Manassas, VA 6/27/07

VIOLENCE IS MERELY A TOOL FOR STORYTELLING
The Gray Ghost fight director explains Stage Combat and the importance of character.

Jill Matarelli Carlson, Professor ECU

 

 

 

The Gray Ghost is partially supported by funding from

The Virginia Commission for the Arts and

The National Endowment for the Arts

The Prince William Arts Council

 A confederate solider is dispatched with a daring slash of his saber, the Major spins around just in time and thrusts through the jacket of his advisary, barely missing him; in an instant he is thrown to the ground and forced to surrender as he finds himself staring down the pistol of John S. Mosby. Physical conflict adds excitement and drama to any theatre production, but how do the actors manage to pull this action off night after night without getting hurt for real? The answer is Stage Combat and how it’s accomplished might surprise you.

Jill Matarelli Carlson is a professor of stage movement in the School of Theatre and Dance at East Carolina University and the fight director for the Gray Ghost Theatre Company’s premiere production of The Gray Ghost: The Story of John S. Mosby During the Darkest Days of the Civil War. Carlson explained some of the techniques used to stage physical violence, “Everything we do is choreographed very carefully, and the actors rehearse the fights again and again in slow motion to engrain the movement into their muscle memory. It’s actually very much like dance, in that, the movement must be precise and consistent every time it’s performed. There is no improvisation or adding of moves, it must be exact to ensure safety.” She went on to explain that there are several layers of safety build into the choreography, “We utilize partnering, distance, targeting, casting of energy, and set traffic patterns to keep the performers safe. There are also general rules we adhere to, such as ‘the victim is always in control of the violence’ and ‘your sword point never crosses through your partners face.’ The audience also has little depth perception from where they sit, so we can utilize that to our advantage and sell the illusion that contact has been made when in reality the performers are several inches apart. Speed is the very last thing that’s added and only after countless hours of rehearsal. It’s the acting of the scene that makes it appear violent.”

While action and battle scenes can be exciting to watch, Carlson was quick to point out that story has to be the focus, “Violence for the sake of violence serves no purpose, unless the physical action helps to tell the story and continues the journey of the characters it is pointless.” That is one of the primary reasons she was drawn to this project. “So many shows of this type rely on mass battles and special effects and often the plot and characters are secondary. The Gray Ghost is really character driven; the pieces of fights and battles you see really effect the characters that are involved and help to tell the story.” Carlson continued, "I’m very honored to be involved with a company like Gray Ghost, that values storytelling, and historical significance.” Carlson is an Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and is recognized in all 8 weapon styles.
 

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Gray Ghost Theatre Company supports education and historic preservation through the arts by generating theatre of exceptional quality and illuminating history. The company employs professional and local artists of high caliber with the intent to create, produce, and promote plays that illuminate aspects of local, national or cultural history, encourage family participation in theatre going, and serve educational purposes. For more information go to www.grayghosttheatre.com. Or Call: (703) 993-8482. For tickets to The Gray Ghost go to www.tickets.com.
Or Call: 1-888-945-2468.

If you’d like more information about this topic, or if you would like to schedule an interview with Jill Matarelli Carlson, Please call: (252) 412-7887, or Email at: info@grayghosttheatre.com