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I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


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Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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In my college stage combat course, my partner and I used a "chase" scene between Hermia and Demetrius from A Midsummer Night's Dream for our certification test. It was a fun break from the generally serious fight scenes. And it was a wonderfully fun challenge to incorporate the comedy of the scene!

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Chelsey Cavender
Membership Service Specialist
Educational Theatre Association


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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


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Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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Way back when...in college....I took a stage combat class.  We had to find a scene with a major conflict in it and had to adapt it to include our quarter staff routine.  The scene didn't necessarily have to have a physical fight in it.  And then there was the duo who adapted the Cloud City fight scene between Vader and Luke....that was pretty cool.  So, you might consider expanding where you allow the students to pull a scene from....you could end up with some pretty cool performances.

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Lynda Gibson
Jr. Troupe 88305

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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The last moments in David Mamet's Oleanna might provide some opportunities.  Also a tough play, though

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Michael Bergman
Teacher/Director

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2014 08:16
From: Lynda Gibson
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

Way back when...in college....I took a stage combat class.  We had to find a scene with a major conflict in it and had to adapt it to include our quarter staff routine.  The scene didn't necessarily have to have a physical fight in it.  And then there was the duo who adapted the Cloud City fight scene between Vader and Luke....that was pretty cool.  So, you might consider expanding where you allow the students to pull a scene from....you could end up with some pretty cool performances.

-------------------------------------------
Lynda Gibson
Jr. Troupe 88305

-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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When I taught my unit on stage combat we looked at show video from past productions:  there is hair pulling, bite etc in The Women (Act 2); fight betwen Gaston and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast; Charlie Cowel and Harold Hill in Act 2 of Music Man and there is a missed slap delivered from Marian to Harold in the library dance sequence; Oklahoma has combat possibilities between Curly and Jud; Of Mice and Men presents opportunities; Midsummer Night's Dream; Singin' in the Rain (Lena Lamont throws a pie towards Kathy Selden but misses);the musical Superman requires acro and combat;Guys and Dolls has the sewer scene and the choreography usually requires some non-contact combat;Kiss Me Kate also requires slaps; Oliver! also has opportunities for the same. Some scripts of The Hobbit include the battle sequence between the goblins and the dwarves.
As you can tell I am more of a musical theatre director. But when I taught my unit  I combined it with a unit on playwriting and the students were required to write their own scripts which had to include at least 3 non-contact moves delivered and received by each participant in the scene.  I would record the scenes and we would watch them as a class and critique the action as well as the script.  Always a fun unit.

Good luck.

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Gretchen Barbor
Senior High Dramatics Coordinator
Indiana Area School District


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Original Message:
Sent: 03-12-2014 08:10
From: Michael Bergman
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat



The last moments in David Mamet's Oleanna might provide some opportunities.  Also a tough play, though

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Michael Bergman
Teacher/Director

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2014 08:16
From: Lynda Gibson
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

Way back when...in college....I took a stage combat class.  We had to find a scene with a major conflict in it and had to adapt it to include our quarter staff routine.  The scene didn't necessarily have to have a physical fight in it.  And then there was the duo who adapted the Cloud City fight scene between Vader and Luke....that was pretty cool.  So, you might consider expanding where you allow the students to pull a scene from....you could end up with some pretty cool performances.

-------------------------------------------
Lynda Gibson
Jr. Troupe 88305

-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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There are couple of good scenes in The Comedy of Errors and we just did a fun fight scene in Midsummer between Demetrius and Lysander. I would think pretty much any scene that lent itself to the commedia del arte style would be appropriate and virtually all of Shakespeare's works have great scenes with "fighting" in them, whether verbal sparring or full on stage combat with swords and maces!  Also, musicals like Oklahoma! and West Side Story, etc. have good fight scenes.

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Carol Hovey

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-12-2014 08:10
From: Michael Bergman
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat



The last moments in David Mamet's Oleanna might provide some opportunities.  Also a tough play, though

-------------------------------------------
Michael Bergman
Teacher/Director

-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2014 08:16
From: Lynda Gibson
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

Way back when...in college....I took a stage combat class.  We had to find a scene with a major conflict in it and had to adapt it to include our quarter staff routine.  The scene didn't necessarily have to have a physical fight in it.  And then there was the duo who adapted the Cloud City fight scene between Vader and Luke....that was pretty cool.  So, you might consider expanding where you allow the students to pull a scene from....you could end up with some pretty cool performances.

-------------------------------------------
Lynda Gibson
Jr. Troupe 88305

-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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You may have this on your list already ... but if you have female pairs, the Helena/Hermia fight from Midsummer Night's Dream can be a fun one!

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Kristin Hall
Drama Director
Lincoln Public Schools


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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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The Taming of the Shrew.  There are two scenes that come to mind.  One is an early Katherine/Bianca scene and the other is Katherine/Petruchio. Katherine is such a volatile character that a lot of her scenes can turn violent.

The Miracle Worker.  The scenes where Annie is first trying to teach Helen.  Lots of physical struggle there.

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Jennifer Bennett

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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Shakespeare is generally a pretty good source for fight scenes, there is also one in As You Like It between Orlando and Oliver.

In Almost, Maine there's a scene called They Fell, where there are LOTS of chances to practice falling (another scene called This Hurts involves smacking someone with an ironing board if you get into using props).

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Ginny Butsch
Community Manager
Educational Theatre Association


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Original Message:
Sent: 03-11-2014 11:55
From: Jennifer Bennett
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

The Taming of the Shrew.  There are two scenes that come to mind.  One is an early Katherine/Bianca scene and the other is Katherine/Petruchio. Katherine is such a volatile character that a lot of her scenes can turn violent.

The Miracle Worker.  The scenes where Annie is first trying to teach Helen.  Lots of physical struggle there.

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Jennifer Bennett

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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War by Dennis Foon is excellent for stage combat. The play explores four teens who are trying to become men. ------------------------------------------- Natasha Hart -------------------------------------------
Original Message: Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19 From: Kenneth Buswell Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far. If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two. ------------------------------------------- Kenneth Buswell High School Drama Teacher -------------------------------------------

When I directed Romeo and Juliet, I set it in a modern high school setting and our opening fight scene between Capulets and Montagues was hand to hand, punches, slaps, etc...then Tybalt pulled a knife.

I also have a collection of Soap Opera scenes I have students memorize and perform. Then they add one of the slap elements.

Finally - I have my students create their own scenes using combinations of the elements. It's fun to see what they come up with to get them into the stage combat. One of my favorites began as a fight over who got the last cookie in the jar.

Have fun (and be safe!)


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Glenn Morehouse Olson
Theater Teacher, Director

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-13-2014 08:37
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

War by Dennis Foon is excellent for stage combat. The play explores four teens who are trying to become men.

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Natasha Hart

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A Midsummer Night's Dream. The fights between Helena & Hermia and Demetrius & Lysander. 

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Roberta Lakavage
Teacher
Tarkington ISD


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Original Message:
Sent: 03-13-2014 08:37
From: Natasha Hart
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

War by Dennis Foon is excellent for stage combat. The play explores four teens who are trying to become men.

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Natasha Hart

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Les Miserables (Javert / Valjean et al)
Skin by Dennis Foon (Todd / Lo Scene especially - I use it with Grade Ten each year)

(And of course the Shakespeare already mentioned.)

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William Jacobsen

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2014 13:19
From: Kenneth Buswell
Subject: Scenes for Stage Combat

I'm doing a unit on stage combat (mainly hand to hand). Right now the students are creating their own scenes to set up the fights, but I would like to use scenes from plays as well. Any suggestions? The only one that comes to my mind is the Pillowman, but the content of that play may be pushing things a little too far.

If it helps, students are learning shoves, falls, hair- and ear-pulls, slaps, punches, and maybe a kick or two.


-------------------------------------------
Kenneth Buswell
High School Drama Teacher

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