For the past two years, Academie Duello and Bard on the Beach have produced a one-night-only showcase of swordplay and Shakespeare, called "Fight Night".
The evening begins and ends with an address by Christopher Gaze, the Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach.
Duello's founder, Devon Boorman, explains historical weapon use in Elizabethan England as well as previous eras featured in Shakespeare's plays.
Duello's Head of Stage Combat, David McCormick, explores a different aspect of performance combat each year. In 2014, he also performed a scene with Devon where they met each other in the grand finale as Macbeth and MacDuff.
Historical fiction author C.C. Humphreys provides a speech and a reading from his novel "Shakespeare's Rebel" which features the Bard, his fight choreographer, and their relationships with duelling both on and off the stage. Humphreys has also remained to perform a book signing and speak to attendees each year.
In our 2013 show, we had a speech from Bard's Fight Director, Nick Harrison, as well as a fight choreographed by him, but he was unable to participate in 2014.
Most importantly, we give the audience what they want: plenty of violence... some of it choreographed and rehearsed, some of it real competition with protective gear, and some of it with explanations to clearly demonstrate the tactics used.
See For Yourself
Enjoy our trailer video and a 14-minute condensation of the show, both from 2014:
Video too long? Here's the last moment, courtesy of very fast work by our own make-up/SFX expert, Martina Sandelin:
Become an Action Hero!
Speaking seriously, if you're an actor and you want to be cast as a superhero, a spy, or a vengeful father with a certain set of skills... you have to learn some of those skills. The Fight Directors Canada (FDC) Basic Certification tells the world that you've studied stage combat in a program with the highest possible standards, and can not only perform realistic and powerful fights but also keep completely safe through each rehearsal and every take. For film or the stage, if you need to create the illusion of violence with a sword, unarmed brawling, or with a stick, you've got to take our 2-week intensive called Combat Acting.
Read more and sign up here: Combat Acting at Academie Duello
Head of Stage Combat at Academie Duello and certified Instructor with Fight Directors Canada. Head of Bartitsu at Academie Duello, the longest continuously running Bartitsu program in the world. Read more from David McCormick.