Trusting The Process...
Violence Choreography and Storytelling From 2023-2025
It has been an exceptional experience, facilitating storytelling through violence choreography, over the past five years or so. My commitment to storytelling, assists me in making the choices that I make when violence or physicality needs to be implemented as a part of the production process. In my mind, violence choreography is the means but is usually not the ends, such as it is in life, in that violence or physicality is a mode or method of conveyance (I use physicality, as it is not always staged violence, but other types of choreographed movements as well, that will need to be committed to safely) . My opinion is then that violence is often an unnecessary mode in life, as my thoughts are that what one could do with violence, one could more successfully and meaningfully commit to without it, but we live in a world where violence is an unreasonable part of our past and present and so to properly tell our stories, we must occasionally include staged combat, violence, etc.
Where I have been fortunate to coordinate staged violence for productions, I have not always clearly seen the end, when beginning the teaching of the choreography. This may come across as strange due to choreography usually being planned in advance, hence the choreographed or staged part. Yes, there is a script and the directors may have some ideas regarding what they want to occur, but how the violence may wrap up is not always defined. The process then takes on an organic or natural course--full of intent, so that it may be realized as realistic as possible and recorded so that it may be committed to safely, over and over. I inform the cast that violence choreography performed well, should not distract away from the storytelling, but is adjunctive, thus we should be careful not to have any portions of it look contrived. I've learned how to trust the process and this has allowed me to not be immediately concerned when stepping onto a set. Having a stress-free mind provides clarity necessary to create, unhampered. This energy carries over to the performers and changes how we proceed and the manner in which the actors focus on performing their actions. Consequently, work is usually pleasurable for all, despite the context.
At the beginning, I have a strict set of terms and conditions to which I begin every audition and choreography workshop. The cast, director and myself will go step by step through what violence choreography is, and the rules we all must abide by in order to properly tell the story and to not impede it. It is after this point that I always appreciate the flow of the instruction. Learning the cast, understanding their characters and their relationships, we build the scene and the ending is then organic and fits within the context of the story. Trust the process…trust the process.
Below are a few peaks into how "trusting the process" can materialize. Being in the space, I often feel so full due to the excitement of the performers and being a part of their discovery. The pleasant acknowledgements that take place, as the actors settle into a rhythm, are amazing to watch and I am proud to facilitate their storytelling, as well as to be a fellow actor and director.
Please take a few more peeks into our world…
Although this Morgane Le Musical has not been quite realized upon stage( it has had a couple of non-conventional release at festivals, a castle, etc.), I was encouraged by choreographing the fight/ violence scenes below. Here are a few rehearsals that illustrate what it was to trust the process. Even mid-rehearsal process, it is amazing to watch.
Because these two actors are also very respectful and gentle people, it has been easier for them to perform choreographed violence together in The New Musical Company productions that they have been cast together. Here they are once more, learning, fixing and polishing up a scene from the rock horror musical Night Quintet, an original production written and orchestrated by Alexandre Diaconu for his company The New Musical Company.
Salome 2239 is another one of The New Musical Company's amazing adaptations of a well known tragedy. Shifted into the post modern era and performed in French as an original musical, we again needed to coordinate the unique functionalities that existed within the production. Here is a peek from my angle of our tech where I view the choreography that I've instructed to see if the actors can perform it safely within its elements (wet floor, sandy soil, sharp rocks, low light, etc.) and to see the scene from the audience's point of view before we launch the production.
A timeless production, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar has long been a way to address the very unfortunate issue of corruption within our governmental institutions, due to power drunkkeness and the manipulation of our societies by those in positions of influence. Being invited to choreograph a uniquely structured version of this production was a valuable learning experience. From addressing the script to workshopping the performers, there was plenty of learning and healthy laughter as everyone focused on their very serious choreographies. It was refreshing to watch the actors give a proper treatment to the process. Thanks to Emily Bowles of the Brussels Shalespeare Society for trusting me with her project.
Honorable mention--
What is violence without blood?
A weird little side quest that has come with the violence choreography has been how to create realistic injuries or deaths. Ocassionally, blood is a desired visual. Here is a dedication to some of the moments where I have supplied blood packets and blood strrawberries, praying that they deployed at the moment needed, haha?
