| Lorraine Ressegger is an affiliated teaching artist | | | | combat techniques such as falling, slapping, |
| with The Shakespeare Theatre and has taught | | | | punching, pushing, hand-to-hand combat and the |
| stage combat for teens and young people at | | | | use of weapons, and safety techniques. |
| Camp Shakespeare for the past four years. She | | | | Q: What are basic safety techniques? |
| has also taught stage combat workshops for | | | | A: There are three basic elements to safety. Eye |
| teens/young people at The Folger Shakespeare | | | | contact is number one establishing communication |
| Library and The Washington Opera. Her recent | | | | with your partner, checking in that you're okay |
| choreography credits include The Silent Woman, | | | | with one another. Then it's distance, making sure |
| TST; Private Lives, The Olney Theatre; Perseus | | | | that you're far enough away from your partner |
| Bayou and Sing Down the Moon (2002-03 | | | | that your fist or weapon won't hit him or her. |
| remounts), Theatre of the First Amendment; | | | | Then it's targeting, making sure your energy is |
| Jekyll and Hyde, Toby's Dinner Theatre; and the | | | | directed away from your partner, especially when |
| all female Romeo and Juliet, Taffety Punk. | | | | you work with weapons, and keeping the points |
| Lorraine has also performed as a "super fighter" | | | | away from your partner's face and body. You |
| with The Washington Opera's Japan tour of Otello. | | | | and your partner have to establish certain |
| Q: How would you refer to yourself as an artist? | | | | gestures or code words that communicate |
| A: As a classically trained actor having been | | | | distress. |
| certified in the techniques of stage combat, I | | | | Q: Can focusing on safety cause an actor to slip |
| refer to myself as an actor/combatant. | | | | out of character? |
| Q: What exactly is stage combat? | | | | A: Stage combat is like any other acting technique. |
| A: Stage combat incorporates anything from a | | | | It requires extensive and consistent training to |
| slap, push, or fall, to a full out unarmed fight or | | | | master. The more practice and training you have |
| fight with weapons that incorporate techniques | | | | in stage combat, the more comfortable you'll be |
| and training that ensure safety for the actors. | | | | when it comes to the choreography. We |
| Q: What are people's reactions when they learn of | | | | sometimes see beautiful choreography and |
| your specialty? | | | | beautiful technique, but the actor has dropped the |
| A: A lot of people are surprised at first because | | | | character for that piece. Then, when the fight is |
| it's something different. They may initially think of | | | | over, the character picks back up again. If you're |
| stage combat as something for people who wish | | | | in a middle of a piece of choreography and you |
| to play out their dreams of being a swashbuckler, | | | | forget where you're going, you should have some |
| but after they learn a little more about what I do, | | | | kind of safety net in place. You never know |
| they realize it's much more than that. | | | | what's going to happen in performance. Just like if |
| Q: Being in this somewhat unconventional field, can | | | | you go up on a line, you might sometimes go up |
| you tell us a little about your background and | | | | on choreography. You need to have a plan to get |
| what led you to this specialty? | | | | back on track. |
| A: I was introduced to stage combat in my last | | | | Q: What's the difference between stage combat |
| year of high school. Though stage combat perked | | | | classes and other movement classes? |
| my interest, I didn't pursue it at the time. Later, | | | | A: Stage combat isn't often on an actor's list |
| when I attended the American Musical and | | | | when it comes to movement classes and I think |
| Dramatic Academy in Manhattan, from where I | | | | it could be better integrated into an actor's |
| was graduated in 1996, part of our curriculum | | | | training. Stage combat classes are fun. People get |
| was training in stage combat three days a week. | | | | excited about being their own action hero for a |
| I found that I had a real affinity for it, picked it up | | | | little while. They have an excuse to be big and |
| fairly quickly, and really enjoyed the physicality of | | | | bold and to make bigger and bolder choices. It's |
| it. My ballet training as a child probably helped me | | | | expected and everyone else is doing it so it's |
| learn a little more quickly. I later received my | | | | okay. Many warm up exercises that I use are |
| certification as an actor/combatant from the | | | | used in other acting and movement classes. |
| Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). | | | | People tend to speed up in stage combat class, |
| Q: What did that testing consist of? | | | | so I use slow motion snowball fights, Suzuki |
| A: My testing for the certification for the SAFD | | | | SloTen, and "pinkie samurai" to get students to |
| was a fight that incorporated three styles - | | | | keep the pace slow, fully engage their bodies, and |
| unarmed fisticuffs, broadsword, and rapier and | | | | learn good techniques. |
| dagger. It was a six-week course which | | | | Q: Have you noticed differences in abilities |
| culminated in being adjudicated by a fight master, | | | | between male and female students? |
| someone considered a master in all weapons and | | | | A: Men generally have greater strength and are |
| in stage combat. After certification with the | | | | capable of tapping into aggression more quickly. |
| SAFD, I moved back to the Washington, D.C., | | | | Women tend to have better fine motor skills and |
| area and looked up Brad Waller who had been | | | | are able to catch onto choreography more quickly. |
| recommended to me by Jamie Cheatham while in | | | | Women also seem to have a better sense of |
| New York. Brad, who was then teaching Master | | | | balance, especially when it comes to sword work, |
| Acting Classes in Stage Combat at The | | | | and tend to be a little lighter and quicker on the |
| Shakespeare Theatre, invited me to his classes | | | | touch with blades than men. |
| and soon afterwards I became his teacher's | | | | Q: What value is there in an actor learning stage |
| assistant and that opened the door for me here | | | | combat? |
| in D.C. | | | | A: Stage combat is a good thing for any actor to |
| Q: How important is it to have a mentor such as | | | | know. Stage combat and stunt work in film and |
| Brad in a field such as this, especially as a | | | | television overlap and the basic skills and safety |
| woman? | | | | protocols apply to both. Many actors transcend |
| A: In the theatre business it is always nice to | | | | both worlds and are members of both The |
| have somebody open doors for you and to help | | | | Society of American Fight Directors and The |
| you along the way as he or she had been helped. | | | | United Stuntsman Association, The International |
| As a woman in this field, it is even more valuable | | | | Order of the Sword and the Pen promotes the |
| to have somebody to stand up for you and say - | | | | international exchange of information on staged |
| she's okay, she knows what she's doing. A few | | | | combat for theatre, film, and television. |
| years back, Brad arranged for me to join the | | | | Q: Is combat and warfare something new to |
| Washington Opera's first tour of Japan as a stunt | | | | women? |
| fighter in their performance of "Othello." It wasn't | | | | A: Not at all. Armor for women from the time of |
| until one of the last performances when Placido | | | | Joan of Arc and the remains of women gladiators |
| Domingo came to say hello to us that he put his | | | | have been found. Women dueled in Victorian |
| arm around me and then he looked at me and | | | | times; and in Elizabethan times, women dressed |
| said - "oh, you're a woman!" That was pretty | | | | as men and sneaked out to go off to carouse |
| neat. | | | | and fight. Right now, an international conference |
| Q: How do you feel your training in stage combat | | | | of women in stage combat is in the planning, and |
| has influenced you as an actor? | | | | one of the best classes I've taken was from Dr. |
| A: I feel that some of the best acting lessons I | | | | Marie-Heleen Coetzee of South Africa who taught |
| received came through stage combat classes. For | | | | and adapted for stage Zulu stick fighting. As for |
| me, violence is written into a play or story for a | | | | organizations, there are Babes with Blades, The |
| reason, especially when you're working with | | | | Lady Cavaliers, and Stuntwomen's Association of |
| Shakespeare. It's not a stunt show, there merely | | | | Motion Pictures. Babes with Blades also offers |
| for entertainment, but it moves the story | | | | workshops to teach women how to defend |
| forward. Stage combat is exactly the same as | | | | themselves against violence. Stage combat is |
| acting - being able to physically tell a story and | | | | being used as drama therapy to empower |
| embody a character. It incorporates everything - | | | | women and help break the cycle of abuse. |
| the body, acting, partner work, physicalization of | | | | Q: What do you recommend for actors wanting |
| character, and how to portray somebody who's | | | | to learn stage combat? |
| different from you. A lot of us are not aggressive | | | | A: Get involved with everything you can. A lot of |
| and wouldn't dream of hitting somebody, so how | | | | workshops are offered in this area - the Philly |
| do we get to that physically? How do we | | | | Cheese Steak, the Virginia Beach Bash in Virginia |
| realistically show and portray violence and feel | | | | Beach, and the Nobel Blades from the Reston |
| safe at the same time? Training in stage combat | | | | Community Players. The International Order of |
| helps us, as actors, get comfortable with safely | | | | the Sword and the Pen has workshops where |
| expressing aggression and violence for the | | | | they bring people from all over the world. Being |
| purpose of telling a story. | | | | involved in different societies is a great way to |
| Q: What should students expect from an | | | | learn about and incorporate different cultures and |
| introductory class in stage combat? | | | | different fighting styles into your work. |
| A: Introductory classes offer a sampling of basic | | | | |