"Love & War" NYCSS Stage Combat Summer Intensive

Lover? Fighter? Why not both!

We’re still friends…right? A shot of the Midsummer Night’s Dream fight scene, direction and fight direction by Aaron Orensky. Pictured from right to left: Joan Holubeck as Demetrius, me as Hermia, Iain Yarbrough as Lysander, and Olivia Ball as Helena.

Still riding high off the incredible energy of New York Combat for Stage and Screen’s 2022 Summer Intensive! The NYCSS Summer Intensive is an 7-day, 12-hour-a-day training period in which combatants of all levels take classes on violence performance theory, train in different weapon systems, and rehearse short fight scenes that culminate in two live performances in front of audiences. This year the theme was “Love & War”, and I had the amazing honor (and challenge!) of getting to perform and fight as Hermia from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Black Widow from Avengers: Endgame, and a pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Midsummer was an unarmed physical comedy romp with a nothing-held-back approach to the emotional rollercoaster of the Hermia/Helena friend/foe dynamic; Avengers was deeply felt unarmed/knife fight between two friends who each try to save the other by attempting to sacrifice their life first; and Pirates of the Caribbean was a full-blown sabre fight with the entire intensive ensemble trying their best to ruin Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann’s nuptials. These scenes were a blast to rehearse and perform, and I am so proud of the work that we as ensemble were collectively able to showcase.

I’m only strangling you because I love you! A shot of the Avengers fight scene, direction and fight direction by Kaitlyn Farley. Pictured, from left to right: Mabon Gibson as Hawkeye and me as Black Widow.

This week proved to be a great learning experience, not only in relation to stage combat skills but also in regards to figuring out self-care when rising to meet professional challenges and high standards. I’m super grateful to the supportive and fearless team of NYCSS instructors/fight directors/assistant fight directors - Jared Kirby, Aaron Orensky, Tony Mita, Katie Lerner-Lam, Adam Garden, Olivia Ball, and Kaitlyn Farley (who also worked her butt off producing the whole intensive on top of teaching and fight directing) - for all their passion and guidance. For anyone who is in any way interested in learning stage combat, I highly recommend signing up for this summer intensive and for classes with NYCSS, a great group of people who are (in their own words) “committed to creating skilled, informed performers” - maybe you’ll even get to kick my butt (safely) if you do!

GARRRHHHH I’M A PIRATE!!! A shot of the Pirates of the Caribbean fight scene, direction and fight direction by Aaron Orensky. Pictured from left to right: Erin Hebert as a pirate, me as a pirate, and Jason Pope-Bayne as Will Turner.

Fun Fact: I also participated in last year’s summer intensive and performed as Joan de Pucelle from Henry VI, Part I and as Brangien from the play Boudicca. Check out photos from my performances that year in the Action section of my photo gallery!