Opinion with Adam Milford

As an introduction to drama for a new intake, or if you are looking to encourage students to take up Drama GCSE, then stage combat is a great choice! It combines multiple performance disciplines in one thoroughly entertaining form. Acting, storytelling, and later devising are at the heart of the stage combat process, all of which your students can explore without realising they're learning anything other than how to pretend to punch each other!

Every stage combat move has three parts to it – the Prep, the Action, and the Recoil.

The Prep is the bit when a hand is raised – it signposts for the audience and to the other actor what is about to happen, so is an essential piece of communication between performers. Every Action has its own Prep, so it also helps ensure the victim reacts accordingly.