BU students learn ‘dance of violence’

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This article was published 28/03/2022 (1448 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon University students learned the basics of stage fighting Saturday and Sunday as part of the digital release of the play “She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms.”

Fight choreographer Jacquie Loewen took to the stage for the free two-day event to pass on years of knowledge at the Evans Theatre at Brandon University. Her focus was on teaching students how to use their bodies for fake combat on the theatre stage.

“It’s a dance of violence,” Loewen said. “You’re learning the moves. And because there are always two people involved in creating the illusion of that move, one person has to be leading and one person has to be following, and that switches off within the move.”

Stage combat refers to the skills used by actors to represent violence onstage safely. Live performances require actors to make the sounds of violence while using their bodies to create the illusion of combat for audiences.

The in-person classes focused on unarmed stage combat and taught students to use their bodies as fake weapons. She described it as a “physical and embodied” process.

Students came in gung-ho for the workshop and Loewen took special care to ensure they have the correct skills to do hand-to-hand stage combat safely.

“It’s not about eliminating risk. I think, that trust is established when you learn how to be skilled within risk,” Loewen said. “I’m teaching them skills to be dangerous.”

Loewen hosted two Zoom classes on how to use weapons in early 2022 to help students prepare for the filming of “She Kills Monsters.” It was challenging teaching something so physically based online, she said. Loewen praised the students for their engagement and ability to pick up skills over the computer screen.

She was able to do some in-person choreography in advance of the “She Kills Monsters” online release looking at key moments for the film production.

Coming to BU for in-person classes felt like a return to normal, she said, aside from the masks worn during the workshop.

“It feels like water to my soul to finally be able to do something that I’ve been built over these years to do again,” Loewen said.

The weekend workshop featured some of the cast of “She Kills Monsters” learning the basics of stage combat, said Jacqueline Russell, an assistant professor of theatre at BU.

“I think it’s a really fun interesting way to get an intro to theatre,” Russell said. “If you’ve never done anything like this before, it’s a good way to dip your toe in the water.”

The workshop was originally set to take place in January, before the release of the online play, but was delayed due to the spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant.

The workshop was designed to complement the recently released play “She Kills Monsters” because the theatre production features exciting sword battles and carefully choreographed stunts.

Russell described “She Kills Monsters” as a dramatic comedy mixed with an exploration of grief celebrating geek culture. The play centres on Agnes Evans, who after the death of her sister Tilly discovers a mysterious notebook containing her Tilly’s Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Agnes undertakes an epic quest to save Tilly’s soul and to learn about her sister’s hidden life.

The play was written in response to the COVID-19 pandemic closing of theatres worldwide by playwright Qui Nguyen. Nguyen released a new adaptation of his play “She Kills Monsters” intended for online performances.

Rehearsals for the BU performance began in November in person, Russell said, but by the time students returned to school in January, they had shifted to online. The play was filmed over the reading break in February.

“The fact that we were able to get it done working around everybody’s schedules was a bit of a wonder,” Russell said.

She hopes those who watch “She Kills Monsters” walk away with a sense of adventure and some good laughs.

“It’s a very touching story about grief and identity,” Russell said. “There’s a sense of the importance of having fun while navigating the difficult parts of life.”

Jacob Ives played Chuck the Dungeon Master in the play. He described the character as a nerdy guy who serves as the guide to the main character, Agnes.

“He shows her the ropes of Dungeons and Dragons and helps her along her journey,” Ives said.

The stage combat workshop was a great experience that broke down how to properly react and help bring a violent scene to life, Ives said. He praised Loewen for the knowledge she brought to the stage.

The stage fighting proved to be physically intense, and he and his fellow actors would often break out in a sweat learning how to throw punches safely.

Students would pair up as partners, he said, and Loewen would demonstrate a move for them to perform.

They learned about eight combat actions, bringing together their new skills to create a scene using action choreography to share with their classmates.

“I always really enjoy the physical aspects of stage fighting and I’ve never really gotten to hone down on it so it’s really fun to do this,” Ives said.

“She Kills Monsters: Virtual Realms” will be available for free online viewing through Saturday.

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