Knowledge Standard #1

The legal and ethical requirements and safety issues pertaining to the specific trade

or industry

Evidence 1: Working With Underage Performers: Case Studies and Troubleshooting Intimacy With Minors workshop resources and Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC) Resource Guide

Description: This workshop dealt with issues regarding best practices when staging scenes of physical and/or emotional intimacy with younger performers; it was an extension of previous work regarding the newer field of intimacy direction, in which the emotional safety of performers is held as important as the physical safety. The resource guide provides links to protocols designed to guide productions and ensure the well-being of those involved.

Analysis: In recent years, especially following the #MeToo movement that gained momentum in 2017, attention has been called to the particular ethical and personal safety issues in the film, television, and theatre industry in regards to sexual assault. One outcome of this has been the acknowledgement that special attention is needed when dealing with matters of staged intimacy, whether these involve moments of physical contact or emotional content that may provoke strong feelings. Especially when dealing with younger performers, it is imperative to ensure the well-being of those involved in any production. It is equally important to educate younger performers and technicians about both their rights in regards to intimacy onstage and their responsibilities in dealing with fellow company members ethically whether onstage or off. Calling attention to the legal and ethical responsibilities early in their training serves to build a foundation upon which respect for others becomes an ingrained part of their work ethic.

IMG_5788.MOV

Students practice fight choreography while preparing for a production.

Evidence 2: Stage Combat Workshop, April 29-May 1, 2019

Description: Over three days, students participated in a stage combat workshop led by Actors Equity Association (AEA) member and Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) Certified actor Craig Maravich.

Analysis: Perhaps because it allows them to safely enact daydreams of power they would not act out in real life, many students are drawn to the elements of stage combat. Whether weilding a sword in Shakespeare or slapping a too-fresh hotel owner in a Marx Brothers slapstick, stage combat must be approached slowly, carefully, and methodically- traits which might well take the excitement out of staged violence.

In May of 2019, the Addison Repertory Theatre presented She Kills Monsters, a play that incorporates numerous instances of armed and unarmed combat. AEA and SAFD member Craig Maravich, who teaches at nearby Middlebury College, was brought in to lead a three-day workshop on stage combat. During this workshop, students first were taught the basics of safety- consent, distance, speed, control, technique, and planning- for unarmed combat. Students then choreographed short scenes demonstrating adherence to these principles, as seen in the video to the left. Students in this video are rehearsing the principles of distance, speed, and consent (in which the actor having violence done to them is in control of the scene)- but stop when the choreography becomes muddled.

Students then began focused work on specific weapons and choreography, with each student focusing on one weapon,the basics of safety for that weapon, and simple movements to be used with that weapon. At the end of the third day, students presented simple, choreographed fight sequences with weapons for approval. Maravich returned two weeks later to review the sequences and make adjustments.

As with intimacy direction, the well-being of those involved in a production are of paramount importance. Although stage combat is its own field within the industry that takes years to master, providing students with an understanding of the fundamentals of safe behavior prepares them to see this common element of theatre as one that requires attentive work to ensure their own safety and that of their coworkers.