Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Conferences
Encyclopedia
The Paddy Crean International Stage Combat Conferences are international symposia at which prominent stage combat
and martial arts
instructors as well as theatre
, film
, and television
fight directors gather to teach seminars on a wide range of subjects related to their professional interests.
, known as "the father of modern fight directing", who served as a mentor to many of the most prominent contemporary professionals in this field. Crean died on December 22, 2003, at the age of 93.
The original Paddy Crean gatherings (1991-97) were organised by Brad Waller as annual regional and then national (American) stage combat symposia, typically running for three days each, and were alternately held in Washington DC and in various Canadian venues.
From 1998 onwards, the conferences became increasingly international in focus and flavour and were extended into a week-long format. These events were held under the auspices of the International Order of the Sword and Pen. Host venues have included the Banff Centre
(Banff, Alberta
, Canada), Queen Margaret University (Edinburgh
, Scotland
) and the University of Southern Queensland
(Toowoomba, Australia
).
A variety of curricular formats have been offered at different conferences, including one-off classes in specialised subjects, progressive classes that build in complexity over a period of days and skill-sharing sessions in which experts in different disciplines compare approaches and techniques.
Participants at the Paddy Crean conferences do not undertake practical examinations in the material that they have studied. Rather, the emphasis is placed almost entirely upon the classwork itself.
Teachers at the events offer classes in subjects that are typically addressed in most stage combat training curricula as offered by the various national Societies. They also offer classes in more specialized subjects such as Professional Wrestling
, Zulu stick fighting
, 19th century French walking stick fencing
, neutral mask technique applied to stage combat training and many other disciplines.
The Paddy Crean events frequently offer interdisciplinary studies in related fields such as Asian and historical European martial arts, special effects technologies and the co-ordination and performance of film/TV stunt
work.
, especially in the areas of performance study, movement pedagogy
and historical research
, featuring lectures and formal symposia on subjects including "Manipulating Violence: Weapon
ry Combat
and Swordplay in Performance
", "Swordsmanship
in Spain
from Carranza
to the end of the 17th century" and "Creation, Re:Creation, Recreation: the Professional's Dilemma of Training
and Performance
" (Paddy Crean Conference, 2004).
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
and martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
instructors as well as theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
fight directors gather to teach seminars on a wide range of subjects related to their professional interests.
History
The Paddy Crean conferences are named in honour of Patrick "Paddy" CreanPaddy Crean
Patrick "Paddy" Crean was a professional actor and theatrical fight director who was one of the most influential figures in the art of modern stage combat....
, known as "the father of modern fight directing", who served as a mentor to many of the most prominent contemporary professionals in this field. Crean died on December 22, 2003, at the age of 93.
The original Paddy Crean gatherings (1991-97) were organised by Brad Waller as annual regional and then national (American) stage combat symposia, typically running for three days each, and were alternately held in Washington DC and in various Canadian venues.
From 1998 onwards, the conferences became increasingly international in focus and flavour and were extended into a week-long format. These events were held under the auspices of the International Order of the Sword and Pen. Host venues have included the Banff Centre
Banff Centre
The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta...
(Banff, Alberta
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
, Canada), Queen Margaret University (Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) and the University of Southern Queensland
University of Southern Queensland
The University of Southern Queensland is based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The institution was established in 1967 as the Queensland Institute of Technology...
(Toowoomba, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
).
Pedagogy and themes
The pedagogical philosophy of the Paddy Crean conferences is described as "getting together to celebrate and encourage an international exchange of safe stage combat techniques and process, historical martial arts and styles, contemporary martial arts and theory, and the development of cooperation and skill, exploring the history and traditions of the past and the camaraderie found in the sharing of ideas and knowledge of the Sword and the Pen" (IOSP.org website).A variety of curricular formats have been offered at different conferences, including one-off classes in specialised subjects, progressive classes that build in complexity over a period of days and skill-sharing sessions in which experts in different disciplines compare approaches and techniques.
Participants at the Paddy Crean conferences do not undertake practical examinations in the material that they have studied. Rather, the emphasis is placed almost entirely upon the classwork itself.
Teachers at the events offer classes in subjects that are typically addressed in most stage combat training curricula as offered by the various national Societies. They also offer classes in more specialized subjects such as Professional Wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, Zulu stick fighting
Stick fighting
Stick fighting is a generic term for martial arts which use simple long slender, blunt, hand-held, generally wooden 'sticks' for fighting such as a staff, cane, walking stick, baton or similar....
, 19th century French walking stick fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, neutral mask technique applied to stage combat training and many other disciplines.
The Paddy Crean events frequently offer interdisciplinary studies in related fields such as Asian and historical European martial arts, special effects technologies and the co-ordination and performance of film/TV stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
work.
Scholarship
The Paddy Crean events are also marked by an emphasis upon academic scholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, especially in the areas of performance study, movement pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
and historical research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
, featuring lectures and formal symposia on subjects including "Manipulating Violence: Weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
ry Combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
and Swordplay in Performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
", "Swordsmanship
Swordsmanship
Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from Carranza
Carranza
Carranza can refer to:Places*Karrantza, a town in the Biscay province of northern Spain*Venustiano Carranza, D.F., a borough of Mexico CityPeople*Bartolomé Carranza , Spanish theologian*Bruno Carranza Ramirez , president of Costa Rica...
to the end of the 17th century" and "Creation, Re:Creation, Recreation: the Professional's Dilemma of Training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
and Performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
" (Paddy Crean Conference, 2004).