Stage Combat: Why this growing discipline is becoming a crucial weapon in an actor's arsenalFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Stage Combat: Why this growing discipline is becoming a crucial weapon in an actor's arsenal. Stage combat starts with a slap or a fall down the stairs and ends with a great battle. Whatever the scope of the staged violence before an audience, the ultimate goal is to sell an illusion while keeping actors safe on stage. David McClutchey is an actor, teacher, and choreographer of stage combat in the Triangle. He is choreographing his 49th play, Epic Proportions, which opens February 8th at the Raleigh Little Theatre. Epic Proportions includes both slapstick and the more traditional variety of stage combat. McClutchey teaches several classes of stage combat at the Raleigh Little Theatre saying, "just 5 years ago we didn't have any classes like this ... its popularity has grown. Actors are intrinsically attracted to stage fighting because it makes such an impact on what the audience takes away from a show. Very few people remember the 20 page soliloquy with as much clarity as the deadly sword fight." The number of plays produced at Raleigh Little Theatre requiring some type of stage violence has increased in recent years. McClutchey thinks the trend toward more stage violence on stage today is a result of the desensitization of society as a whole. Expectations for what people see in a play have gone up. "It's a modern twist on classical theatre to attempt to shock the audience through stage violence into believing what they are seeing." In Epic Proportions, McClutchey portrays Phil, one of two brothers cast as an extra in a huge 30s epic Biblical Hollywood movie. Things move quickly in the comical play and Phil suddenly finds himself directing the movie with his brother in a starring role. As McClutchey explains, "you should expect to see gladiator battles, the Ten Plagues, and just eight actors portraying a cast of thousands; hilarity ensues!" Epic Proportions runs February 8th through February 28th. For photographs or video footage please contact Megan Madaris at Raleigh Little Theatre. Contact Information: Megan Madaris - Megan@raleighlittletheatre.org You are here: Home > Press Releases > Stage Combat: Why this growing discipline is becoming a crucial weapon in an actor's arsenal |