Have you ever wondered what a fight choreographer does? The Department of Theatre is fortunate to have Professor Chris DuVal on our faculty who teaches many areas of theatre including being a fight choreographer. This summer, DuVal is the Fight Choreographer for Colorado Shakespeare Festival, with is the 2nd oldest Shakespeare Festival.
The productions he will be fight choreographing this season include Taming of the Shrew (also the director), Hamlet, and Julius Caesar. "My typical day is a combination of various planning meetings with other designers, and rehearsals in which I am working with actors to develop safe but effective illusions of violence.
We keep the fights slow n’ steady for a long period of time, we make sure the weapons are all safe, and that we keep a close tab on other elements of lighting, sound, costume, and scenic design to ensure that all elements work together to help the fight effectively and dynamically contribute to the story."