Fight Camp 2018

Co-Sponsored by Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts

All classes are at The Theatre Lab, 733 8th Street NW
Taught by Casey Kaleba,
Rorschach Theatre’s resident fight choreographer
with company member Megan Reichelt (Teaching Assistant)
Saturdays, July 7- 28, 10am-1pm

$150 for all four sessions / $40 per class for single “drop-in” rate

Sharpen those swords and spend some time learning stage combat in a way only Rorschach Theatre can deliver. Taught by Rorschach Theatre company member and resident ninja* Casey Kaleba, these classes are rooted in traditional stage combat technique but draw from a wide range of approaches and styles. The classes can be taken as a whole training program or as a series of drop-in classes. For performers and students with no experience, these classes will offer an excellent introduction to stage combat theory and practice. For those already familiar, it’s a chance to refresh skills and pick up some new tricks.

Course is for Adults – for students under 18, please contact classes@rorschachtheatre.com for permission

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE!

For questions, please email classes@rorschachtheatre.com.

(Please note the order of the classes below has changed)

SESSION 1. Atomic Blondes Have More Fun
Saturday July 7, 10am-1pm

All the basics of stage fighting without weapons: body, audience, partnering and flow. We’ll cover a range of common techniques in the contemporary brawl style, from slaps and head butts to jabs and straights, with focus on selling the technique effectively and expressing character through violence. Then we’ll try to apply those techniques while moving through spaces.

SESSION 2. Knife Tricks from the House of Harkonnen
Saturday July 14, 10am-1pm

Stylistic use of the knife on stage. Building on the basic movement form we’ll adapt it for use with a variety of small edged weapons, with an emphasis on blade technique, dynamic action, and martial physicality.

SESSION 3. “Get This Man a Shield”
Saturday July 21, 10am-1pm

Spartacus, bugbears, and Wonder Women – this class will look at the pairing of sword and shield and the ways we can use their mismatched shapes and movements to make dynamic fights. We’ll cover ambidextrous fighting, changing distance and range quickly, and a surprising number of ways to smash people.

SESSION 4. Fifty Shades of Red
Saturday July 28, 10am-1pm

Blood bags, blood tubes, and blood cannons – this class will look at cheap, effective, and gratuitous stage effects and provide a methodology for students to design their own blood effects. Discussion and demo – get ready to get icky.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

CASEY KALEBA has arranged violence more than four hundred stage productions, including work at the Guthrie Theatre and Spoleto Festival. He has been with Rorschach since Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards, and since then has staged fights with pirates, zombies, blindfolds, samurai, minotaurs, monkeys, and dragons. DC area credits include Folger Theatre, Round House Theatre, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Forum Theatre, Theatre J, Studio Theatre and Constellation Theatre Company. Casey works as an audition choreographer for Marvel Universe Live and smashes bottles on the Youtube show Men At Arms: Reforged. He trained with physical artists from across the globe, is a certified instructor with the Society of American Fight Directors and has served as a guest artist in Sweden and Canada.

MEGAN REICHELT (Teaching Assistant) loves to fight. She is an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and has assisted such illustrious teachers as Casey Kaleba, Dale Girard, Gregg Lloyd, and Jon Rubin. She has performed numerous fights for a variety of events and plays with the Folger Theatre, The Welders, Flying V, Taffety Punk, and her beloved Rorschach Theatre, where she last appeared as Hunter in Neverwhere (2017). She is so thrilled to have found a career that allows her to tell a great story and make sure people feel safe and taken care of while looking like a badass.

* We have no official confirmation that Casey Kaleba is a ninja