Roll for (Stage) Combat eater Students Learn Fight Cra for Spring Play

This year, “She Kills Monsters,” Greenhill’s spring play, will feature a total of eight ght scenes. To prepare, the cast is currently undergoing stage combat training.

“It’s been so cool because this is my third show with Greenhill, but we’ve never done anything like this before,” sophomore Shreya Chhaya said.

Chhaya, along with other cast members, is learning the basics of stage combat using dowel rods as standin weapons. ey will then use what they’ve learned to enhance the actual ght scenes.

“We’re learning how to block and how to hit people with swords, and we’re learning how to fake punch and how to stab,” Chhaya said.

“She Kills Monsters,” written by Qui Nguyen, tells the story of a woman learning more about her younger sister through the world of Dungeon and Dragons, a tabletop roleplaying game which utilizes fantasy settings and combat to move the story forward.

e dowel rods are meant to mimic the weapons that will actually be used in the play, said Upper School Drama and eater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith.

For senior Teddy Robertson, who is assisting in directing the play, the ght scenes in “She Kills Monsters” require precise training, so no one gets hurt.

“You can’t give children sharp pointy ends without some rules and regulations,” Robertson said.

“And not only that, but because it’s the theater, [the stage combat] has to be precise and the same every single night.”

To ensure safety and accuracy, Hauss-Smith got in touch with a ght choreographer and a stuntman.

“He came in to do a couple of workshops and some basic stu like footwork and movement,” said Hauss-Smith. “But this show has swords and maces and axes and battle axes and things, actually way bigger weapons to handle, so that’s what we worked on.”

You can’t give children sharp pointy ends without some rules and regulations. And not only that, but because it’s the theater, [the stage combat] has to be precise and the same every single night.”

A er the cast learns basic ghting techniques, the ght choreographer will work with Hauss-Smith to block every ght scene.

“When we go ‘Okay, now we’ll just roll the dice and we have a ght,’ then they’re going to choreograph that and then we’ll pick it up from there and continue to the next thing,” Hauss-Smith said. “So, it’s sort of a divide and conquer.” is is not the rst time a Greenhill play has featured stage combat. e fall 2019 production of “Romeo and Juliet” featured three ght scenes as well.

He came in to do a couple of workshops and some basic stuff like footwork and movement, but this show has swords and maces and axes and battle axes and things, actually way bigger weapons to handle, so that’s what we worked on.”

However, Hauss-Smith says that the style in “She Kills Monsters” will di er from “Romeo and Juliet.”

“In ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ it was pretty realistic,” Hauss-Smith said. “People would die and then we had those blood packs. is style is di erent because when you go on a campaign and you’re playing the game, if you die, you can create a new character and start again. So, it doesn’t have to be so real, the way you die. So stylistically, we’re going to have fun with it. It’ll be more rambunctious and sort of fun versus serious.”

Robertson has enjoyed watching the cast members learn stage combat.

“I did not detect any sort of disdain or lack of willingness to take part in it,” he said. “It’s very fun. And I imagine once we actually start with real swords instead of wooden sticks, they’ll probably have even more fun.”

Senior Deeya Bachani, another cast member learning stage combat, has enjoyed learning how to ght.

“We are learning it together which feels very communal,” she said. “It’s also something di erent, so it’s fun to have that other thing.”

Hauss-Smith said the fun atmosphere of the ght scenes helps the students get excited.

“I think that for some of them, it’s like, ‘Holy cow. How’s that going to go? Am I going to remember everything?’”

Hauss Smith said. “But once we have the storyline of the ghts choreographed, we’ll spend time with each student going, ‘Okay, the rst move is this.’ ey will be well equipped by the time we’re actually doing it.”

As an assistant director, Robertson has noticed that the actors’ backgrounds have in uenced their ghting style.

“You can see where knowing the skills they have from other activities they enjoy, it’s really easy to see where it’s helping them in the process of learning stage combat,” Robertson said.

He noted that sometimes, those skills a ect their performance poorly as well.

“If you have a dancer, they pick up the movement and the choreography of it really well. However sometimes their dance skills can paint the combat as more elegant and graceful. So everyone has things to improve on even if they are approaching it with a pre-established toolbox,” he said.

Overall, Bachani said, the stage combat makes the play more engaging for the audience.

Sometimes their dance skills can paint the combat as more elegant and graceful. So Everyone has things to improve on even if they are approaching it with a pre-established toolbox.”

“I think the audience will feel like it’s more real since we’re learning real ght choreography,” she said. “It will keep the audience entertained and engaged while also pushing the storyline.”

Chhaya agrees. For her, the fact that stage combat has rarely been done at Greenhill sets “She Kills Monsters” apart.

“I feel like it would be more bland if we did something else,” Chhaya said. “Being able to be professionally taught stage combat and have everyone take part in it and make a big ght scene is going to make the show come alive so much more.”