Sword fights in ‘Trickster’ leave lasting impression, but no scars

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DAILY CHRONICLE

Every 10 seconds of a fight scene in a theatrical production is equivalent to at least one hour of rehearsal time.

For the next production of the Northern Illinois University School of Theatre and Dance, this means between 25 and 30 hours of rehearsal time for the fight sequences alone, according to Stanton Davis, the assistant director and fight choreographer for “The Trickster of Seville and His Guest of Stone.” The show will run today-Sunday and Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in the Stevens Building O’Connell Theatre. Show times are 7:30 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

“The world of the play is a world in which violence is a real possibility,” Davis said in a recent news release. “To have the sword fights gives the manifestation of violence, so even when there is not a sword fight taking place, (the audience) knows it’s a possibility.”    

According to Davis, 15 to 20 individual fights are strung together to create the three major fight scenes in Trickster and are the key plot elements that move the action forward.

To choreograph a fight scene, Davis is given the scene’s “tops and tails.” In other words, he is told what leads up to the fight and what happens after the fight. It is then his responsibility to connect the two scenes and advance the plot through a fight sequence. Like the nature of the play, some of the fights are serious and heighten the dramatic moments, and some of the scenes are comic and heighten the play’s comedy, according to Davis.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the lobby of the Stevens Building on campus, behind the Pizza Hut and McDonald’s restaurants on West Lincoln Highway. Hours are noon-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-2 p.m. Friday and one hour before productions. Tickets also can be ordered by phone at 815-753-1600 or online at www.niu.edu/theatre. Tickets cost $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students.