LotL-3: Fight Cast Auditions
This is the third post in a series about the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire in Tavares, Florida. Find all the entries in the series using the LotL link.
Fight Cast Auditions
General cast auditions and assignments completed, it was time to see whether any of the hopeful fighters could meet Kevin Daniels’ demanding standards. Eleven members of the Rogue’s Theatre and 10 cast members assembled in a grassy area outside the auditorium. Kevin paired up the men and women by height, saying that it was one of the most important elements in a good fight.
Before they began, Kevin explained that the Rogue’s Theatre is under contract to the faire to provide the Human Combat Chess Match and that he had no requirement to include any of those auditioning in it. He said there are enough fighters in the troupe to put on the show but that they like to include members of the local cast in the fight. It’s an opportunity to find new members for the Rogue’s Theatre and draws bigger crowds to the performances. With that in mind, he encouraged them to concentrate and do their best.
Standing where he could see all the auditioning pairs, Kevin called the action as Adam Richardson and David Bobola demonstrated the moves. They ran through the entire fight sequence in slow motion, letting the watchers see the near misses and explaining key points of keeping each other safe. There were nineteen moves in all, ranging from throwing a punch to tossing your opponent down the hill.
Occasionally Kevin would step in, taking Adam’s place and demonstrating a key point on David. For instance, Kevin stopped the action and moved in behind David as he was preparing to tuck and roll.. The trust between the two was obvious as Kevin took David’s hair in his hand and moved his head in to the correct position for the roll. He then moved David’s head upright and demonstrated the whip lash affect that happens, saying, “If you don’t do something right … BOOM … you’ll know you screwed up,” as he moved David’s head back sharply against his outstretched palm.
Watching the sequence, the want-to-be fighters listened intently. Having called the entire sequence, Kevin assigned a member of the troupe to each pair to observe, correct, and assist if there were any questions. Then the audition got started in earnest.
Breaking the fight sequence up in three sections, Kevin had Adam and David demonstrate a sequence of approximately six moves ending with a separation between the pair. In super-slow motion, they performed each move and described the methods of contact used to make the sequence look good and keep their partner safe at the same time. For instance:
- When blocking a backswing, place your hands so that they come in contact with the upper and lower arm of your opponent, not the elbow which is the weakest portion of the arm
- When stomping on your opponent’s foot, have your heel land just to the inside of his instep, letting your foot lay over top of his
As Kevin finished calling the first sequence, he explained there was a word the potential fighters needed to remember. “Retribution – It’s a keyword. If you screw up on purpose or because you’re not paying attention, you will draw retribution, especially if someone gets hurt. Remember, you have to continue to fight with the person you’ve just hurt.” With that, he began calling the sequence again as the pairs followed along. They repeated the process four or five times in slow motion and then Kevin instructed the pairs to perform the sequence as a type of final test, without him calling the instructions. This time the members of the Rogue’s Theatre watched the auditioning cast intently, not offering assistance, just observing how they were putting what they had learned in to action.
They repeated the process with the second sequence and, just as they got ready for the final set without instructions, another band of heavy rain from Hurricane Fay began falling. Everyone scrambled under the picnic shelter where Kevin had the pairs move to the open space at one end and run through the sequence for the final time. They stayed under the shelter for the third sequence training and final.
As they finished the final set, the rain slacked off and Kevin had them return to the grass to run through the entire fight sequence. He called the moves off in three-quarter time, as the entire troupe monitored the movements of the hopefuls. Everyone returned to the shelter then and Kevin called the members of the Rogue’s Theatre to the front for a huddle. They discussed the applicants and their abilities, reaching a consensus on each.
Breaking the huddle, Kevin faced the crowd and ran through the requirements of being on the fight cast:
- Weekly practice in Largo, a trip of almost 100 miles
- Boots for everyone
- No medical complications that would preclude participation
- Not already assigned to the role of a singer or gypsy
He asked each applicant individually about medical conditions, listening closely to their answers and making notes. He then congratulated everyone, telling them they had done a fine job and that he looked forward to seeing them at the first practice on September 14.
Next week, we’ll look at the storyline and some of the characters you’ll find wandering the lanes of Hickory Grove on the Lake.
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