnering exercises, and distance exercises
• Develop basic hand-to-hand combat skills
• Get a taste of partnered, armed-combat work
• Explore how to act a fight and add realistic vocalizations during a stage fight
• Build choreography skills while creating your own stylized and non-realistic fights
• Investigate how to use a fight director as part of the design team
• Discuss special issues such as young performers, red-light fever, kills, mass battles and brawls, blood, and specific contemporary and period plays
• Address safety, liability issues, weapon selection and maintenance, and qualifications and certifications of fight directors
• View and analyze the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) production of Cyrano de Bergerac

Faculty

Chris Duval, OSF Actor and Fight Captain
Maggie McClellan, SOU Acting and Movement Faculty

Here's what our students say:

• "Exceeded my expectations. I especially liked the idea of stylizing combat concepts."
• "I loved the practicality and the emphasis on safety and creativity."
• "Amazing amounts of information that I can take directly into the classroom and feel confident and comfortable."
• "Both teachers were well prepared, supportive, energetic, fun, and passionate about what they do."

Daily Schedule

Evening Schedule 2006

The Ashland Center for Theatre Studies is a program of the SOU Department of Theatre Arts. The SOU Department of Theatre Arts offers an outstanding undergraduate theatre program with BFA, BA, and BS degrees in theatre. SOU is the designated Center of Excellence in the Fine and Performing Arts in the Oregon University System.