Behind the scenes, UCA’s stage combat RSO Bear Brawlers teaches students the art of fake fighting.

Brianna Wallace, a senior theater major and stage manager for the theater department said, “I got involved after I had been in a week-long stage combat class with someone that was brought in from the American Fight Directors. I fell in love with stage combat right then and there, and I wanted to keep doing stage fighting.”

“When I found out that we had a club just for exactly that, of course, I wanted to join,” Wallace said.

Delaney Brown, a senior double majoring in theater and philosophy said she joined Bear Brawlers because she “wanted to learn more about combat on stage to better [her] ability to act.”

Wallace said, “At our first meeting of the year, we try to get newer people to join in, and then after that, the next meetings we usually do some safety, and then we fight.”

Kylie Andrews, a freshman theater and chemistry double major, said she heard about the club through UCA’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, a National Theatre Honor Society. 

Andrews said, “I feel that this club offers a productive and unique way to get involved with the UCA theatre department.”

Brown said, “We usually have small workshops teaching things like knaps — how we make sounds for non-contact punches — falls, footwork, and we even teach how to engage in swordplay safely. Sometimes we’ll also watch movies to analyze their fight scenes.”

Andrews said, “This club allows students to prepare for multiple forms of stage combat by allowing us a safe space to practice as well as classes and certifications.”

Brown said in total there are six stage combat certifications. 

“The club focuses on unarmed, knife, rapier and dagger. They are the most common and serve as a base for the rest of the possible certifications,” she said.

Wallace said they also learn about quarterstaff and longsword combat.

Sophomore psychology and theater double major Shiloh Seward said these certifications make actors and directors more marketable for the industry when applying to jobs and graduate programs.

Seward said, “Stage combat is helpful not only on stage but also for self-defense.” 

Wallace said, “I’ve learned a whole lot about the safety that needs to be in place by joining this club. To keep your partner safe, or whoever you’re fighting with for that matter, you have to keep a safe distance, yet also be a distance to where the hits, slashes and stabs look real.”

Brown said the club taught her “how to fall safely.”

“Through the club, I was able to earn three weapon certifications,” she said. “In general, Bear Brawlers has taught and encouraged safe practice and trust between scene partners.”

Brown said, “Stage combat as a whole also builds trust among actors whether the performance has combat or not. Trust is something you need when steel is being swung at you.”

Brown said her favorite memory from being in Bear Brawlers was during a knife certification they did with the Society of American Fight Directors in May. 

“We conducted a slow motion all out free for all with training knives with 20 people using all the techniques we had learned until there was one person left standing,” she said.

Seward said her favorite memory from being in the club was taking part in a knife fighting certification. 

“I got to do a scene from Buffy [the Vampire Slayer] with an upperclassman that I really look up to and got certified,” she said.

Brown said Bear Brawlers has prepared actors in performances of “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” as well as “Murder on the Orient Express”.

Wallace said Bear Brawlers may also be preparing actors for the upcoming “Heathers” performances.

Wallace said, “In ‘Heathers’ we are having to use [prop] guns and this club will help to show the safety requirements to keep everyone safe, including those both onstage and in the audience.”

Brown said Bear Brawlers has been around for five years and is open to UCA students of all majors.

Bear Brawlers currently has a membership of 19 people.

Alli Wildman, a junior double majoring in film and theater said Bear Brawlers meet in Snow Fine Arts in room 217 during X-period.