Y10 drama students throw themselves into stage combat workshop

On Friday 19th June, our New Y10 drama students had the opportunity to work with the incredible Mark Ruddick from Squire Stage Combat. Mark works extensively in the theatre and film world, as well as touring round the UK with his stage combat company. He has most recently finished filming as a fight coordinator for House of the Dragon.

Mark ran a workshop for each class, teaching students the art of stage fighting, and safe combat for performance. Students prepared a fight scene, piecing together key choreography moves (which Mark calls ‘dancing with grrrrr’) to make a realistic fight sequence. Students also got the opportunity to speak to an industry professional about how he got into the theatre and film industry.

One student said, ‘It was so fun! It looks and sounds so realistic, but it is all completely controlled and safe. It was brilliant to be able to learn new skills’.

Mark talked to students about how they would be able to link this to Blood Brothers in Drama, and Macbeth in English. It was a fantastic morning where students got a new experience, and were able to work on their teamwork, communication, and performance skills.