I just got back from a rehearsal for West Side Story. I've been rehearsing it for, oh, the entire school year? I'm very tired of it. Unfortunately, I'm soon going to get even more tired of it, as in the summer I'm doing it with a whole different theatre company.
Today was stage combat.
It stands to reason that, on stage, you can't really punch someone. It stands to reason even more when you realize that, as Tony in the show, I both kill someone in a blind rage and die. And we have more than one show. So, even aside from the legality issues, it still doesn't work.
This is where stage combat comes from. It is the art of falling over safely, dying, and making a punch look real when all you're really doing is hitting your own hand. In the scene we blocked for stage combat today, two actors were supposed to have "switchblades" during the fight. Well, as switchblades are, to say the least, dangerous (after all, the spotlights reflected off the metal might blind an audience member, not to mention stabbing people), so today we practiced with, instead of super dull metal or plastic, the common, recyclable, potato based butter knife.
They actually worked a charm, though I couldn't quite manage to fall right. The only kink was when I tried to stab someone, and it broke in half. Then we had to use a spoon, which is extremely funny to watch.
Aside from that, I practiced dying, we sang a bit, and I had to scream a lot (my throat still hurts...). But all in all, it was fun. I mean, who else gets to watch someone die, kill someone, and die, all in less than an hour?
Today was stage combat.
It stands to reason that, on stage, you can't really punch someone. It stands to reason even more when you realize that, as Tony in the show, I both kill someone in a blind rage and die. And we have more than one show. So, even aside from the legality issues, it still doesn't work.
This is where stage combat comes from. It is the art of falling over safely, dying, and making a punch look real when all you're really doing is hitting your own hand. In the scene we blocked for stage combat today, two actors were supposed to have "switchblades" during the fight. Well, as switchblades are, to say the least, dangerous (after all, the spotlights reflected off the metal might blind an audience member, not to mention stabbing people), so today we practiced with, instead of super dull metal or plastic, the common, recyclable, potato based butter knife.
They actually worked a charm, though I couldn't quite manage to fall right. The only kink was when I tried to stab someone, and it broke in half. Then we had to use a spoon, which is extremely funny to watch.
Aside from that, I practiced dying, we sang a bit, and I had to scream a lot (my throat still hurts...). But all in all, it was fun. I mean, who else gets to watch someone die, kill someone, and die, all in less than an hour?
What part are you playing?
ReplyDelete*tries to imagine gangsters fighting with spoons*
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It says in the post: Tony. I'm rather excited about that. Even if it isn't exactly gangsters but hoodlums, you get the idea :)
DeleteMy sister and I once had to stab each other simultaneously and kill each other in a play. We used balloon swords, and they worked pretty well . . . except for the popping.
ReplyDeleteI actually managed to make the stab seem realistic (I got the sword right under her armpit), but it turns out I can't fall. Period. I'm absolutely terrible at dying/falling/being injured. I guess I've never had that much practice, since most of my roles are usually nonviolent, but it was pretty embarrassing. So then I tried to do a slow crumple-like fall instead of the fast kind, but I couldn't do that either.
My sister, on the other hand, failed at the sword-stabbing and excelled at the dying. She can fall anywhere, anytime, any way (except for on her face) without getting hurt and make it look completely real.
I also fail at being dead, because I can't stay still on stage. In that play, I had to wear a hat and the rim was pressing into my neck when I fell. So I was fidgeting and looking all over the place.
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I don't know, I don't really find the robot tests that difficult . . . I've saved these from my multiple comments around the blogaverse.
I once had a role in a play (probably because only two people tried out lol). It was a very loud, over-the-top person who was supposed to be a big Hollywood director. And that was slightly difficult for me to play, because I'm not a very good actor. I stuck to solos after that.
I can be dead, but dying is..tricky. Theres all this safety stuff for a fall, and I can make it look OK, but not without getting a small bruise...
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