Module Directory

This is a compulsory module for BA Acting and Stage Combat. During the first and second years students were trained in the use, style and overall performance of a range of combat/physical disciplines, giving them an appropriate base from which to apply these skills in complex performance scenarios in the BA Hons final year. The module takes working knowledge of weapons gained in Years One and Two of the degree, and applies it to professional performance situations.

You will move from being a performer of stage combat and work to understand the logic of choreography for theatrical violence, which calls upon a variety of physical and contextual skills. You will study the progression of story line and character action within a range of stage combat scenarios.

You will undertake units of work in fight choreography and fights on camera.

The aims of this module are to provide students with:

• Advanced understanding of the skill and control of weapons in a performance situation


• Further knowledge of the professional demands of a stage combat practitioner, across a variety of roles


• Experience of identifying problems and testing theoretical solutions in practice


• Experience of collaborating to create fight performances


• Opportunities to adapt and apply their knowledge to suit given circumstances


• The acting skills and technique required to perform in front of a camera


• The advanced skills needed to perform a choreographed fight, safely and dramatically


• The opportunity to develop and work within the technical requirements involved in recording dramatic scenes


• More experience with combat and acting skills in high-pressure situations


• The opportunity to gain knowledge of working practices within the industry

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate an appropriate level of understanding and skill with stage and screen weapons


2. Identify problems and produce practical solutions within a given framework


3. Combine text analysis with the physical embodiment of character in a practical setting


4. Liaise with others to achieve a set brief


5. Apply research and skills to performance work


6. Understand the uses of a range of theatrical effects


7. Have an advanced understanding of safety requirements when setting fights for a production


8. Sustain character and style within the demands of a technical production


9. Communicate character and storyline during a dramatic scene


10. Perform fights convincingly and in character


11. Take instruction from directors and use them to improve performances


12. Assess personal growth


13. Work effectively as one part of a production team