This past Friday, on Sept. 19, the Marinello Little Theatre was filled with laughter, yelps and stomps as Ariana Starkman gave a workshop on Stage Combat. Starkman, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, has extensive acting training from the Moscow Art Theatre School and the Demidov Studio London. She is certified in ten different areas of stage combat. 

In addition to her acting training, Starkman has received stage combat training through the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), Dueling Arts International, Fluer de Lis Theatre Company and the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC). She has worked as a stage combat instructor for six years and shared that she has choreographed “Big Fish”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and a piece about gun safety, to name a few. 

When asked what she loves about stage combat, she explained that the “singularity of the storytelling and the necessity for two people to be telling the same story” were what made stage combat so enjoyable for her. 

The Marinello Little Theatre certainly witnessed quite the storytelling during this stage combat workshop. Students were taught how to stage punch and safely grab a fellow cast member’s hair without harming them in the process. Cast safety and comfort were emphasized as Starkman argued for actors to advocate for themselves during any choreographed fight, insisting that even a stage slap could and should be done without any physical contact.

At the end of this workshop, students paired up and choreographed a short scene where they had to create a backstory, stage punch their castmate and have a stage-hair-grab. These mini-scenes were filled with artificial yelps from the performers and laughter from the onlookers. Everyone left the workshop with beaming smiles. 

For several students, this was their first JCU Arts event. Sofia Bowman ’28, Joseph Wasco ’27 and Muhammad Ameen Sugapong ’27, shared that this was their first time attending an event hosted by JCU Arts, and they had an absolute blast. All three shared that they would love to see more stage combat workshops, specifically ones dealing with weapon use on stage, like swords. Wasco and Sugapong both mentioned how much they enjoyed when the English Department hosted acting workshops with Actors From the London Stage last semester and that they’d love to see more workshops like that too. 

While many aspects of this workshop resulted in roaring laughter and cheers, Bowman said her favorite part of this workshop was “creating a mini-scene with a punch and hair-pull.” Wasco and Sugapong turned to each other with grins after being asked what their favorite part of the workshop was, and Wasco said, “Punching Ameen,” to which Sugapong lightheartedly responded with, “Punching Joey.” 

Amy Payne, the director of fine arts on campus, is the one to thank for this evening of stage combat. She shared that Starkman was the intimacy choreographer for Ensemble Theatre’s 2024-2025 season’s production of “Heisenberg” and did an incredible job creating a space in which both actors felt comfortable. She then referenced the JCU Theatre Club’s upcoming comedy overflowing with stage combat, stating, “What a great idea for a workshop for “Puffs” so everyone can be comfortable on stage!” 

Some upcoming events hosted by JCU Arts that students can keep an eye out for are the Costuming with LED Lights Workshop and the History of ’70s and ’80s Film. Dates and times are TBA. Payne added to look out for “Puffs,” which will be performed by the JCU Theatre Club on Dec. 5 and 6. 

Students can find more information about these workshops and events from the JCU Arts Instagram page (@jcu_arts), the JCU Theatre Club Instagram page (@theatreclubjcu), emails from Student Engagement and flyers around campus.