The Australian Stage Combat Association

Knowledge

 

At ASCA we strive to present the Australian Entertainment Industry with the most comprehensive knowledge in:

 

• Accurate historical combat

• Modern theatre practices

• WHS regulations and State by State laws and protocols in relation to the use of weapons in theatre, film and television productions.

 

Our goal is to provide all performers access to the safest practices for performing staged violence available in Australia.

 

The founders of ASCA have spent many years studying and training in Stage Combat both here in Australia and overseas. In that time we have made many trusted friends and respected colleagues within other leading Stage Combat Societies, including Stage Combatants, Instructors, Fight Directors and Historical Martial Artists. We have had the opportunity to study with true masters and visionaries of our art form, and we adopt and refine the knowledge gained from these people to develop one of the finest and most comprehensive systems of Stage Combat in the world.

 

ASCA has two primary purposes as a governing body for Stage Combat in Australia:

Firstly, ASCA works diligently to establish a practical and ethical set of professional standards to detail the obligations of a Stage Combatant to the industry and their peers with the goal to protect the rights of all performers, and thereby ensure the safety of all.

Secondly, to develop the most advanced and attainable curriculum, including teaching methodologies and certification processes, to reflect the ever-evolving needs of the industry and its performers. These advancements work to promote the continual expansion of our art form.

 

ASCA’s knowledge and service goes even deeper than just safe theatrical combative techniques. We can offer productions advice concerning:

 

• historical weapons use and etiquette

• information on weapons and props that may or may not be suitable for use on stage

• where to acquire appropriate weapons

• how to make safe and durable props for use in a fight scene

 

You must understand that an umbrella is designed to keep the rain off you, not to be used in a fight, therefore if you need to use an umbrella in a fight scene on stage, it needs to be properly modified to make sure it is safe and can withstand the demands of a fight scene.

 

But the use of weapons and combat is only one half of the art of Stage Combat. At its core Stage Combat is essentially an acting process, any violence is merely the ‘physical embodiment of an emotional dispute’. The true art of Stage Combat is finding the best actions for performers that will not only continue to tell the story, but to expand the audience's understanding of the characters, their needs and desires, and the story.

 

ASCA Fight Directors and Instructors are all highly trained in a wide variety of performance styles and can provide a deeper understanding of the psychological and physiological effects of violence on humans in a huge variety of situations. Thereby providing performers the ability to deliver a more honest performance.