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Office of External Communications |
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Dueling swordsmen often provide the most breathtaking moments on stage and screen. Whether it’s Hamlet battling Laertes or Luke Skywalker fending off Darth Vader, audiences revel in epic clashes between good and evil. During the Texas Intensive Stage Combat Workshop Sept. 3 – 4 at the University of Houston’s School of Theatre, actors can learn theatrical fighting skills such as swordplay and hand to hand combat. A special forum on Sept. 2 will kick off the weekend’s activities with a dialogue between actors and experienced fight choreographers. The event is hosted by the University of Houston’s School of Theatre and sponsored by UH’s Alpha Psi Omega Theatre Fraternity and the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). This is the second year UH has hosted the workshop. “Stage combat is very complex,” said Brian Byrnes, UH associate professor of theater and SAFD vice president. “It involves two people working intently to sell a violent scene while maintaining a sense of safety. Students at the workshop will use steel stage swords. Attention to technique and how to use the stage weaponry safely and effectively is inherent in the training.” Byrnes teaches stage combat courses at UH’s School of Theatre and choreographs fight scenes for several Houston area theaters, including Alley Theatre and Houston Grand Opera (HGO). Several of his UH students have taken their swashbuckling talents to HGO for various action-packed productions including “Il Trovatore” and “Romeo and Juliet.” The workshop will offer lesson tracks for both beginning and advanced
students of stage combat. The cost is $175 for Sept. 3 - 4 and $25
for the forum on Sept. 2. For registration information, contact
Ann C. Harlan at
For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom. |
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