Stage Combat and Historical Reenactment
Technical Certificate · 18 credit hours · 2 semesters · Division of Performance and Guest Services
Unarmed, single sword, sword and shield, and polearm technique for stage, film, and reenactment engagement. Armor fitting and maintenance, weapon inspection protocol, and the fight captain role.
The program includes a unit on creature and non-human character combat, in which prosthetic sightline restriction and altered center of mass require modified technique.
Weapons are inventoried, stored in a locked cage, and inspected before every class meeting. The inspection log is maintained by the supervising faculty member and retained for three years. Armor fitting and maintenance charges are assessed per term and are published in the Schedule of Charges.
Concentrations
Armored and Mounted Performance
Combat performance in armor and from horseback for reenactment, exhibition, and film engagement. Armored movement and heat management, weapons handling at the walk and trot, fall technique from the standing horse, and joint protocol with an equine partner conditioned under Division of Animal and Agricultural Sciences supervision. Students must hold current standing in STG 210 and complete the barn safety orientation. Mounted instruction uses program-owned animals only; student-owned animals are not eligible.
Coordinators: Sylvia Hurd-Nachtel; Warden Coyle. Added by Addendum No. 1, adopted by the Curriculum Committee.
Curriculum
| Course | Title | Credits | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| STG 120 | Unarmed Stage Combat | 3 | 1 |
| STG 130 | Single Sword | 3 | 1 |
| STG 140 | Armor Fitting and Maintenance | 3 | 1 |
| STG 210 | Sword and Shield, Polearm | 3 | 2 |
| STG 240 | Creature and Non-Human Character Combat | 3 | 2 |
| STG 250 | Fight Direction and the Fight Captain Role | 3 | 2 |
Graduates
The weapon is inspected before every single call. The program inspected before every class, no exceptions, and now I cannot not do it. That habit is why nobody has been hurt on my watch.
Dorian Whele, ’23 — Fight captain, regional theatre
Facilities and instruction
Instruction is delivered in the facilities of the Division of Performance and Guest Services. Additional photographs are collected at Campus photographs.
programs/stage-combat-historical-reenactment · Bellweather College of Applied Technology