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Just Before Dawn: Pre-Test Rituals And Preparation For Test Day, T. Fulton Burns

T. Fulton Burns

In Asian martial arts films there are usually beautiful moments that reveal the fighters in deep meditation before they are to meet on the field of battle. The process appears to center and calm the individual while preparing them for the final moments of their lives. The day of a skills proficiency test (SPT) can feel the same way. The day of the test can be frustrating for the testers as well as those around them. Nerves can run high during this stressful time. I can still recall the excitement and nerves of my first test day at the 2000 …

Random Acts Of Violence: Bringing John Cage’S Chance Techniques To Fight Choreography And Stage Combatant Acting, T. Fulton Burns

T. Fulton Burns

The concept of chance utilized by John Cage is a frightening, exciting, and liberating process for any artist. It was so effective that other musical artists such as Morton Feldman, Earle Brown and Christian Wolff used it. In the world of theatre these concepts are constantly used today by the Neo-Futurists in Chicago and New York in their production of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind and by Improv Troupes throughout the country.

Dueling With Spt Questions: Members Of The College Of Fight Masters Share Their Ideas For Skills Proficiency Tests, T. Fulton Burns

T. Fulton Burns

As the rehearsal process grows closer and closer to the Skills Proficiency Test (SPT) common questions arise regarding what is needed in order to pass. Many of these questions involve the same basic idea – “What are the Fight Masters looking for so that I can pass the test?”, but the most important question that is asked is – “Do you think I will pass?”

Beating The Punches: Scene And Fight Break Down Techniques, T. Fulton Burns

T. Fulton Burns

As a fight choreographer it is my responsibility to sit down with the director and discover her/his vision for the production. Similarly, actors need to serve the script and work with the choreographer in connecting the action to the playwright’s words. Each preceding article, relating to the exploration of the skills proficiency tests (SPTs), has offered tools for connecting the scripts, stories, and characters with the language of the choreography. We are now ready to move deeper into directly linking fight choreography with the script and vice versa.

Some actors see pre-planning objectives for a scene and rehearsal as an …

I Can’T – I Have Rehearsal: Rehearsal Guidelines And Techniques With Fight Scene Work, T. Fulton Burns

T. Fulton Burns

The rehearsal process often contains excitement, uncertainty, and, at times, stress for all involved. It is at this stage of the process where the culmination of skills acquired (research, character study, and embodying choreography) all come together. The following guidelines and techniques are aimed toward helping the actor address and conquer both acting and fight needs during the rehearsal process